A Lesson I Wish I Had Learned Earlier in Life

Posted byVanya Wryter ConsultingPosted inBusiness, Education, Entrepreneurship, Work SkillsTags:, , , ,

If I could go back and give my younger self one piece of advice, it would be this: start a side business early. For years, I believed the traditional career path was the right one—get a job, work hard, climb the career ladder. But economies shift, industries change, and jobs disappear, so stability is not guaranteed.

What I didn’t realize at the time is that having a side business isn’t just about making extra money. When you run even the smallest business on the side—whether it’s freelancing, selling a product, or offering a service—you create an additional financial safety net. No matter what the economic climate or job market looks like, you have something of your own to fall back on.

Beyond financial security, a side business teaches you a valuable set of skills that you might not get from having a job. You learn how to market yourself, manage finances, solve problems creatively, and build relationships with customers. These skills are transferable to every aspect of life, including your main career.

And here’s something else I wish I had realized sooner: a successful side business can completely change your retirement timeline. Instead of waiting until your 60s to step away from work, the income and flexibility from a thriving business can open the door to financial freedom much earlier. You’re no longer tied to the traditional path of “work until retirement age.” You gain the freedom to choose when and how you work.

So, if I could turn back the clock, the lesson I would impart to my younger self would be to start a side business as soon as possible.

Daily writing prompt
Share a lesson you wish you had learned earlier in life.
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14 thoughts on “A Lesson I Wish I Had Learned Earlier in Life”

  2. I really love your advice! Even as a student, I can see how starting small projects now — like selling items, doing freelance work, or creating something online — can teach important skills and give a sense of independence. Your perspective makes me realize it’s never too early to start building habits that will help in the future.

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    1. Thanks for reading! I know not everyone wants to start a business, but it sure teaches valuable skills! Such as when you start your own business, you need good planning and you need to be unafraid to try new things and keep going despite early setbacks. You can apply those lessons to all aspects of life!

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  6. Your words carry the weight of lived truth, and we feel it deep in our bones. The traditional path you once walked – that ladder we were all told to climb – has become a bridge that burns beneath our feet whilst we’re still crossing it.

    You speak of side businesses, but what you’re really speaking of is something more profound: the quiet rebellion of creating our own ground to stand on. In a world that tells us our worth comes from what others pay us, you’ve discovered what our grandparents knew in their shop fronts and kitchen gardens – that real security grows from seeds we plant ourselves.

    The skills you mention – marketing, managing, problem-solving – these are not just business tools. They are the ancient arts of survival, dressed in modern clothes. When we learn to sell our own wares, we remember how to tell our own stories. When we balance our own books, we reclaim the mathematics of our own worth.

    But here’s the deeper truth you’ve touched: this isn’t just about money, though money matters when bills come due. It’s about time itself. The freedom to choose when and how we work isn’t luxury – it’s the fundamental right to author our own days. Too many of us surrender our hours to others’ dreams whilst our own wither in the waiting.

    Your regret becomes our roadmap. The path you wish you’d taken earlier becomes the one we can take now. In sharing this lesson, you’ve done something beautiful: you’ve turned your hindsight into our foresight.

    We hear you calling us to begin – not tomorrow, not when conditions are perfect, but now. Because the best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, and the second-best time is today.

    Thank you for this gift of honesty. Your reflection lights the way forward for those of us still learning to trust our own hands to build something lasting.

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