People over 40 have been sharing what mattered in the long run, and what didn’t – 17 priorities to learn from before it’s too late
10.
‘Show up.
‘It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a cool outfit, or you’re not ready. It’s ok to be scared, or unsure what will happen. That’s life, but DO IT regardless of all of those voices telling you all that counterproductive shit.
‘The world is not a meritocracy. It is run by the people who show up. The “brass ring” does not have legs. It will not come to you. Get up and go, because I promise you, kids. It is later than you think.’
-leftistpropaganja
11.
‘Here’s God’s honest truth (as a cancer survivor and recently turned 40-something): Time will absolutely erase you from this Earth. It is merciless. Your name may be on things but nobody will remember your face, your personality, your anything in next to no time. Your family will remember longer but your work? Forget it. Don’t waste what time you have chasing something without real meaning to you.’
-LiefFriel
12.
‘Time. You are only given so many moments. Make the best of them. 80+ years, if you are lucky, is an eyeblink.’
-ActuaryKindly9143
13.
‘Moderation matters. You can enjoy almost anything in moderation. Excess. Whether it’s food, drinks, work or whatever, it eventually catches up to you.’
-Jagsfan2025
14.
‘Learning to be disciplined and patient. Good things in life take time to develop.
‘Related: appreciating long-term perspective. When something bad happens, ask yourself: “Will it matter in 1 month? 1 year? 10 years?” Most of the time, the answer is no.’
-emodario
15.
‘Saving / investing for retirement mattered. Spending more time with my wife and kids mattered. Being out of debt early in life mattered. Retiring early at 53 mattered! Having three granddaughters going into retirement mattered.
‘Going the extra mile for most employers didn’t matter. Trying to be friends with the bosses/owners of employers didn’t matter.’
-UKEE93
16.
‘Spending time with family. The older you get the more you realize you could lose loved ones at any second. Make you value getting together more.
‘What doesn’t matter: Getting so lost in your milestone checklist that you forget to actually fucking live life.’
-ColourUnidentified
17.
‘Travelling and doing interesting things when you’re young. You become a more interesting person and have good memories to look back on, plus always have a good story when talking with people. Go to places where people are stereotyped and you will realise that people are just people.’
-Helpful-Marsupial-71
Source: r/AskReddit Image: Screenshot