10 Things I Wish I Knew 10 Years Ago…

Summer time has officially rolled around, and to me that usually means several things: 1) My family comes home to visit 2) I get to wear flip flops and sleep naked 3)I get to celebrate my birthday!

With just a few weeks from turning 28, I’ve begun to think about the last 10 years of my life, and it’s a bit scary and exciting all at once.

I wouldn’t go back and do anything differently, as I am not one to regret. But, are there a few things that I wish I would have known that would have made things a lot easier and less complicated? Absolutely.

Here’s 10 of them:

1. Don’t abuse credit cards.

Yes, this is number one for a huge reason. If I could just go back and tell 18 year old Sirena “Do NOT fill out that Discover credit card application that is sitting there at the information table at the student center”, things would be a little different.

I’m embarassed to even tell you the exact dollar amount of debt that I accumulated over the years of credit spending in college and post-college, but let’s just say it could have been enough to put a down payment on a condo. Ouch. Just the very thought of that hurts.

Looking back, I can’t honestly remember what I even bought, and it obviously wasn’t very meaningful or I’d have some sort of memory of it.

Now that I’m (almost) 28 and have my finances under control, I have managed to pay off my credit card debt and only carry a small balance (less than $1000) just to keep the account in good standing. I have one personal loan and a student loan that I have automatically debited from my account and when I do use my credit card, usually to buy airline tickets for the skymiles, I IMMEDIATELY pay them off.

2. Study abroad.

Why I didn’t take a semester abroad while I was in college is beyond me. I lived overseas for most of my life, have always travelled, but when I was in college, I didn’t even bother. Why? I have no idea.

This is so important to me that I honestly think that it should be a mandatory requirement for high schools and colleges. Spending time in another country is life changing and it hurts me to know that most Americans, who have the some of the best opportunities to travel out of all the countries in the world, take so little advantage of it.

Study abroad or spend an extended period (at least one month) in a different country and I guarantee, your outlook on life will change.

If your out of college you still have plenty of opportunity to travel and live abroad. A great way to visit another country is to volunteer abroad. I have yet to volunteer abroad, but I have been poking around this website for when that day comes: http://www.goabroad.com/

3. Take care of your body.

Had I known what I know now about health, nutrition and fitness 10 years ago, I probably could have spared myself the digestive issues I intermittently suffer from now.

I’m quickly realizing now in my late 20′s that you really only have one body in this lifetime, and all the little things that most women do now without thinking twice about, like staying up late, drinking, smoking, eating crappy food, not exercising and not managing stress will ineviteably catch up with you.

Living without a care in your 20′s is like having a wild party and waking up the next day to broken doors and smashed windows, except you wake up in  your late 30′s overweight and looking 10 years older. Your better off having a few dinner parties (live in moderation in  your 20′s) that aren’t gonna cause any permanent damage.

4. Trust your gut.

If it doesn’t feel right, just don’t do it. The only person I’ve really learned to trust is myself, and sometimes, I don’t even trust her. I’m not saying to never ask for advice, as finding the right mentors and role models are key to your personal development, but don’t let the words of someone else overrule your own instincts. For the most part, it is very difficult to find unbiased advice as it is only natural for us to use our own experience and perspective when giving it.

Your initial reaction to a decision is usually the right one. And the scarier the decision seems, the more it needs to happen.

Had I trusted my gut at the get go, I could have avoided remaking similar decision blunders, and getting caught in behavioral patterns that spun my in circles for years. It didn’t happen overnight for me, but the more and more I learned to truly trust my instincts, the easier my decision making became. I stopped fighting back and forth with myself and stepped out of the decision making hamster wheel.

Now, I let go of fear. I make a decision and move on.

5. Spend time with your family.

In high school and college the last thing I wanted to do was spend time with my family. And now as an adult, it’s one of the only things I truly want to do.

Friends come and go, but your family will always be there. Sad to say, that I do not even keep in touch with half of the people I chose to hang with over my family. And to me that’s a shame, especially since I have a younger brother who is growing up far too quickly.

6. Keep a journal and be honest in it.

I really wish this was something I kept up on. I attempted to keep a journal at numerous times in my life, but with no avail. The few pieces of writings that I do have, I treasure and revisit from time to time to help keep me grounded and humbled.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember exactly what you were thinking and feeling at certain points in  your life, and had I an account of what was going on in my head in my early 20′s it may have helped me make difficult decisions with more ease.

7. Start a savings account and don’t withdraw from it, no matter what.

You’ll be  surprised how quickly putting away $50 dollars each paycheck can add up. And I wish I would have listened to my Dad on this one…Let’s do some math.

I graduated college in May 2004. I started my first full-time job out of college in October 2004. So far it has been 69 months that I could have put away $50/paycheck or $100 a month. Had I done this  without withdrawing, I’d  have over $6900 saved up NOT including what could have been earned in interest had I invested it in a high yield savings account.

Now, if I continued to add $100/month to that same account and just kept it in a low-rate savings account, say 2%, in 5 years I’d have over $14,000 saved up. All from just saving $100/month.

You can do your own math to figure out how much money you can save and lots of other great money stuff here at Bankrate.com.

8. Read more.

There is so much to learn out there, and although I feel that life’s great lesson’s come from experience, you can learn a great deal from reading about other people’s blunders and successes.

There is a whole other world you can find in a good book, and I wish I had caught the bookworm bug a lot earlier in life. Now, I try to read at least one book a month. However, if a book doesn’t catch my attention within the first couple chapters, I don’t force myself to read it. I simply put it down and come back to it a few months down the line. No use wasting your time reading material that doesn’t tickle your fancy.

9. Get everything in writing.

I tend to see the world in rose colored glasses. And while this is great, there are people in the world who don’t. And there are people in the world that don’t give a hoot about  you. Hate to say it, but it’s true. And like I mentioned earlier, some of life’s best lessons are learned from experience. And yes, this was one lesson I had to learn the hard way.

I’m really referring to business transactions and job offerings. When it comes down to it, it can be your word against someone else’s. But having it in writing is solid, especially if all parties involved sign off on it. Don’t be afraid to ask for a specific request in writing as experienced business owners and managers will respect your diligence to getting it in writing.

10. Take more pictures.

Capturing memories these days is so much easier and more convenient than when our parents had to do it. Now, I can pop open iPhoto and browse through thousands of my digital pictures with just a few clicks. Compare this to the cabinet of photo albums my mom has spent countless hours on organizing and storing.

Filing your pictures digitally, especially if you make several backup copies, is a safe way of holding on to your memories without the risk of losing them in a house fire, flood, or some other natural disaster.

One really good photo can capture a whole vacations worth of memories. Who cares what your hair looks like or what you’re wearing. Better off to have a picture with someone you care about with one eye half closed, then no picture at all.