If I Had My Life to Live Over Again...

[Cow Poke]

SERIOUS answers, only, please....

The recent passing of my own pastor, as well as the upcoming passing of a local pastor friend, and GMorton's thread, I'm wondering --- What would you do differently if you could?

[Cow Poke]

I wish I had, earlier on, realized the significance (in parenting, particularly) of not having to win every battle -- that in the overall scheme of things, you can win little battles but lose the bigger war.

[Catholicity]

There are several things I would have done differently. I would have just let my ex husband walk away when I was pregnant the first time he wanted to leave. I wouldn't have dealt with the other insane years of abuse. It would have made other things a lot easier.....
Also I remember a fight I got into with a friend and some terrible words I spoke. Years later, it still bothers me. I lost that friendship. It was a 15 year long friendship and the words that got spoken were awful. I would love nothing more than to be able to make amends but that person seems to be saying no.
And I would finish my degree instead of having to try again. Well...yes there are plenty of different choices to make.

[Cow Poke]

There are several things I would have done differently. I would have just let my ex husband walk away when I was pregnant the first time he wanted to leave. I wouldn't have dealt with the other insane years of abuse. It would have made other things a lot easier.....

Do you agonize over that? OR are you able to "let it go".

[Catholicity]

Do you agonize over that? OR are you able to "let it go".

You know, funny, I actually agonize more over not finishing my degree and the friendship I lost as opposed to not letting my ex-husband walk away.

[seer]

I went a bit crazy in the 80s, gave up a good job with a pension, financially destroyed myself, embarrassed my parents and loved ones, and never really recovered to this day. I wish I had came to Christ ten years earlier, at least.

[Jedidiah]

I went a bit crazy in the 80s, gave up a good job with a pension, financially destroyed myself, embarrassed my parents and loved ones, and never really recovered to this day. I wish I had came to Christ ten years earlier, at least.

If I had not wasted the first 30 some years not knowing Christ, the things I would have done differently would not have been done.

[Sparko]

I really don't know. I would have liked to have taken more risks in my education and career paths, but a lot of my path that I did take, in the end led me to Christ. If I had taken another path would I have found salvation? I wouldn't risk that for a more "successful" life.

[seer]

I really don't know. I would have liked to have taken more risks in my education and career paths, but a lot of my path that I did take, in the end led me to Christ. If I had taken another path would I have found salvation? I wouldn't risk that for a more "successful" life.

I wonder about that, if I didn't hit rock bottom would I ever have been open to the Gospel?

[37818]

Think. The choice to do things differently could mean some living now would never have lived. Is that really the choice you want?

[Sparko]

Think. The choice to do things differently could mean some living now would never have lived. Is that really the choice you want?

It could mean that some who don't exist now would now exist. If I had gotten married when I was younger and had kids...

Basically I wish I knew what I know now back when I was young and foolish. I would then have the knowledge to decide if I wanted to change some things or not. Of course as soon as I changed anything, any foreknowledge of the way things are now would be useless.

Damn time travel paradoxes!

[QuantaFille]

... I would have liked to have taken more risks in my education ...

I would have taken fewer risks in my education. I was counting on being able to find a decent job when I got to the city I lived in to go to trade school, and I was only ever able to find a part time minimum wage job that didn't come close to paying my bills. The financial institution that handled loans for the school wouldn't give me a loan for my second year because I didn't already make enough money to pay off the loan. I don't know where I'd be living or what I'd be doing right now if I had finished school. But that student debt hanging over my head prevented me pursuing any other education. I only paid it off just a few months ago. I really should have planned the whole thing better.

[Sparko]

I would have taken fewer risks in my education. I was counting on being able to find a decent job when I got to the city I lived in to go to trade school, and I was only ever able to find a part time minimum wage job that didn't come close to paying my bills. The financial institution that handled loans for the school wouldn't give me a loan for my second year because I didn't already make enough money to pay off the loan. I don't know where I'd be living or what I'd be doing right now if I had finished school. But that student debt hanging over my head prevented me pursuing any other education. I only paid it off just a few months ago. I really should have planned the whole thing better.

Yeah student loans are horrible the way they follow you for the rest of your life.

One bit of advice for everyone starting out in life:

Find something that
1. You enjoy doing
2. Has practical value in the job market (i.e. you can get paid for doing it and there are actual jobs out there in the field)

I would take a job I enjoy that paid less over a job I hated that paid a lot any day. Being miserable at work will affect your entire life, no matter how much you make. And the days will drag on forever.

Also: Avoid getting degrees just to have some letters after your name. Many degrees just have no practical value outside of academia. Unless you want to be a teacher or work in a museum, there really aren't that many jobs out there for a history major, for example.

[Cow Poke]

I would take a job I enjoy that paid less over a job I hated that paid a lot any day. Being miserable at work will affect your entire life, no matter how much you make. And the days will drag on forever.

My Dad REPEATEDLY told us kids (all 9 of us).....

"There are some jobs that pay a lot of money, but you hate going to work (he'd hold out his right hand like he's telling you how big the fish was that got away) and there are some jobs that don't pay much, but you love going to work (left hand equally out as far the other way) and you want to be somewhere in HERE (he'd indicate somewhere near the "love going to work" range)"

It was great advice, and God blessed me by giving me jobs I loved AND paid really good. But if it was an either/or, I'd rather love going to work and getting less pay (like when I was a cop) than earning a lot of money and hating my job (like when I worked at FoMoCo)

[Cow Poke]

I would have realized the importance of putting money in an retirement account a lot earlier, and left it alone.

As old man Wainright's German war bride used to say.... "Too soon old, too late schmart!"