Just turned 28 a couple weeks ago and was curious what advice some people with more life experience than me would give to their younger selves - fishing related or just life in general.
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Buy whatever the next bitcoin is 
In all seriousness just enjoy life.
Say “No” less. Step out of your comfort zone. Be genuinely nice to people. Stay healthy. Push yourself every chance you get but take the time to enjoy every accomplishment, no matter how small. Invest. Oh, and go fish!
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Do it sooner. Whatever it is.
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At 27 I was back in the USA after going to war in Desert Storm, I learned life was not guaranteed. Follow your passion, do what your heart tells you to do, because you may not get to do it if you wait. I loved doing what I did for a living but I had to sacrifice family and hobbies for a significant amount of my life to follow my passion and desire to serve my country. I look back and wonder how many coveys I didn’t see or how many rises I didn’t experience, but I don’t regret it, I followed my passion. Now that I can’t do what I did in the military I am enjoying those coveys and rises or Tarpon, but I’m definitely a better husband, dad, and grandpa.
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Don’t overthink it.
Don’t believe everything you’re told, even if it is from someone you really like.
When you need help, ask for it.
But I don’t think it would do any good telling a young me anything. Little me was hard headed and wouldn’t listen to anybody.
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Hold the Nvidia stock you purchased in 2005 to sell in 2025.
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Easy to say “I wish I knew at 22 all the things I know today at 66”. And that is so true. I have made many thousands of mistakes along the way, basically my own worst enemy. One thing is that when a person is in early twenties, they do not realize that time is finite, and that your life choices really do matter A LOT more than we realize. Because when one gets old, then you realize that you cannot take back things that were done, and you have to live with what you created. A ship without a rudder still goes somewhere, just that “somewhere” is likely not where you wanted to be.
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Aww man the beauty of hindsight. At the end of the day I’d change nothing, because it’s put me where I’m at and made me who I am. Are there things I may have done differently, if I’d known the outcome, possibly, but unlikely. I often reflect on the crossroads that have dictated my journey, and think what if. But then I realize that if I’d taken the other road, I wouldn’t be here.
My life can easily be divided into before/after my daughter was born, and It’s easy to say “I should’ve done it sooner” but in reality If she’d been born when I was in my 20s I’d been a much different dad than I am now.
But To quote Flip Pallot “ Travel more, because you only regret the trips you didn’t take” That applies to do much more though, just replace “Travel” with whatever fits the scenario.
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Best time to start investing is now and yesterday.
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Man, first of all, you just put yourself in rarified air to even ASK for advice from older folks. So my first piece of advice is don’t stop asking, and never think you will ever figure it out. God puts folks in your life around you to learn from - sometimes what TO do, and a lot of times what NOT to do. Look at the outcomes of the lives of the folks around you and take a lesson from them.
Second - go find a wonderful wife if you haven’t already - someone whose personality and soul are more beautiful than her skin, figure, or hair. The older she gets, the more the inner beauty bleeds outward and I promise, you will never see her age - that kind of beauty doesnt wrinkle, gray, or sag. You will find that the world which once seemed infinitely exciting is actually a lonely place, and there is nothing more lonely than being alone in a crowd. In a world that tells you to celebrate “you”, go countercultural and sacrifice “you” to “her” and devote yourself to making her as good a person as she can be. The return on your effort will be beyond your wildest imaginings.
Finally, have kids, and lots of them. I didn’t set out to have 5 kids, hell, I didnt want to get married at all, thought I would be a priest or a fishing guide. God had other plans. Stumbled on a woman like I described above and found myself a dad. Once you are a dad, put everything you have into raising the best, most admirable, kind, and productive human beings you can. Sacrifice career prestige, financial gain, and free time in that endeavor. There is a shortage of good human beings these days, and thats something you can fix. Trust me, I am on the other side now, everything you gave up along the way in that endeavor will come back to you 7 fold. Thats not an exaggeration.
You will learn, at some point or another, that the world is kind of harried, repetitive, and boring. You can only enjoy catching so many fish for yourself. But when you focus on the things that matter and that will live on long beyond you, all that “stuff” takes on new meaning. A boat is not for your enjoyment, it is a tool to teach your kids critical and rare skills. Finding fish is not a past time, it is a method of teaching your family much deeper life lessons. Time off is not for jet setting to new places for new experiences, it is for investing in a future generation because you are not just raising amazing human beings, you are influencing their future friends, spouses, and entire generations to come.
Oh, and stay the hell out of the cities. Never seen anything good come from there.
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Stay humble. Volunteer. Network.
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I heard this I believe on YouTube. “20 years from now you’ll be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do” makes since to me.
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“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. The extent to which you can walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food, it’s a plus for everybody. Open your mind, get up off the couch, move.” -Anthony Bourdain
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regret/what if hurts worse than failure
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So many great/inspiring perspectives. Genuinely appreciate everyone for sharing
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None, because every experience I had, good or bad, shaped who I am today.
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You will become the average of the five people you spend the most time with.
I’m not sure I totally agree with that fact, but I agree with the sentiment. Who you surround yourself with does have an impact on your life, goals, thought process, decisions, etc. Choose wisely.
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You won’t listen anyway, so stay the course, enjoy life to the fullest that your situation allows, moderation will always be the best choice, even if you don’t think so. Be happy! Oh and don’t worry!
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Save more, drink the good stuff, spend more time with family, especially the older ones. Get up earlier, if you think you’re spending enough time on the water double it and do more for yourself. Help others when you can.
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