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The Best Life Advice: People Over 55 Share What They Wish They Knew When They Were Younger

Roy R. Feb 12, 2024 03:39 PM EST

As we navigate the twists and turns of life, it's always reassuring to receive guidance from those who have walked the path before us. In this post, we delve into the pearls of wisdom shared by individuals aged 55 and above, offering invaluable life advice to the younger generation. Having gleaned insights from my own elders, I'm excited to share these nuggets of wisdom with you.

Embark on a journey of enlightenment as we present the best life advice from individuals aged 55 and above. Through their candid revelations, discover the essence of living a fulfilling life and gain invaluable insights that transcend generations.

People who are 55+ and happy with your life, what is your best advice to those under 25? — Save

Treat your body well now, because you will either reap the rewards of it or suffer the consequences of it later. Enjoy your life and explore your hobbies and make your friends. Take this time to grow and heal and become the best version of yourself that you can. — Save

Learn how to save and invest money now. If you learn how to do this, 55 year old you will be forever grateful to 25 year old you. — Save

The two biggest decisions are your career and your partner. Your career will probably change and its not too bad to change but changing your partner can be a nightmare. My best advice is to be careful who you settle down with. The people I know my age that are unhappy are unhappy because they picked a bad partner. — Save

Chase what makes you happy, not what you feel obligated to do to please parents (for example). Don't compare yourself to others: it will suck the joy from your life. — Save

Live within your means. Use debt carefully. Start saving for retirement early as the others say. Focus on good relationships. — Save

Don't let your world get small. Travel, have a variety of interests, spend time with family and friends. — Save

Eat fairly healthy and get daily exercise. I'm now 72 and still run 40 miles/week. However, I have friends 10 years younger than I who can hardly walk to the mailbox. Getting old isn't bad at all if you can still get out, travel, go out to eat, play catch with your grandson, enjoy life. But, you have to be healthy enough to do all those things. It's a lot easier to get into shape and keep it that way when you are in your 20s. If you wait, you may never start. — Save

Be patient and pursue meaningful goals. — Save

Act in good faith. This is fantastically underestimated. Cultivate curiosity, eschew judgment. 2. Tend to your relationships, even when - and especially when - you don't feel like it. 3. Prioritize being your best, physically, emotionally and mentally. — Save

Enjoy life. Live within means. Diversify investments. Stay out of debt. Take risk x 2. Learn another culture. See somewhere in the world that is amazing and create lifetime friends — Save

Don't give a damn what anybody thinks of you. — Save

Everyone's out there flexing on IG. Real happiness? Not on a screen, bro. — Save

Never love your job. It will not love you back. — Save

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Sometimes you need to be happy with what you have, it won't get better but it could definitely get worse. — Save

As someone not quite 55, my main advice to someone looking to get advice from an older person is this- The world we grew up in changed much slower than the one you're growing up in, so most of the advice you read here will be from that perspective. What was sage advice for us may not be sage advice for you. How much the world changed between 1990-2000 is likely much less dramatic than the change we'll see between 2025-2035. My personal advice? Keep an open mind, be patient (which is not the same as allowing yourself to be subjected to abuse), and be thoughtful about your choices (but don't allow your thinking to keep you from making choices- we often never know how a choice will turn out until long after we've made it). — Save

Just one aspect of life, but if you desire getting married and having a family, make sure it's someone who is emotionally stable, actually loves you, and who has a desire to maintain a long-term relationship and won't seek a divorce after a small disagreement or argument. — Save

After immersing yourself in the timeless wisdom shared by our elders, you'll walk away with a renewed perspective on life. These invaluable nuggets of advice serve as guiding lights, illuminating the path ahead with clarity and purpose.

Delve deeper into the realm of life advice with our collection of insights from the seasoned veterans of life. Explore topics such as personal growth, resilience, and finding joy in the journey as we continue to uncover the wisdom passed down through generations.

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Posted by Roy R. About the author

Roy has been one of the internet's meme tastemakers for more than a decade. He and Phil started Thunder Dungeon in 2012 by posting the stuff they found funny, and it grew into viral photo and video creations, one of the largest meme community apps and one of the best sites for daily meme content. If you've spent any time online, you've probably laughed at one of his memes.