This sounds funny, but I get where it's coming from. I think everyone's natural inclination would be to focus on what we think we did wrong and wish had been di

This sounds funny, but I get where it's coming from. I think everyone's natural inclination would be to focus on what we think we did wrong and wish had been different, rather than all the things we did right. Grass is always greener and whatnot. At this age, there are some consequences that you're insulated from. Things that might otherwise destroy some adults' reputations or cause them legal troubles can simply become funny (and/or cringey) memories. I'm not gonna advise a teenager to go do drugs, but I also won't pretend that I've ever regretted the occasional underage drinking I did at the same age; if anything, I more regret having been a bit of a stick-in-the-mud. Just don't touch tobacco or anything harder than alcohol/cannabis, don't do anything while driving, and don't be stupid. Takeaway here I guess is to just put some effort into having a social life, because in a few years it's going to be harder and the world will be less tolerant of mistakes. Things I did right: Taking a high load of advanced/AP/post-AP classes. My favorites of those were probably computer science, network administration, Latin, and history/government. I learned a ton, and the GPA weighting meant that I could have a >4.0 GPA on paper while being kind of a lazy student in reality, which helped get me into a much more prestigious university than I deserved. Working at a camp in Maine over the summers was the best thing I ever did. Things I did wrong: Dropping my athletic extracurriculars (soccer and martial arts) and not taking an interest in my health/fitness; if I could start over, I would get into lifting, running, and keto years earlier. Leaning too hard into my introversion and turning down social opportunities (and girls) without good reasons. Being insensitive or a jerk sometimes, especially for the sake of a "joke". Not taking a gap year before college; I wasn't honest with myself and tried to power through burnout, setting myself up for a bad time. Not wearing sunblock or a daily SPF moisturizer, especially in summer; fuck around with stellar radiation and find out. Not hodling when BTC was at $0.76. As an aside, I feel terrible for this generation growing up in a social media panopticon (and in the pandemic, but that's another matter). If I were a parent today, I would teach my kids to be very conservative about what they post publicly. Think back to the dumbest thing you've ever said — now imagine it taken out of context, with the least charitable possible interpretation, decades after the fact. A lot of Zoomers are gonna have a real hard time running for political office.