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Yep, all the time. Life in general gets tougher, more stressful and complicated the older I get. I also regret many decisions I've made, to the point that regret eats at me every single day. So yes, I wish I could just be my younger self again.
When I was 16 I couldn't wait to be 27. My supervisor at work was 27, just out of college , he got to wear suits to work every day , and all the chicks thought he was so cool. By the time that I turned 27 I was knee deep in familiy obligations. Life can be backwards . When you have the time you don't have the money and when you have the money you don't have the time. When we are young we have lots of choices, but we don't have the decision making abilities and once we mature we don't have the unlimited choices. As long as I can have a little more free time, extra money and keep my options open I want to keep getting older.
I could understand that feeling. I'm 27 and I often wish for my younger days back. For me, however, it's a different story. When I was 18, I was somewhat broke, often unemployed. I had some hard times. However, being in college was sort of a cushion for me. I also have some regrets. I want to be 18 not only because of the great times I had, but because if I had to do it over, I would have done some things over again. There were some things I could have done to make my life easier. However, at 18, I was more idealistic, less cynical, even having come out of the traumas of high school.
Like your supervisor, I am a recently out of college. I graduated last year(it is a long story, I had alot of hits and misses in college, including a few tragedies. I also took some time off from college).
Unlike your supervisor, I don't have his life. There are no girls chasing after me. I don't have any money. I'm actually planning to go back to school in January. I have no family obligations. I have alot of time, but a lack of money makes that time feel hollow.
One particular thing I've had to consider is that I know a few people who are getting families of their own. I don't have any family obligations, as I have no wife or children. However, one thing I remember from being 18 was this. I often thought the dating pool was not good when I was 18. I felt like the dating pool was limited because it seemed like ever other female I met had a boyfriend, particularly those in relationships carried on from high school. However, if I knew then what I know now, I would have made a decision to make the best of it. I think about this every time I hear about one of my old classmates having a child or getting married. Their lives are getting busier as they now have spouses and some having children. It isn't really so much a desire to have a child, but more or less, so many people I know have less and less time, and I, with plenty of time, sometimes feel lonely.
Oh blessed baby jeebus no. I'm 59 and the last 20 years beat the 20 before that by a landslide. The saying "life begins at 40" was definitely true for me. Older, settled, financially better off, more confident yet with the arrogance or youth drummed out of you , less concerned with what people think of your choices....I'd never go back.
I loved my 40's, but if I could have the knowledge of my 50's and the body of my 20's I'd truly be dangerous.
Do you ever miss being your younger self, now that you are older?
I am currently in my early 30's...adult life is definitely not all it's made out to be in popular society; it's really just a rat race and a never-ending hamster treadmill, IMO TBH, I find that I actually miss and am frequently nostalgic for the days when I was younger (say 18 for example), quite a bit. To go backwards in time to happier, more care-free days, instead of forward, to the dreary and in some cases, the simply depressing life of the constantly-overworked, exhausting and ridiculously frenetic pace of adult life, where it seems all you do is work until you drop, if only from the pure exhaustion and fatigue...
Has anyone else ever felt like this?
Wait awhile. Some day you will think of these as "the good old days"
First of all, I just wanted to say many thanks, to everyone who was kind enough to reply and post...I deeply appreciate everyone's thoughts, comments, and feedback
Also, regarding the poster quoted below:
Quote:
Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson
My question to you is "who is in control of your life?" If you are in a rat-race, it is because you have chosen to be there. Nobody is forcing you to spend your money so that you have to be "overworked" to pay for a lifestyle you have CHOSEN. As for a "frentic" pace of adult life. Perhaps you should learn to say NO to the people who are putting these kinds of demands on your time and SANITY.
A huge chunk of the stress has actually been workplace-related changes -- while I really like what I actually do at the office, the place where I work has been chronically-understaffed for at least 8 or more years now. The vacant slots of people who left or went elsewhere were never filled, and the result was a change from a reasonable, realistic, rational workload, to one where everyone is expected to handle the workload of 4-5 people, all at once and with no time added in to balance things out and make the situation more realistic in terms of expectations. No matter how hard they work, one person really is only one person, and there is only so much maximum output s/he can deliver in a single day. And it's not going to get any better, only worse, as even more people have been leaving lately... The other thing is though, it's the same across the board, in my area of employment, in some cases even worse...I've looked into those options, and the grass is not greener, on the other side either...
Quote:
Sell your house, your cars...cancel your expensive subscriptions to smartphones, cable televsion, netflix and stop spending $50 - $100 every weekend going to movies, or shopping at the mall.
Start buying things you need for pennies on the dollar at thrift shops and that includes things for your kids (if you have any). By reducing your expenditures, you can reduce your need for income and subsequently reduce or eliminate your need for a full-time job. This would give you a lot more free time.
The only thing is, all of the above represent a massive decrease, not an increase, in a person's overall standard of living. All of the above make a person poorer and less-well off, financially. It would just seem that doing everything suggested would only make a person even less happy, not more...I honestly think I am better-off as I am today, than if I were to follow the proscribed advice above...
Quote:
There is nothing in life that is not in your control if you are willing to make the sacrifices that lead to change.
Just to clarify, is the suggestion being made to sacrifice financial security(?), personal comfort, sense of accomplishment of owning a home, cars (etc.), and standard of living, in order to achieve a sense or state of financial thriftiness? I'm not quite sure I understand 100% what would be the real advantage or the net gain that would be realized, in terms of the points you had made above?
First of all, I just wanted to say many thanks, to everyone who was kind enough to reply and post...I deeply appreciate everyone's thoughts, comments, and feedback
Also, regarding the poster quoted below:
The only thing is, all of the above represent a massive decrease, not an increase, in a person's overall standard of living. All of the above make a person poorer and less-well off, financially. It would just seem that doing everything suggested would only make a person even less happy, not more...I honestly think I am better-off as I am today, than if I were to follow the proscribed advice above...
Just to clarify, is the suggestion being made to sacrifice financial security(?), personal comfort, sense of accomplishment of owning a home, cars (etc.), and standard of living, in order to achieve a sense or state of financial thriftiness? I'm not quite sure I understand 100% what would be the real advantage or the net gain that would be realized, in terms of the points you had made above?
I think you are missing the point that material possessions do not make you happy! LOL Until you have gotten to the place in your life where THINGS do not matter, then you will never understand my post. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to experience life without the need for "stuff" totally understand. Perhaps one day you will get there too. Do you really and truly believe that having a new car, or a big house or a boat or designer clothing makes you happier? really? truly? financial security?
Allow me to paraphrase Yoda on this one.... "And that is why you fail".
Perhaps you are young and have not yet learned life's lessons. Although there are plenty of older people out there who never learn it.
20yrsinBranson
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, less concerned with what people think of your choices....I'd never go back.
I loved my 40's, but if I could have the knowledge of my 50's and the body of my 20's I'd truly be dangerous.
TBH, I find that I actually miss and am frequently nostalgic for the days when I was younger (say 18 for example), quite a bit. To go backwards in time to happier, more care-free days, instead of forward, to the dreary and in some cases, the simply depressing life of the constantly-overworked, exhausting and ridiculously frenetic pace of adult life, where it seems all you do is work until you drop, if only from the pure exhaustion and fatigue...
Wait awhile. 
Some day you will think of these as "the good old days"
I'm not quite sure I understand 100% what would be the real advantage or the net gain that would be realized, in terms of the points you had made above?
