Apparently, WordPress really wants to know what advice I’d give someone younger than me. I know that because it asked me this exact question on June 23. Not a similar question. Not a variation on the theme. The exact same question, letter for letter: What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
Back in June, my answer was essentially this: You play like you practice. The habits you build when nobody is watching have a funny way of showing up when life gets serious. I still believe that. But since WordPress has decided to ask me twice, I suppose I owe it a second answer.
So here it is: Don’t be in such a hurry to get to the next part of your life.
When we’re young, we spend an awful lot of time looking ahead. We can’t wait to finish school, get the job, make more money, move somewhere better, meet the right person, buy the house, take the trip or reach the milestone. There’s always something just over the horizon that looks more like “real life” than whatever we’re doing right now.
The problem is that, eventually, you look back and realize all those moments you were rushing through were real life. The ordinary days mattered. The people at the table mattered. The conversations you almost skipped mattered. Even the boring season you couldn’t wait to escape from mattered.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have goals. You should. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work hard for something better. You absolutely should. But don’t become so focused on tomorrow that you miss today. You don’t get this Tuesday back. You don’t get this year back. And you don’t get unlimited chances to notice the people you love while they’re still sitting in the room with you.
So if I’m giving someone younger than me one more piece of advice, it would be this: Build good habits. Work hard. Prepare for what’s ahead. But every once in a while, look around.
You’re already living the part you’ll someday miss.
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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
