When you’re 18, you think you know everything.

When you know everything you stop learning.

When you stop learning, you die inside like the man who gives up his dreams, in exchange for the cozy white walls of a cubicle office.

Most stop learning after high school, around the age of 18 years old.

Nearly everyone stops learning after college.

Those who change the world continue learning until they die.

Forever students in a world that has only one true constant: change.

They leave their mark behind on the world. Lives deserving of gold statues towering into the sky, like trying to touch the hand of God himself.

Below are 17 experts answering the question: With the wisdom, you now have what advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

This advice can be taken at any age. Whether you’re younger, or older. Realize that the only way to achieve your dreams is through constant improvement. If you’re the same person you were yesterday: You’re behind.

If you’re a young man take the advice below to heart. They have already made the mistakes that you could avoid. We have all lived lives close to yours.

True wisdom is learning the mistakes of others, and not making them yourself.

The experts are in no order. They have been listed below with links for ease of reading this 5000+ word essay.

After every piece of advice is a link to the writer’s website. Don’t forget to visit the pages of those who’s advice resonated with you.

Table Of Contents

Rollo Tomassi | The Rational Male

My head immediately jumps to this very pathetic blank journal my first girlfriend gave me when I was 18. I now understand why she gave it to me; it was a lame attempt to reassure herself that I wouldn’t take it too hard when my Beta self finally discovered she was cheating on me and had plans to dump me after I’d moved to the city she was going to go to college in to be a “supportive boyfriend”. Back then I was very much a Blue Pill conditioned Beta who had been brought up by a frustrated Beta father and had to deal with the influence of a very liberal-feminist step-mother. I was ‘Mr. Supportive’ at 17 and thought that the first girl I finally had sex with was “the ONE”. Her cheating on me was a valuable lesson though it was a kick in the teeth at the time. I’d basically put anything like personal ambition out of my head to be the ‘supportive’ boyfriend. I mention that journal because at 18 I filled it with a lot of Blue Pill conditioned pablum I’d had stuffed into my head. The main thrust of it was sublimating myself while elevating the feminine – which my girlfriend was a proxy for. If I could, I think the single most important part of Red Pill awareness a young man needs to internalize is making himself his Mental Point of Origin (MPO)

Mental Point Of Origin

Your mental point of origin is really your own internalized understanding about how you yourself fit into your own understanding of Frame. If Frame is the dominant narrative of a relationship (not limited to just romantic relations), your mental point of origin is the import and priority to which you give to the people and/or ideas involved in that relationship. It is the first thought you have when considering any particular of a relationship, and it’s often so ingrained in us that it becomes an autonomous mental process. In the 30 years since I was 18, the process of feminizing boys into Beta compliant men has only gotten worse. It’s more ingrained by a more normalized feminine-primary acculturation of young men. However, the purpose is still the same – creating the next generation of Blue Pill men to support and serve the interests of individual women and the Feminine Imperative. What Blue Pill conditioning does is teaches boys and young men to put identifying with girls, women and the feminine as their first thought in their stream of consciousness rather than themselves. Simultaneously, girls are acculturated to be ‘empowered’ from all arenas of life, but also to expect this self-sacrificial ‘support’ from (Beta) men. The Blue Pill psychologically trains young men about the correctness of being “supportive” of women at the risk of shaming them for being selfish “typical” men. Any ambition that conflicts with putting women first in his subconscious is marginalized or demonized. Thus, we get young men ready to sacrifice any future life ambition that doesn’t coincide with women’s. This leads to a scarcity mentality, leads to the soul mate myth, and generally puts that young man into a predestined position of Beta provider. What-18-year old men need to know is that they’ve been trained to feel bad about putting themselves above all other considerations. I would have those men adopt Enlightened Self-Interest – you cannot help anyone until you first help yourself – and disabuse themselves of the guilt and shame that the Feminine Imperative would instill in them for putting themselves, their ambitions and their well being before that of any woman.

Read more | The Rational Male

Sam | Financial Samurai

If I could turn back the clock (I’m 40 now), I’d tell my 18-year-old self to take more risks. The fear of failure is worse than reality. I should have done more summer and winter internships doing random things. I should have tried to start many businesses while I was young. Instead, I went the traditional route by getting the best grades possible and working at a bulge bracket investment bank in NYC.

Read More | Financial Samurai

P.D Mangan | Rogue Health & Fitness

Since this is explicitly supposed to be about my younger self, this won’t have universal applicability.

I would tell my younger self that you’re different from others, more different than you realize, and that you can accomplish far more than you think you can. You can literally do or be almost anything you set your mind to. But by confining yourself to the ordinary, that will never happen.

Don’t be afraid to be ambitious, to want to conquer the world. You don’t have all the time in the world either.

Your intelligence is the gift you’ve been given. Don’t waste it.

Read More | Rogue Health & Fitness

Mark Baxter | Real Mark Baxter

A man must ask himself, “Is that 4 bed 4 bath home in a cul-de-sac worth being chained to this desk for 30 years?” — Mark Baxter (@realmarkbaxter) June 2, 2017

First and foremost, you are eighteen and you aren’t going to listen to most of this advice. There is going to come a day when you realize you should have listened. That’s OK. In that moment, you must forgive yourself for not listening and start right then and there working toward the things I am going to tell you right now. My moment came at 33, hopefully, yours comes much sooner.

Forget yourself. This may seem odd since everything I am about to tell you is about improving yourself, but hear me out. A short memory will go a long way. Remember that you have been GIVEN this life, you did nothing to create it or earn it, always give thanks and treat your time here as a gift.

Forgive yourself. You are going to make mistakes. Big ones. Accept that. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Learn resilience. Bounce back. Nothing short of death will last forever. Take a breath and let things pass.

Keep it simple. Avoid debt of all kinds. Spend less than you earn, always. Save 10%. Give 10%. Don’t sweat the rest of it. If you start today and do this you will be wealthy before you know it. Choose experiences over belongings. Live lightly, stuff just drags you down.

This is life. Don’t keep thinking that some hypothetical point in the future when you’ve got an excellent job, a wife, kids, vacations, etc. is when life begins. Nope. Your life is happening right now. Every moment that passes at 18 is the same as one at 38. Treat them all equally, with gratitude, respect, and responsibility.

Work hard. Have fun. Do the day’s work first. Put in your hours at your job. Do this honestly. Don’t slack or try to cut corners. Do decent work. The real reward is deep in your mind when you know you’ve earned your money. Don’t complain, but don’t work your life away either. If the job demands that you give up your life, find another one. Living simply should allow you the freedom to find a career with balance.

Love all-in, but know the score. Few things are as enjoyable as a deep, romantic relationship. Don’t shy away from such pleasures. Consciously holding back puts you in your head and out of the moment. Allow things to unfold as they may. Allow yourself to love and be loved. But remember that nothing lasts forever. Even with the same person, things will change over time. Enjoy each phase as it comes.

Vincent, the main contributor to Andreian was featured on Mark Baxter’s podcast.

You can listen to episode 17 with Vincent Menniti here.

Read More | Real Mark Baxter

Regan | Fix My Broken Mind

Refine Your Social Skills

There is something enviable about a man who can turn on charisma with the flick of a switch.

Everybody knows him.

He isn’t the loudest guy in the room, yet he doesn’t have to be.

With a faint whisper, he can get the attention of the cutest girl or steal the limelight from the ‘manliest’ guy.

His entourage is ever expanding and with it come endless opportunities​.

This man is like a magnet to everyone around him regardless of gender.

If you, young sir, can become this man, your life will be abundant.

Become a tradesman with your words and you will always know what to say regardless of the situation.

You will always be ready for opportunities, always knowing how to capitalize on your human interactions​.

Your social skills will give you an edge in your dating life, your career, and your friendships.

If you want to one day be someone of influence, you must first make people like you.

Become so charismatic that they have no choice but to smile as you bless them with your presence.

And if they don’t like you? Well, that’s because they wish they were you.

Read More | Fix My Broken Mind

Kyle Trouble | This Is Trouble

I’ve now come up with criteria every man should DEMAND from a girl before committing to anything. — Kyle Trouble (@KyleTrouble) June 5, 2017

“You’re 18 now and about to meet a psychotic girl who is going to drive you wild with lust…and also drive you crazy. Treat her for what she is. Learn to say no to her, and…well, everyone else. Saying no is one of the most powerful things you can do.

Don’t stop building the skills you developed in high school – continue to grow them. They’ll serve you well. Always be willing to think outside the box. Most jobs are called ‘work’ for a reason. Give them an honest shot, but remember – if everyone is doing something, you’ll probably want (and can) out-do them.

Lastly, see the world. Go somewhere in the very east, like Ukraine. Or take a trip to South America. The world is large. You’ll find many of the answers you seek, in all walks of life, on other continents.”

Sonny Arvado | Strength By Sonny

Best way to make friends is to bond over food. Eating it, cooking it… FOOD is always the answer — Strength By Sonny (@StrengthBySonny) May 20, 2017

“Hey, Sonny. It’s me/you/us. You’re 18 now and although you’re technically an adult you still have a lot to learn. In a lot of ways, you’re on the right path. In others, you could definitely use my advice. Keep killing it in the gym and taking care of yourself. Everything flows from a strong, healthy body. Being jacked is the ultimate confidence booster when it comes to “your place” in society. In a lot of ways, it’s like bringing a gun to a knife fight.

However, life ain’t about just lifting weights and slaying bitches. College is right around the corner and at this point, you’re still confused about what you should “do” with your life. You won’t just pick a major and then that will be the end of it. It’s a very confusing road in college. People change. It’s just the way the world works.

That being said I have a few key points I want to make.

1) Time management is everything. Keep your downtime or “chill time” to a minimum. In college, everyone gets suckered into all this newfound “freedom” and with that comes an incredible amount of time being wasted. It’s okay to relax once in a while but you should be doing something productive during all hours of the day, even if that means browsing on the Internet.

HINT: Start researching everything you can about business and making money.

2) Think like a businessman. Everything in the world makes so much more sense when you think about it in terms of business and branding. More importantly, now is the time to start developing that money making killer mentality.

3) Hit the ground running. Get as many professional contacts as possible. I always say that your first day of college is the day you decide where you’re going to college. Well, using the same logic, your first day on the job market is your first day of college. After all, why are you in college? To get a job. Start as early as possible. Talk to as many people as possible.

Salesmanship is king. That’s what life is from now on. It’s salesmanship. You’re selling yourself to people anywhere you go. On top of that, you are skill-building. Build as many skills as you can and start early.

Other than that, enjoy the journey. You’re on your way. No matter what just keep moving forward and looking toward the future.

Read More | Strength By Sonny

Dylan Madden | Calm & Collected

Simple way to change your life:

-Travel monthly

-Delete Tinder

-Cut people from your life (friends/family)

-Make money There now go change! — Dylan Madden (@realdylanmadden) May 28, 2017



My name is Dylan Madden and a blog called Calm and Collected that turns nice guys into Young Hustlers. Vincent invited me to give you one piece of advice that I would give my 18 year-old-self.

Without hesitation, I would say to believe in yourself.

When I was 18 years old I cared about other people more than myself.

Their opinions were more valued than my own.

Believing in yourself is more than just having a can-do attitude. Self-belief goes so much deeper than that.

Your self-belief determines the type of girl you have, your bank account, and even where you end up in life.

Take a moment and look around. If you aren’t happy with most areas of your life then more than likely you don’t believe in yourself.

Luckily this is something that can be fixed easily.

For the next 66 days I want you to do something. Not for me but for you. I want you to write down your goals.

Figure out what you want to achieve this month and then each night before bed write down the next day’s goals.

This will keep you focused on yourself and something magical will happen. As you start achieving one thing after another, you’ll begin believing in yourself.

Before you know it you will care more your own opinions than someone else’s. You will look around your life and be happy with what you see.

Whatever age you are right now I say to believe in yourself. Take it a step further and apply everything from this article to your life.

Learn from other people and leverage that knowledge. Save yourself from pointless sleepless nights and wasted opportunities.

Once again don’t do this for me. Not even for Vincent or anyone else you look up to. Do it for yourself because you are the man with the plan.

Read More | Calm And Collected

Charles Sledge

Combine the fire of courage with the hardened steel of discipline and you’ll be unstoppable. — Charles Sledge (@CSledge001) March 27, 2017

Hit the ground running, you’re already behind, and the world will not slow down for you to catch up. Graduation is not the end but the start. School does little to nothing to prepare you for the real world. You don’t have time to sit back and relax. Comfort is the enemy. Comfort equals stagnation and stagnation equals death. The world is harsh so you must be fierce. You cannot rely on others you must learn to take matters into your own hands and take responsibility for where you are in life. There is nothing noble about being a victim.

Cut the dead weight, losers are losers and for the most part will remain forevermore. Find those that challenge you for they are your true allies. Read books, hit the gym, train both the body and the mind. Weakness in either can be your undoing. There is no such thing as true fairness in the world. There is strength and there is weakness. Cultivate strength for it is the thing that will bear you through the storms of this world. You will get hit hard, you will get stabbed in the back, and you will be left for dead but this matters little to what is within you. A man who will refuse to die cannot be defeated.

There is nothing more valuable in this world than an honorable brother who will stand by your side through the fires of this life. They are rarer than diamonds and infinitely more valuable. Suffering produces growth and suffering with brothers produces loyalty and a bond deeper than anything else. Don’t follow the masses the sheep are always led to the slaughter house. When deciding between two things the right choice will usually be the harder one. Take pride in yourself and conduct yourself with honor. Stand against the world and always remember in any day, any age, and any time that only the strong survive. Now get after it.

Read More | Charles Sledge

Lloyd | Business & Bullets

All y’all skinny boys that boohoo about not being able to eat enough to get bigger: Try farm work. You’re welcome. — Business and Bullets (@BusinessAndBull) June 4, 2017

If I could go chat with my 18-year-old self, I’d start the monolog with a sidekick to the sternum. Only way to get that guy to listen to anything. I’d also slip the Bowie knife out from his waistband, just in case.

There will be no “I’m You from the future!” bullshit. No point to that conversation, since I’d be wasting my own time twice over. Instead, we go straight to the meat.

“Look here. You’re going to have some hormone problems. Whether you’re okay now or not, you need to get a blood test once a year. Every year.”

Everyone should, actually. Having a baseline is never a bad idea.

“Next, you’re neglecting the muscles around the bones you broke 4 years ago. Don’t do that. You should take special care to work the muscles that aren’t fun to work.”

Everyone should, actually. Listen to your body, though. Don’t get hurt.

“Finally, you don’t have to be 21 to own a shotgun or rifle. That’ll come in handy on a certain cold night in December 2010.”

Obey your local laws, kiddos.

Read More | Business & Bullets

Marcus | Blood Fire And Soul

Walk into every place like you own the motherfucker and everyone else is a guest. Invincible Frame. — Marcus (@MarcusTheSwift) June 2, 2017

You have an intense desire to learn and understand the world but seek first to learn and understand yourself. The faster you can understand yourself and know what makes you tick, the better. This knowledge gives you a roadmap in all your future interactions with the world, do not forget this. All the knowledge in the world is totally useless without self-knowledge.

The next thing is to cast away all need for external validation. Seeking approval from others only proves your own lack of self-esteem and will only lead to destruction. Follow instincts not people. Learn to love yourself first and then seek to love others. Choose to love women for what they are and not what you want them to be. Accept people for who they are.

Lastly, happiness is a choice, you choose to be happy; so be happy!

“There has to come a point when you stop giving a fuck.

Problems only exist if you give a fuck.

I Refuse to Give a Fuck.”

Read More | Blood Fire And Soul

Titus Hauer | Breaking Your Illusions

In some ways, the more one thinks, the closer one feels to getting the answer…but in the end, it’s hard to tell what is really the answer. — BreakYourIllusions (@BreakIllusions) June 5, 2017



First, of I want to thank Vincent for giving me this opportunity to write for him. I do love his content and his goals are quite ambitious too, so best of luck brother.

Now, what kind of advice would I give my 18-year-old self?Find a Job that you can endure and use that as a motivation to work on a side hustle. I made the mistake of quitting without having anything as a backup which I don’t recommend. Burning all bridges is good in some cases, it wasn’t in mine so you have to think about that and then evaluate whether you can allow yourself do to this or not.

Check yourself ie. Go and see a doctor every once in a while. This one is huge because despite all the Doctor hate in our sphere (which I understand to a certain degree) if I had seen one when I was 18 then I might not have as shitty eyes as I have now. The point is that you will never know what disease you might have (especially if it’s genetic) so go and check yourself every year with a couple of doctors to see if you are all right.

Be selfish, focus on your own needs first, and don’t take advice from others unless they already have what you want. Those are simple things and yet it took me ages to internalize them, especially the being selfish part but this is how the world works, no one gives a rats ass about you and sacrificing yourself for others might be a noble thing but is it the best choice? I think not. So do what is best for you, always.

Don’t limit yourself due to a false sense of morals. There are always those people who say you can’t do X or you shouldn’t do that because it’s immoral or unethical, well, someone WILL do it tho and he will get ahead in life because of it. Those who give fewer fucks about stuff like that are guaranteed to move ahead that’s just how it is as much as one might dislike the idea of that.

And last but not least: Learn how you function, learn how your body functions, learn how your brain works, learn where emotions come from. The better you understand yourself, especially on a biological level the better you will become and most importantly the more control you will have over yourself.

Read More | Breaking Your Illusions

Deeper Thrill

Accomplishment dopamine > indulgence dopamine. — Deep Thrill (@DeeperThrill) May 24, 2017

Dear 18-Year-Old Deep Thrill,

Here are a dozen lessons to help smooth over those rough edges in life:

College is going to be incredibly fun, but not as expected. Don’t be bothered by this, for expectations are mostly shaped by movies. The people around you are all talk and don’t have your ambition. When they pressure you to be social, undoubtedly go crazy, but never forget the deeper ambitions you must never let slip.

Do not stress about girls. They will reject you for many reasons; it doesn’t matter. Once you get older with more money and muscles, former rejections seem laughable. Don’t stress about who you might marry; improve yourself and realize marriage is not the only path.

Stressing about two good choices for a career really isn’t a choice; you can make either one work.

Travel, but cheaply. Do it to broaden your experience, not for girls or peer pressure. Travel to nearby cities for the experience. If done properly, it should reinvigorate ambitions, not hinder them.

It’s tough to go against family but needs to be done sometimes. They are just other humans with their own mental patterns; yours are just as valid.

The more that people subconsciously realize their lives are set in mediocrity, the nastier they will get towards you. They will wrap up their lack of ambition with vitriol towards you being “selfish”, “arrogant”, or “rude”. This is going to trigger many moral doubts in you, but they are really just timid. Don’t stress about morals too much as long as you try to avoid regret.

Do not be afraid to take career risks if you think there is a payoff.

You will meet powerful people. Some will have billions, and some will have a sense of inner power you will envy. In general, people who come from nothing have a deep inner power money cannot buy. Be neither enamored nor intimidated; simply use it as motivation to achieve more. Learn from their brains and experiences if you can. Some of their knowledge is in some book, some is unique. But you’ll find your own way, so it’s not crucial if you can’t extract usefulness.

Don’t trust people’s opinions. Many of the smartest humans have written books, so read them instead of taking advice from people who are full of their own biases and weaknesses.

Come up with daily habits and your own systems that you believe will yield inevitable success, and do them consistently. Frequency is more important than one big push of effort. This applies to fitness, finance, psychology.

Believe you can become superior by mastering skills, but always believe there’s more. Money is your metric, for nearly every facet of life is improved with money. Others have their own metrics, and that is perfectly valid. Whatever career path you decide, constantly learn, even when thinking you have it all figured out. That’s the only humbleness necessary.

See every situation opportunistically.

Read More | Deeper Thrill

Masculine Millennials

Eat Steaks, lift weights, read books, have sex with 20 year old women. You just fixed your depression, anxiety, low sex drive, and mindset — MasculineMillennials (@Masc_millennial) April 11, 2017



Find something to enjoy every day.

Go to college only if you can do it for free on a scholarship. Studying an easy major isn’t cool, it’s idiotic and a waste of time. Your high school girlfriend? It’s not going to work, and that’s a good thing. Get a reliable fuck buddy, practice often, become a sex god.

Every woman you place ahead of your own goals and mission will eventually resent you for it. Sleep with as many attractive women as possible, don’t date seriously. View every time you watch porn as another week of work before retirement, that’s the equivalent to the time wasted.

Say yes to new experiences, but practice saying no as much as possible. Having an impressive physique will open doors for you, get there as soon as possible.

Get some mentors who’ve achieved what you want to reach. Start building a business as early as possible. Ruthlessly cut off worthless people. Connections are everything when you start looking for a job.

Get rid of the social conditioning that has been pushed on you. You don’t have to get married, have kids, live in a certain place, have a corporate job, etc if you don’t want to. Stay as far from the normal life path as possible. You will be shamed for living life on your terms, don’t listen. Learn as many skills as possible, specialize in a couple.

Read More | Masculine Milennials

Meca Yılmazoğlu

You can never go back in time and change things, but you can always move on and keep the lessons you’ve learnt to make the right moves. — Meca Yılmazoğlu (@MecaYilmazoglu) June 7, 2017



My best relationships, my best business deals, my best decisions had only a single source: My true self. Talk to a wise old man and he will tell you the same thing: Know yourself, be yourself, work on yourself. Every respectable philosopher, every self-improvement book, every religion (even Satanism) preach this for a reason.

Some lucky people have already understood this, but the overall population has no idea who they are, what they’re doing and why they’re doing it for – especially men, in this day and age, who in fact can’t sustain a satisfying life without having a solid sense of self. The best way to find and be yourself is to expose yourself to many different situations -no matter how awkward, mundane, or extreme they are- and gain different experiences. While doing all those, watch your reactions and see who’s really lying underneath your flesh. Self-discovery based activities like journaling and deep meditation will do wonders, along with learning and applying Jungian psychology. Also, never underestimate the power of other people – go out, find people you like and learn about them, open up to them, have fun with them.

No matter who you are or what you do, there are incredibly precious things you can’t discover anywhere but in yourself. And your sole mission in this life is to know yourself, be yourself and better yourself every single day. If you have the world but not yourself, it’s hell – if you know yourself but don’t have the world, it’s easily “sufferable”, in the worst case scenario.

After all these, you will understand (and more importantly, internalize) that the source of every pain and joy in your life is you in the end. You will realize the absurdity of overused human-made concepts like limits, problems or fear. Look how exciting all that sounds, and try to imagine how wonderful it is to actually ho through these experiences yourself and live a life like that. Go for it.

Love & respect,

-Meca

Arnie | The Sigma Mind

Be a a character. Be memorable. Blandness is not something people grasp on to. Then when you’re gone your memory fades into the masses. — Arnie (@TheSigmaMind) November 7, 2016

Stop eating industrial garbage. The human body is a vessel birthed by Mother Nature and not a machine, so let it be fed that way. You’d be surprised how many of man’s problems would be solved by simply stopping consumption of things we didn’t evolve eating.

“Food is the blood of life, so let it be good”

-S Truett Cathy, creator of Chick-Fil-A

Vincent, the main contributor to Andreian was featured on The Sigma Mind Podcast.

You can listen to the Sigma Mind Podcast with Vincent here.

Read More | The Sigma Mind

Vincent Menniti | Andreian

No one writes books about a guy who stays in the town he grew up in. — Vincent Menniti (@vinmenniti) June 8, 2017

Our lives are determined by our habits. When you were 18, your habits were chasing girls, playing video games, and “hanging out” with the fellas.

What has any of this done for you? Take a close examination of your habits. Not what you’d like your habits to be, but what they actually are.

When you were 18 you wanted to be a writer. Yet, the time you spent when you were 18 was not aligned with the goal you wanted.

Align your habits and your goals. If you want to be something, someone special, copy their habits. It’s the only way to become the greatest version of yourself.

Imagine that your life is a movie and you’re the director. Meditate, get out of your head, and see yourself from outside your body. It sounds crazy but it will work for you.

In your movie does the main star look at porn, or spend hours looking at memes? If he doesn’t, you shouldn’t do this either. Everything you do in your teens and twenties will lay the foundation for the rest of your life.

What life do you want? Ask yourself this at least twice a day. It will help keep you on the right path.

Become your own hero.

Your own inspiration.

Read More | How Tanning dramatically increases testosterone