As another birthday has passed I find myself reflecting again on aging – contemplating crows feet, a rapidly appearing yamaka, and the phrase “Why did I come in this room?”  I keep telling myself I’m simply middle aged, but unless I’m going to live to be over 92, I guess I’m past that stage.  Not sure exactly when I passed it but it was probably when I no longer cared that I was wearing shorts, slippers and argyle socks around the house. (I haven’t taken that magic outside just yet!)

With all this in mind, here are several things I’d say to a younger version of myself if I could.  Some are just practical, some are philosophical, and others are just personal.

Dance at high school dances.

I always stood around and waited for the slow dance.

Pay attention in Spanish class.

I had two years of it and can only say good morning to people.

Ask more questions than you give answers.

In my 20s I thought I knew most everything. I know most 20-year olds today don’t struggle with that, but I did.

Recognize the difference between an opinion and a fact.

Speaking of my 20s, I sure wish I’d shared more of my ideas as opinion rather than as fact. It would have made the facts I did share seem even more impressive.

Don’t worry about what people think of you.

Truth is they probably weren’t even thinking of me anyway!

Learn to play golf as early as possible.

Struggling to play now made me wish I’d taken it up younger.  Would have been fun to have that “club in my bag”. It’s the one game you can play your whole life.

Write a paragraph every day about what our kids did today.

My wife was better about that than me. But the kids were doing so many funny and adorable things that I thought, “Oh, I’ll never forget that.” But I did.  Write it down.

Fire quick, hire slow.

When I hire too quick, I regret it.  When I hold on too long, I only do the person and the organization a disservice.

Pay attention in your Old Testament class.

This is only for my friends who are in Seminary or Bible College, but there’s so much rich tradition and foreshadowing of Jesus in the first half of the Bible that I’m just now learning. And I took a full year of that class! But, “we were only freshmen.”

Be you. 

God didn’t make me to be someone else. And he doesn’t grade me on being more like someone else.

Make less 5-year plans and more 5-week goals.

It’s good to have a vision board and mission statements, but we often underestimate how a focused five-week plan can advance the ball down the field.

Realize everyone else is just guessing too.

If someone looks like they have it all figured out, remember, they don’t.

Jesus not only loves me, he likes me. (And you too!)

This is the most profound truth and the hardest to get. But the moment you do, it’s so good.

How about you?  What do you wish a younger you had known?