50 things every 18 year old should know

50 things every 18 year old should know

I always liked these sorts of lists.  Much like the “12 things I learned by 42 that I wish I’d known at 22“.  This is also an interesting list overall, but I liked a few more than others:

1. If you are buying something that you will use often and for a long time, never go cheap.
5. Try to keep enough cash to pay your bills for at least six months in reserve. It will make your life immeasurably easier if your car breaks down, you have a surprise medical expense, or you get an opportunity to get a fantastic bargain. (I’m shooting for 12 months myself)
7. “Don’t have any children or get married until you can support and love yourself first.”
10. Start looking for a new job BEFORE you quit your old job.
11) Don’t take any job that only pays commission unless you’re either an expert salesman or ready to spend months working without pay to gain the skills you need to become an expert salesman.
24) Don’t ever loan your friends money if you want to keep them as friends. After all, if they were good with money and were likely to pay you back in a timely manner, they probably wouldn’t need the loan in the first place. If they really need the money, you want to help them, and you can afford it — just give it to them.
26) When men have a problem and they tell you about it, they want to know how to fix it. When women have a problem and they tell you about it, they just want you to listen.
28) If you don’t know the agenda of the people you’re getting your news from, then you don’t have the information you need to know if what they’re telling you is true.
35) You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
38) You are not invulnerable and you are not going to live forever. You can make mistakes at 18 that you will have to live with for the rest of your life.
45) If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Prune away even good activities and do only that which matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity. You can be busy but without purpose.
50) When trying to decide between two closely matched alternatives, always have a bias towards action. In the long run, it’ll lead to your having a lot more experience, great stories, and a richer, fuller life.

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