- Took a dare that I never should have taken. Yes, I was about 13 years old when a good friend of mine (even to this day) offered me $10 to eat a big ol’ chunk of canned dog food…I believe it was ALPO (is that even around anymore?). Anyway, the result? Well, I almost choked to death…seriously. Not only that, but it took me over 13 years to collect that $10…by that time the $10 was only worth about $1.65! I hope my daughters are smarter than me (although something tells me I didn’t set the bar too high!). Never do something stupid simply because someone dared you to do it (or because you felt pressured to do so).
- Drank more than I should have. Seriously? This is a subject I could write a whole book about. Just don’t do it. Have fun, but pace yourself and maintain control of your faculties…you’ll be so happy that you did.
- Dated someone that I shouldn’t have. Again, I could write a whole book on this subject (actually, that’s not a bad idea!). Anyway, never date someone just to “pass the time,” to boost your self-esteem, or because you are “lonely.” Wait for someone that deserves you, someone of substance, and someone who is worth your time…you’ll be glad you did. Please, don’t EVER date someone that you intend to “fix”…you won’t succeed, and you’ll undoubtedly get hurt…trust me on this one!
- Allowed someone to talk me into a “multi-level marketing” endeavor. They all end the same way…(90% chance you will have wasted a considerable amount of your time and have lost money in the meantime).
- Betrayed the trust of a close friend or family member. Thankfully, my “incident” was very minor…thank goodness! Friends and family are too important…don’t do anything to jeopardize those relationships (assuming those relationships aren’t toxic)!
- Took unnecessary risks. There are so many things that I can look back on and think to myself, “What the heck was I thinking?” The less of those moments you have, the better.
- Took on the responsibility of a pet before I was ready. Trust me, pets are a lot of work and they don’t deserve to have an owner that isn’t prepared for the responsibilities that go along with owning them. WAIT until you are ready! Keep in mind too, that pets are considered “baggage” if you happen to be single and looking.
- Worried too much about what others thought of me. It doesn’t matter what other people think of you. “Like” yourself first and things will flow from there.
- Maintained a long friendship with a highly toxic individual. Seriously, don’t waste your time. These people will literally suck the life out of you. If I could only have all of that wasted time back!
- Took on unnecessary debt. Just because Visa was “generous” enough to issue you a credit card does not mean that you need to use it to indulge in gratuitous spending sprees.
- Loaned a significant amount of money to someone. Go ahead and do so, but always assume that you will never see that money again…and that the relationship you once had with that individual will be very different than it was before you loaned out the money. I’m not saying you shouldn’t be generous, but be smart about it.
- Sent naked pictures over the internet. Actually, I’ve never done this…and neither should you! EVER!
- Put my social life ahead of my studies. There’s certainly nothing wrong with being social, but balance it well and don’t let your social life derail your ability to do well in school.
- Allowed myself to believe that certain behaviors were wrong even though they were NOT. Often times, religion has us believing that a lot of “natural” or “normal” behaviors are wrong…when they, in fact, are not. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. If the behavior isn’t illegal, harmful to yourself or others and/or if it doesn’t intrude upon anyone else’s rights then there’s a good chance that the behavior you are engaging in is perfectly okay. Use good judgment. Enjoy your life…but be cautious.
So here you have ‘em…just a few of the mistakes that I made that I hope my daughters are able to avoid. Stay tuned for parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 of the mistakes I made that I hope my daughters never make.
Seriously, you don’t actually believe I’ve made THAT many mistakes, do you?