📰 June 7, 2026 — 8:32 a.m.
The vacuum is running again in the background.
I don’t know why, but the sound soothes me.
Simba, my orange boy, is resting in his box.
The prompt asks:
What is something you wish you could tell your 20-year-old self?
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It’s interesting how looking back makes us sound so much smarter.
At least that’s how it feels.
In retrospect, everybody seems brilliant.
While we’re living it?
Not so much.
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When I was around twenty years old, I was working as an usher at Dodger Stadium.
A friend called me one day.
“Hey, you still looking for work?”
“Yeah.”
“Come to Dodger Stadium. They’re hiring.”
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I remember walking in and filling out the application.
They were asking me for my waist size while I was still trying to fill the application.
Then I got my first paycheck.
Around five hundred dollars.
Brother…
I thought I was rich.
🤣
I couldn’t wait to spend it.
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If I could go back and talk to that version of myself, I wouldn’t tell him to stop having fun.
I wouldn’t tell him to become obsessed with money.
I wouldn’t tell him to stop living.
I’d tell him something different.
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I’d tell him:
Money isn’t only for spending.
Money can help you in the future.
Money can buy you options.
Money can buy you time.
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In fact…
Time traveling is real.
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Every dollar you save is a message to your future self.
Every dollar you invest is a small gift to somebody you’ll become later.
The funny thing is that when you’re twenty, that future person feels imaginary.
At forty-four, he doesn’t.
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I’d probably teach myself the bucket system.
Keep some cash.
Keep some savings.
Maybe look into investing.
Even if it seems impossible.
Just start learning.
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And most importantly:
Every time you spend from one bucket, refill it.
Future you will appreciate it.
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I still would’ve made mistakes.
I still would’ve bought dumb stuff.
I still would’ve learned things the hard way.
But maybe I would’ve understood one thing sooner.
Money isn’t just about today.
Sometimes it’s a way of taking care of tomorrow.
⸻
Time traveling is real.
We just call it saving.
💬 Reader Question
If you could give your 20-year-old self one piece of financial advice, what would it be?
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