any useful tips for life?

[512148048]

being 18 in all is so scary to me i really dont know waht im going to do later in my life or what i am going to do i feel like i know nothing and i will fail. i feel like daddy has always been there for me and he is my only safty net. im afraid of what might happen when i have to leave what am i going to do what if i stumbel and fall who will be there to help me up? i dont feel ready to leave did anyone else feel this way befor moveing out / on from home? sacared? i really dont know what to do?!?>@!!?@ am i stressing for nothing! i dont even have a plan b; or a for that matter my gpa is a 2.2 and i feel my fate is set by that. the schools were no help either i had many learning disibilitys dislexia and ADD for starters witch lead to minor depression and a basic withdralw from the world. i started keeping fish to help me let go and it did. but i let go to much for 2 - 3 years i had no idea what was going on. any useful tips for life? im so scared

[Deborah]

If I was 18 again I would do some things I did not do:
Ask for help with depression
Ask for help with figuring out a plan for education or employement

I was terrible at searching out help, and stubborn to boot and I'm still paying the price for it many decades later.

I bet you'd feel better if you sat down with someone who can help you make a plan of action. It's usually not as scary when you look at all sides and contemplate the worst (ie so if you fail, you try again. Many succsessful people have failed at some point in their lives - and in some spectacular ways.)

Hang in there. I don't know who you have to help you but find someone: doctor, parent, friend, employment office advisor, admission office at a community college, etc.

[Zacrifice]

Firstly take a deep breath!
Second, life isn't meant to be easy as pie, otherwise where would the fun be?

Yes we all fall over at some point, but don't worrie, we have all done it and it builds caricature, in a years time you will look back and think how easy it actually was and all this worrie was really for nothing!

With the plan on what your going to be doing, well, I have something to tell you, its the select few who actually know exactly what they are going to do, I have met very few people who have had a set goal in mind at such an early stage in life, and will still take a few years to really find what it is your passionate about, and what you could do for a living, you will prolly move about through jobs for a few years, but thats normal for anyone, once again very few have been in the same job since leaving school/collage!

Your dad will always be there for you, thats what parents are so good ad, but when you eventually move out you will gain a self confidence you never knew you had, and you prolly wont want to go back to your father because you will want to do it on your own.

But just relax you are still young you have many years left yet before you have to start worrying about anything much, just worrie about your self, make sure you are well, seek help for the depression if you are still suffering from it, if not then that is great!!!!

You ever thought about backpacking around the world for a few months??? I did it and its the best thing I still think I ever did!!

[FishDaddy]

512148048,

First, be proud of who you are. Each of us is unique in our own way and have gifts that others don't have. How about giving us a first name rather than a number?

Don't worry about the past. It's gone and nothing you can do to change it. Do not fear the future. Each new day is an opportunity to enjoy life and make something out of it. Build on each 'failure' to give you a reason to succeed; not an excuse to fail again. All of us have failed at one time or another but remember; whenever a door closes, another will open to you. You just need to willing to seek the new opportunities.

Stay in school. Whether a community college or job skill training. This will help you find better employment and give you more choices in life.

Whatever you choose to do, find something you enjoy and that will benefit others. Nothing brings more satisfaction in life than helping others, whether it is direct help to individuals or participating in a program of service. Some of the greatest people I know are those who give their time, whether by full-time job or volunteer work, for the purpose of improving the lives of others.

Share your thoughts with your father. He loves you and will do everything in his power to advise and help you. Don't be afraid of displeasing him. If he doesn't know of your doubts, he won't know what to do to encourage and guide you.

I wish you well in whatever life brings you.

Dick

[tims]

Famliy and Freinds....... always remenmber family and freinds..

like everyone said so far... take a breath, life is sorta hard but can have really good rewards....
you are young , do not rush in to everything , and think about it twice before you do something...

Continue your education the best you can....
and remember ... there is always someone who will listen to you when you need to talk..

on a lighter note..
1. never ever argue with a woman , even if you are right( which we usally are !) we will always be wrong
2. never ask them what they want for dinner because they will never answer and stick to it....( i know i will pay for this later)
3. treat your life sorta like your reef tank, if your rush something bad usally happens.. if you take your time , things will work out much better...

[512148048]

thank you for your advice i think i will start some sorta plan that involvs building houses and additions etc.

[Phishnoob]

I was in the same boat at your age and have a son in the same situation.

I did a tour on submarines and it launched a really successful career and I got to see the world.

The important thing is to do what you love. If you can keep a reef tank and have the mental discipline to keep that going you can do a lot of things. My job is a very small sliver of the medical world but it suits me and I own my space. Find your niche and go get it.

Also, you are only 18 and still so young. There are a lot of us out here that would trade everything we have for a chance to have an unlimited horizon.

One word....plastics (that will flush out the old timers)

Phishnoob

[Doug1]

Dood, at 18 you have the world ahead of you, you don't want to be where I was at that age. At 19 I was married and a father, and made several decisions based on the safe route to support my family.
Now that I am nearing 52 and faced with the company I have worked for for almost 15 yrs being bought out by a national company, I wish that I had done a lot of things different, at the very least I wish I had continued with my education instead of partying. At your age you still have plenty of time to decide what you want to be when you grow up, and statistically you will change careers about 3 times or miore in the course of your life., so don't feel bad if you don't know now what you want to do, but always keep your options open. You are young enough now that you can pursue your dreams and still recover if you don't make it.

[Alice]

You know about 5 years ago my daughter asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up

When I was 18 I didn't even think about thinking about a plan. I bashed head on into life and rolled with the punches. Ah, to be 18 again and know what I know now.... (there's another line that will bring out the oldtimers, phishnoob!)

I'm 41 now and had been plodding along in the same field for 10 years. I decided it was time to make a decision about what I really did want to be when I grew up and I found out that I really like what I do! I also decided I wasn't going to stand still any longer and it was time to make some strides forward and since I put my mind to it, I really am moving forward.

So you see, it's never too late but it's never too early, either. Get a feel for life and see where you might want to be in 10 years. And if you get a chance to travel, go for it!! I certainly wish I had when I was still young enough to not mind sleeping in my own bed.

[Deborah]

Oh Yeah! The travel thing. Try and find a job that sends your around. A co-workers son had a job for awhile setting up new video stores. The corporation would send him to whatever city had a new store opening and he'd make sure it was set up correctly (i.e. not rocket science).

Before you have a kids and a spouse is the best time to do this. And as people with families often don't like to travel there can be less competition for the jobs.

[512148048]

well money is a big factor i wanted to have figured and the travling job sounds like it could be fun just in michigan it could be too. im not shure how moving to Va. to build 2 houses effect that.
i guess im just afraid of what lies ahead of me. well this is all very nice of you to help me never would have thought i would have recived so many replies. i guess i should think more about how to put up a safty net for me. all of this has helped me look at what i am doing and made me a little more confident in myself witch is the one thing i really need and have little of. (but that is a long story that i dont want to get into)

[Phishnoob]

This is going to sound stupid but go rent Titanic. The guy in that movie just does his thing and is confidant that the fates will align. (just ignore the end of it when the bad thing happens).

From what I read here it seems like a lot of folks took a while to find their path which is great!!!

Do they have a career center at your school...I took a test ages ago and it said I should be an engineer...now I am one.

Also, I got fired once and did nothing but surf and golf....if your folks will pop for it go see a few sunsets. Stomping out of that pizza place in my underwear and handing my uniform clothes to the weenie manager was a turning point in my life.

I don't want to sound like an old guy but the final thing that helped me was to find a mentor. A high level guy once told me I was a punk and that I needed to grow professionally. We stay in touch still to this day and now I run a company.

Phishnoob

[512148048]

wow in your undies lol well confidence seems to be my weak point so ill have to find something to help me with it

[Alice]

ROTFL phishnoob!!

I have done some dramatic, stomping exits in my time but nothing ever *that* dramatic!

Good for you!

[JennM]

Wow when I was 18 I was already living on my own, and "shacked up"...

I thought I knew it all (you mean I didn't ). I have very few regrets - life has been good to me. Be aware, be alert, sieze opportunities.

I had to choose between staying at home in a bad situation and leaving college to support myself - I don't regret that but I wish better for my kids, and in this day and age I'd suggest staying in school IF you can study something that will be useful to you... there are so many redundant degrees anymore, sometimes it's hardly worth paying all that tuition if you still end up flipping burgers at a McJob.... You can do that without $30K in student loans... but if you have a skill, develop it, embrace it, the rest will fall in place.

I might have done some things differently but all in all I'm pretty pleased with life Besides there's something exciting about the unpredictable and the unknown... life would be boring if there were no surprises!

Jenn