Would you have listened to yourself or anyone who'd told you that 5 years ago? I've got some people in town that I do some mentoring with, and I've given them most of this list over the last few years, and generally it's ignored. However, I'll get a call, email or coffee with some 'hey - gotta tell you something!'. I listen as they excitedly share some revelation which is pretty much exactly what I'd told them 2 years earlier. I initially took it personally, but I think now it's more a case of "you gotta learn for yourself". As much as people think they can 'crush it' by reading garyv's book, it's not until you're out there living things day to day that most of this stuff is really driven home.<p>Another thing I've learned is that it's not what you say, but who you are when you say it. Both who you are to yourself, and who/what others perceive you to be when you're saying it.
Thing is: I don't think your younger self would have listened to this advice because your mindset is a function of time. I know I wouldn't have. Unless, of course, the advice giver can show you <i>actual proof</i> that the things he's saying are true, e.g. like the Almanac from the future that the older Biff is clutching. Or to show Archimedes how to derive the volume of a sphere using calculus (should you show him how to generalize the formula for a n-dim sphere, maybe not).<p>So that brings us to the following thought: There are two kinds of advice a time traveler can give: (i) "Objective" stuff that <i>will</i> actually happen, and that perhaps you can provide proof for, i.e. the Instagram advice; and (ii) "subjective" stuff that may or may not turn out that way, i.e. "don't marry that girl".<p>BTW, due to the Butterfly Effect (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect</a>) these two are not as clear cut as above.
it's really challenging to give any advice that i would follow without having walked the path to have came to that conclusion. thusly, it'd be things where time = output. such as taking up pilates, playing more golf, waking up earlier.<p>my favourite high level advice is: the best time to plant a tree was 5 years ago, the second best time is today.
This is good advice.<p>I started out on my own startup path almost 2 years ago now, and it's dawned on me by now that things don't change. If you're building a company (or anything worth building really), you will always have problems, they will often catch you by surprise, and imminent success or failure always seems like it's right around the corner.<p>Best case scenario, you get to deal with higher quality problems, make more money, and still love what you do. Worst case... well, I guess you go get a job (and/or go bankrupt?)
Wait for global financial crisis. Sink all available money into apple stock at $82 in January '09 and hang onto it for three years.<p>Hindsight is always 20/20...