Things I wish I knew at 21
By Pablo Vadillo
Now while this is titled, things I wish I knew at 21. Let's be honest, I known most of these things all my life, shit, I probably knew them then too, however, I didn't implement all of them to the best of my ability which is why Shoulda Coulda Woulda is a little bit better of a title.
So here's a couple things I hope you find early in life to where you can implement and set yourself up for success later on. Ready? Here we go!
1) Everything that seems like a big deal now, won't matter in 7 years.
Seriously save yourself the stress. I'm 28 now and I can't remember what I was pissed off about at 21. I was probably mad at something or someone, but I honestly can't remember now. This is to serve as a reminder to you that what may seem as a HUGE DEAL right now, probably won't matter in 7 years. Let alone 7 days, 7 weeks or 7 months. Save yourself the hassle, the stress, and be a good person.
Also no one cares about your back story, about your struggles, your education and your background. People care about what you can add of value to them and their lives. So even though that one certification you got that one time for that one thing, yeah, unless you're putting it to use, spare me.
2) Start making the right choices FOR YOU TODAY
Listen, once you leave school and the safety confines of your parent's nest, no one is going to tell you what to do. I mean why should they? You're an adult! Yeah? Cool. So stop making poor childish decisions and start developing the right habits. It's cool to be able to get into bars, it's not cool fast-forwarding 7 years and still going to the same shitty dive bar or drinking every night. That's just a recipe for being broke and a one way road to bad decisions and terrible habits down the line.
INSTEAD go to bed early, wake up early, and be productive everyday. You're not going to hit your goal overnight, people very rarely do, if ever. You're going to have to work at it a day at a time. So if it's going to take a while and time is going to pass anyways, why not start today.
Seriously. Start today.
3) Start Saving. Seriously
If you have $20 in your pocket and no debt, you're in a better financial situation than 70% of Americans. Probably more. So don't fall into the statistics, keep a level head and put a little bit away. Again, you're not going to save a million dollars overnight, however, building real wealth has never been built overnight. Even if it's $20 a year, SAVE THAT MONEY! (Also if you're making the right choices and not throwing away your money, you'll save more, faster!)
4) Work Your Ass Off!
Now's the time. You're young, you know everything, you have a ton of energy and you have a head full of hopes and dreams. It's time to start putting it into action. The one regret I don't have is that I've always worked my ass off. I started selling office supplies for Staples at 23, and before turning 25 I was running the consulting company in charge of the East Bay Area for their B2B campaign. I was the youngest person in my company, but that never mattered because I was the hardest worker and I let my work be the example and set the precedent. People came to me with questions because I made myself the "go-to guy".
5) Say "Yes" to Experiences, Say "No" to More Stuff
Go out. Live life. Say yes. Save your money to do the things you love. Travel to far away places, Eat at amazing eateries, tour wineries, paint, hike, dance, laugh, love. You only have one life and one chance to be young. Truth is, if you're working your ass off and making the right decisions you'll give yourself the tools to spoil and pamper yourself. All I ask is that you do it through experiences, not just material stuff. Stuff can always be replaced, memories are unique to you.
Pablo is an Entreprenuer, Realtor, Public Speaker, and Non-conformist living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
By Pablo Vadillo
Now while this is titled, things I wish I knew at 21. Let's be honest, I known most of these things all my life, shit, I probably knew them then too, however, I didn't implement all of them to the best of my ability which is why Shoulda Coulda Woulda is a little bit better of a title.
So here's a couple things I hope you find early in life to where you can implement and set yourself up for success later on. Ready? Here we go!
1) Everything that seems like a big deal now, won't matter in 7 years.
Seriously save yourself the stress. I'm 28 now and I can't remember what I was pissed off about at 21. I was probably mad at something or someone, but I honestly can't remember now. This is to serve as a reminder to you that what may seem as a HUGE DEAL right now, probably won't matter in 7 years. Let alone 7 days, 7 weeks or 7 months. Save yourself the hassle, the stress, and be a good person.
Also no one cares about your back story, about your struggles, your education and your background. People care about what you can add of value to them and their lives. So even though that one certification you got that one time for that one thing, yeah, unless you're putting it to use, spare me.
2) Start making the right choices FOR YOU TODAY
Listen, once you leave school and the safety confines of your parent's nest, no one is going to tell you what to do. I mean why should they? You're an adult! Yeah? Cool. So stop making poor childish decisions and start developing the right habits. It's cool to be able to get into bars, it's not cool fast-forwarding 7 years and still going to the same shitty dive bar or drinking every night. That's just a recipe for being broke and a one way road to bad decisions and terrible habits down the line.
INSTEAD go to bed early, wake up early, and be productive everyday. You're not going to hit your goal overnight, people very rarely do, if ever. You're going to have to work at it a day at a time. So if it's going to take a while and time is going to pass anyways, why not start today.
Seriously. Start today.
3) Start Saving. Seriously
If you have $20 in your pocket and no debt, you're in a better financial situation than 70% of Americans. Probably more. So don't fall into the statistics, keep a level head and put a little bit away. Again, you're not going to save a million dollars overnight, however, building real wealth has never been built overnight. Even if it's $20 a year, SAVE THAT MONEY! (Also if you're making the right choices and not throwing away your money, you'll save more, faster!)
4) Work Your Ass Off!
Now's the time. You're young, you know everything, you have a ton of energy and you have a head full of hopes and dreams. It's time to start putting it into action. The one regret I don't have is that I've always worked my ass off. I started selling office supplies for Staples at 23, and before turning 25 I was running the consulting company in charge of the East Bay Area for their B2B campaign. I was the youngest person in my company, but that never mattered because I was the hardest worker and I let my work be the example and set the precedent. People came to me with questions because I made myself the "go-to guy".
5) Say "Yes" to Experiences, Say "No" to More Stuff
Go out. Live life. Say yes. Save your money to do the things you love. Travel to far away places, Eat at amazing eateries, tour wineries, paint, hike, dance, laugh, love. You only have one life and one chance to be young. Truth is, if you're working your ass off and making the right decisions you'll give yourself the tools to spoil and pamper yourself. All I ask is that you do it through experiences, not just material stuff. Stuff can always be replaced, memories are unique to you.
Pablo is an Entreprenuer, Realtor, Public Speaker, and Non-conformist living in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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