Hmmm

Dear Teen Rob:

Run!

Run (like hell!) from that young woman that approaches the you in the club several weeks a row before reeling you in. She is a narcissist wearing the guise of a charming person, and she will suck the joy (and money) from your life for decades.

Run from Corporate America! They too will suck the joy from your life for decades to come. You’ll actually do surprisingly well in Corporate America until your 40s, but you’ll hate it. You’ll hate the waves-and-waves of bullshit and the politicking backstabbers and the job insecurity and (most of all) the sociopathic CxOs who run the joints.

Run as fast as you can and don’t stop until you’re safely away. Then stop. Take a deep breath. And reeeeelllllllaaaaxxxxx. Life will be okay. You don’t have to rush. You’re going to live for many more decades. Don’t marry for awhile. Don’t have kids for awhile. Become the national weatherservice weatherperson you’re thinking about becoming. Or not. Maybe lean into the data analysis that you’re actually pretty good at and enjoy and then go find a government job somewhere where they don’t fire you and you have job security. Write the book(s) you want to write. Eat tacos from a taco joint for dinner every night. Play a lot of competitive softball centerfield, which you’ll find that you really enjoy, and less basketball, which brings you joy but also brings injury and stress for you.

There is no magical formula to life. There is no plan to life. You don’t have to be married early. Don’t have to have a career job early. Don’t have to have a house early. Stop fretting about those things. Stop striving for those things. Keep your expenses low, put a little bit of money each month into a diversified stock and bond portfolio, and just work jobs you don’t mind working that pay the bills.

So. Right now. Stop what you’re doing. And run. Run like hell. Then take a deep breath. And just slow the fuck down.