I'm 18 years old today -- I seemed to just blink my
eyes -- and I woke up to
see the calendar says -- 'hey kid, you're
40 today !!!!'
WHAT ?! 40 ?!?
Where'd the time all go so fast ?! MAN !!
I look around to wonder -- what have I
done with my life so
far ?
What have I accomplished with
my life so far ?
What happened to all the dreams I had when I was
17 and 18 ?
Where did I go wrong ?
What would I do, if I had the miraculous chance to go
back and live all these
years all over again ? What would I
do different ?
A LOT !!!!!!!!!!
First of all, I'd never let others live my
life for me !
God gave this lifetime to ME -- not to them
!
What I mean by that is, I'd set myself on my
own life's goals, and
NOT EVER let ANYONE detour me
into their life and their problems
!
This is the biggest mistake a young adult does, and it
messes up,
even destroys, their own life
! And this happens very easily, especially today !
[See topic list on my main page - 'Is That A Cult Next
Door?']
Young people, with their "I can conquer the world, nothing
can hurt me" attitude, leave themselves wide open
! We ALL have this attitude when we are 18
!
So did I ! B i g
m i s t a k e !!!!
It's hard for a young person to see or admit that they
don't know everything and that they don't have all the answers.
We've all heard the saying :
"ASK A TEENAGER == THEY
KNOW EVERYTHING !"
I was one of those teens too, not so long ago.
Which brings me to the next thing I'd do different :
I'd LISTEN to the ADVICE
of my parents ! (And I'd ask for some too!)
This is one of the hardest things for any young person
to do -- but let me tell you this - if you don't - you
will pay dearly for it !! God knew
what HE was doing when He gave the orders
to, ''honor and obey your parents, so that your days would be long
upon the Earth !'' God further said to , "obey and listen to
their advice and to carry their advice with you every day
of your life !"
(Proverbs)
But did I listen ? NO !
Did I pay for it ? YES !
Will YOU too, pay for not heeding
sound advice and disobeying God's
way that HE set up so we would have
a happy and successful life ?
You bet you will !!
It's hard for young people to "humble" themselves,
and admit that -
hey - I'm still just a kid here and I NEED
some solid guidelines, so I don't throw my life away.
I know, it was hard for me, as well. I didn't
do it, that's why I failed so badly.
I was stubborn, and a 'know-it-all'
- I was so sure back then, that no one,
and surely not my parents, knew what I
was feeling or what I wanted or needed.
I rebelled -- just like many of you have, and are.
What a mistake that was -- but I can
never go back and retrieve those years
and do it over the right way this time !
NO ! We don't get that chance, so if
you have the ONLY CHANCE
YOU'LL EVER GET NOW, if you are still a
young adult, DO IT RIGHT THIS FIRST
AND ONLY TIME !!!
That's the advice from a teenager and young adult, who
messed up big time.
YOU ARE ONLY YOUNG
ONCE ! You don't get to do it over again !
When your young, healthy years are gone -
they are GONE FOREVER !!
So don't mess them up, with ego, rebellion, pride, and
stubbornness !
What would I have changed and NEVER
under ANY circumstances
do again ?
1. I would have never left home so
young. I had just turned 18.
If you are one of
the lucky ones, and have a good, loving family --
for heaven's
sake, stay there as long as you can !
Don't be pressured into 'getting your own place'
by your peers. This is
YOUR life remember, not theirs
! Besides, your parents have invested their whole lives in
caring for you -- now you owe it to them to give something back.
That's another order from God that is so neglected. Help your
parents as much as possible in every way you can around the house, and
maybe even with some of the bills. After all, they've supported you
all these years ! This will also give you a taste of what supporting
yourself is going to be like someday out in the harsh world.
2. Next, I'd make darn sure I
got a FULL education, not the drips and drabs of
college courses here and there, when I could fit them in my life,
that was 'taken over' by others early
on. I'd live my own life,
and dream
my own dreams -- and
not let others drag me into their problems that ended
up consuming my
life , so I had no life of my own
!!
How does this happen ? Easy !
Just get a girlfriend, boyfriend, or into the wrong crowd,
and the rest is history !
3. I'd NEVER
GET MARRIED BEFORE THE AGE OF 30 !
This is important
!
Age
18 is the age of decision. What choices you make and
act on at 18,
will
determined how the rest of your life goes
!
READ
THAT AGAIN !
The success and happiness of your life
depends on what choices you make
at 18 ! This is a critical year !
It is NOT a time in your life that you should
waste, or get tangled up in relationships ! This is
YOUR time ! YOUR time to grow,
to learn,
to gain wisdom, to advance into a successful
future.
The 20's are YOUR years
of learning and growing in wisdom == don't
throw them away !! For if you mess
up here, the rest of your life won't
be worth a plug nickel !
Never get entrapped into a relationship during the ages
of 18 to 24 - Why ?
Because age 24 is the age of change.
Something happens when you turn 24 - a special
maturity step - that causes
you to completely have different tastes than you had
at age 18. What you liked, the people you were drawn to,
attitudes - everything, does a complete turn around when age
24 hits you. It happens to everybody, whether they consciously
realize it or not. If you unwisely become involved in a relationship
before age 24, (you should wait until 30 !), that person will
no longer interest you, or be what you're looking
for or need anymore. This is why young marriages
fail -- so don't get messed up like this - it will scar your life
and finances forever !
Don't let your young years be used up
by others; these are important, precious years FOR
YOU !! Many a young life has been thrown away because of
"young love" -- don't let it happen !!
GUARD YOUR HEART !!
Your very life depends
on it !
God's way, if followed, would not have anyone's
young life tangled up
like this ! He gave these young years
to YOU for YOUR GROWTH ----
not to hand over to others, so your own
personality and individuality
never developes. Because that's
exactly what will happen !
The REAL YOU will never
develop.
So never let yourself get caught in this "young
love that I'll never get the chance at again" trap, snare you
! It has ruined many, many lives !
3. Next, I'd begin
my life. I'd begin to build my
own life; getting my credit established, saving money,
getting things that I wanted for myself.
(Once you get caught up into a marriage, forget about
ever doing or getting
anything for yourself again
! )
I'd begin to DO the things that I've dreamed
of doing, since I began dreaming.
You remember the phrase -- 'when I grow up, I want to.......'
Do it; for you are young, free, and healthy.
Freedom is a wonderful thing. Cherish it !! To
be able to come and go as you want without having to 'ask permission'
is a great feeling. But it comes with a responsibility for
yourself. Always remember that for every action you do, there is
a result - so be a responsible person for yourself. Be careful
who you befriend and where you hang out.
Once you are married - it's like still being a little kid under your
parents authority, having to 'ask permission' to do anything.
So don't be so
quick to desire a marriage. Enjoy your freedom
-- it's precious !!
4. Then, I'd make sure I didn't run
myself into debt. Fancy cars and trucks 'look' good and
make you 'feel' good, but ask yourself if being tied down to a huge
monthly payment that goes on and on for years, is worth it.
Saving up for something and paying cash
for it is the wise thing to do - it
teaches you responsibility, it causes you to mature,
and teaches you the hard lesson of patience. And
oh, what a great feeling to walk into a car dealers and throw down the
cash, and say -- "I want that one !"
Then you drive out with no monthly debt and burden over
your head and weighing down on your shoulders !
Talk about a high ! And it gives you such a feeling
of accomplishment;
YOU DID IT !!
5. I'd build MY LIFE
up to be what I WANTED it to be.
We must remember,
however, that to be fully free, and to be fully
satisfied, you must have YOUR
CREATOR, GOD, at the center of your life.
So many young people have this 'empty'
feeling inside that they don't know what it is; it feels like something
is missing -- that's why so many young people get involved with
'young loves' or drugs, or gangs --
they think these are what's missing, and will fill this 'void'
inside that they're feeling.
But relationships, lovers, drugs, running around all
night, or joining clubs, like
truck clubs and CB clubs and the like, are
ALL just SIGNS that you know
that something is missing or
lacking inside yourself - however --
these things will NOT do the trick -
and could get you involved into bad situations besides.
ONLY asking Jesus Christ to come into your life
and live there in you, will
fill and satisfy this empty void ! It's the
ONLY THING that works !
And it will build up your life, not tear it down,
like all those other things will !
6. Lastly, I'd never let
my peers, friends, set the pace for what I should be doing in
MY life. If friends tell you you should be doing
this or that, or get a girlfriend or boyfriend (just because they're
doing it), I'd turn away from
ALL this peer pressure and head in another direction.
I'd get new friends !
Don't do something just because you're
told "everybody's doing it," and
you're expected to follow suit,
and be 'one of the crowd.'
This covers everything from smoking to marriage.
DON'T ! Don't be 'one of
them' -- be yourself ! Be the special
unique
individual that you were
born to be.
I know the government is trying its level best to
discourage individuality,
and cause this 'one world unity' thing -- but that's
THEIR agenda --
don't make it yours. That's
their plan to make you a ''citizen
of the
world."
But it goes against God -- for HE gave YOU
your OWN special talents and abilities. HE
wants you to be YOU - - not one of the many pebbles
on the
beach, blending into the sameness as they are.
If God wanted that, HE
would have created everyone the same -- all made out
of the same mold -- but
HE didn't !
Remember, HE created a colorful world with
different flowers and trees --
NOT everything the same.
So BE YOURSELF --
Don't be cut out of the same
cloth as
" the crowd. "