Hey Pandas, I Turned 18 A Few Days Ago! Do You Have Any Advice For Me?

Learn NOW how to manage money. How to balance a checkbook, write a check even. How to save every month. How to make and follow a budget. How to properly invest when your day to day expenses are covered. How to live frugally when you need to, and how to spend wisely when you don't.

Don't rush to grow up and try to make sure you have a good work/life balance. I know easier said than done. Be kind, tolerant and compassionate. Go on adventures, spend time with family, learn new things, look after yourself. You will make mistakes, you will have triumphs, you will hurt people and you will get hurt yourself. Not much in life is a guarantee so don't let fear of trying, fear of love etc hold you back from living. Good luck for your future oh and happy belated birthday.

Take videos and make audio recordings of your parents (or any loved ones really). When they're gone, you'll wish you had them.

Not everyone who demands your time deserves your time. Know your own worth and be willing to stick to your guns when your worth is challenged. Not every friend is meant to stay your friend and that’s okay.

Stop wishing you were 21. Then 25. Then 29.
I'm 60.

Work hard, but don't let work ruin your life. Balance is hard. Take time to reevaluate once in a while whether the things you are spending time doing are what you want to do with your life. Take it easy once in a while.

Try to find and pursue your passion, as it gets harder with time, and it's easier to take risks when you're younger, as you have less to lose.

Don't worry about being in a relationship. Get yourself together first. If it happens, great! If it doesn't, so be it.

If you make a mistake, own it. Raise your hand and say, "Yes, I messed that up." Learn from it and move on.

Remember that kindness is its own reward.

Here's my list- The world isn't fair, not even close, but life's amazing if you approach it with your best attitude. Don't get derailed by toxic friends, negative instructors and difficult managers. Look for opportunities, don't get distracted, stay open to new ideas and keep moving forward. Travel and meet/make friends with people who aren't anything like you. Learn to speak and write well. Create a solid support system of friends and family and hold on to them with all you've got. Lastly, if something just isn't working and you've honestly given it every chance for success then walk away with your head up. Sometimes burning things to the ground and starting over is the only way to build something meaningful.

Take good care of your teeth! Brush, floss, and see a dentist regularly. If you don't have insurance, add dental care to your budget and pay cash. If you don't take care of your teeth you can end up with problems that cost 10s of thousands of dollars and months of time to fix, and boy oh boy will you be sorry then!!

- The only thing we ever have in life that is truly finite is time. Be very choosy who you spend it on.

- Reward friendship and loyalty with friendship and loyalty. If any of your friends screw up because of mistakes then forgive, but if they screw up because they're not loyal - walk away.

- Always make sure your moral compass is pointing in the right direction. People will notice.

Actually I have a few bits of advice since none of these have been offered:

1)Never forget how to laugh or have fun. I truly believe that people in general would be happier if they did this!
2)Let your "inner child" out to play once in a while! I'm 54 yrs old and I play RockBand and build with Legos....sometimes I do this with my grandkids!
3)If you get stressed, pick up a coloring book and color!!

Yes I realize this mostly sounds like "Stay a kid!" but that's not what I mean. Just because we "grow up" doesn't mean life should be boring or constant stress. Enjoy it because it won't last forever!

Happy Birthday! Be yourself. Try to be patient and compassionate. Listen to what others have to say.

Never let others dictate the terms of your life for you. In the end, you should be the one making the decisions about what you do with yourself. That said, taking advice from others is fine. Just be sure you don't assume that they're right, and don't be afraid to ignore bad advice or break away from following another's suggestions should you find that it's doing more harm than good.

Be prepared for your plans not to come true, or to change beyond imagination. I don’t mean this to sound harsh, but I wish I had known back then that my life would definitely not turn out how I thought it would. Be resilient, be hopeful, be able to let go and move on with the knowledge that there’s always something new and good out there for you. Happy birthday

Excepting emergencies, pay the credit card bill in total. Do not pay the minimum.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Learn from them. You don't have to be perfect to be happy.

"No" means "next".
When people leave, let them stay gone.
Don't try to hold onto or control people either.