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It would probably be fair enough to assume that every single one of us sometimes dreams about traveling a few years (or a few decades) back in time. Some of us would like to go back and change a few things here and there, some would like to experience the best moments of their lives once again, and some, well, some people would simply love to go back to when life felt easier. The list goes on and on. Though despite the reasons behind it, the idea of time travel and being able to change your past itself is an interesting and tempting concept. But here's a thing—what if you could go back in time and meet a younger version of yourself? What would you like to do then?

Let's take a moment to explore this kind of scenario. Recently, Twitter user A_l_a_n__G shared a post asking others what are the 3 words they would tell their 18-year-old self through time travel.

Without further ado, Bored Panda invites you to look through some of the best responses.

#1

Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

scott_satzer Report

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    #2

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    DSBLuvsDogs Report

    Norah
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Willkommen! It's not too bad here, indeed :D

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    Many of the most popular responses included people advising their younger selves to buy Amazon, Apple, or Microsoft stocks. "I wanted to buy $4000 of Amazon stock very early on. Husband said I was nuts and badgered me, so I didn't. Instead, we put it with the money we had saved for the down payment on a bigger house. Still kicking myself. I knew I was smarter than him," someone commented. "Imagine your future self says 'invest in Apple.' But you don’t know that is. So you pour money into orchards and become the biggest apple (small “a”) magnate in the world," another user added.

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    #4

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    AuthorKimberley Report

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    #6

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    JStolz87 Report

    Zophra
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Congratulation and I wish you a wonderful future.

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    Also, apparently, many people would advise themselves to marry or not to marry a certain person. For instance, one user shared that their 3 words would be "marry that girl." Someone commented on this tweet by saying this: "Can you find her? Is she legally available? At 77, my uncle found his high school sweetheart on FB. Both sides had spouses dead over 5 years. They are having the BEST time! SO happy! Live 1000 miles apart, so airplane and visit. Look her up!!!"

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    #7

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    DismantleNRA Report

    #9

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    IreneRoeder Report

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    One user shared that they'd rather say nothing and give their younger self a hug instead. "I’d give her a big hug because she wasn’t getting many at home and she’d been through a lot of crap in those short 18 years," the user wrote. "Never too late to be kind to yourself. I hope there are many warm, safe hugs in your life now," another user replied.

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    #10

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    VisionBored1 Report

    #11

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    rosemaryhopkin Report

    ArhomR
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    They are the joy of my life.

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    #12

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    annestevens75 Report

    Eepe
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Good advice. I thought putting others first... being taken advantage of... one day someone would do the same for me. Obviously I’m no where near perfect and made plenty of mistakes... but it turns out i should have lived my life the way i wanted to and not let ANYONE get in my way, because no one else gives a s**t. There’s a lot more to unpack on that general statement... but she’s right about ‘like yourself first’ in soo many ways.

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    The original post by A_l_a_n__G has since gone viral and it currently has over 20k likes, almost 18k quote tweets, and over 2.5k retweets. What would your response be after hearing this question? Let us know down in the comments!

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    #13

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    healthpicker Report

    Noble
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Yes avoid unwanted pregnancies.

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    #16

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    janoldenburg Report

    Lara Löwenherz
    Community Member
    5 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I would say the same thing. And if 4 words were allowed i would ad a"now"

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    #17

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    lmorgan618 Report

    #19

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    laurence8645 Report

    ArhomR
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Move to Canada, eh. Four words but worth the extra.

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    #20

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    MarilynTatman Report

    Karynne Williams
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I know I could have used this advice in my 20's. I know it now, 30 years later.

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    #22

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    WardQNormal Report

    Night Owl
    Community Member
    5 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Panic never helps anything or anybody (except sometimes in serious life and death situations, like the instinct to run out of a burning building)

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    #23

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    MeHitchc0ck Report

    Night Owl
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    That seems plausible and would probably happen to me too

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    #25

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    hacks4pancakes Report

    Blarrg
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I remember chatting with my brother who was into tech. He was saying that Apple stock was very, very cheap. He said they were about to introduce a new product that would store and play digital music. The iPod. He said if it took off, which it might, it would go big. If it failed, it would probably be the end of Apple. He said if I had a grand to invest, it would be a good gamble. Neither of us had a grand we thought we could risk at the time...

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    #27

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    Sarah_Yael_Gold Report

    ArhomR
    Community Member
    5 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    “Thou shalt not covid thy neighbour’s life. Wear a mask.”

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    #28

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    Highlandista Report

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    #29

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    BobbyDukeArts Report

    Ben Smith
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you’re going to try, fine. But start with half!

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    #30

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    awelab1956 Report

    Yvonne Blau
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why, it's cold and rainy. Haha no, I love Scotland.

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    #31

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    ellymelly Report

    Awkward Manatee
    Community Member
    5 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I'm sorry but this is my favorite. Because of course, if someone had just told 18 year old Alexandra not to eat bats, this whole covid thing never would have happened. You shouldn't eat bats Alexandra. Bats: Besties not Breakfast.

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    #32

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    ALT_uscis Report

    Noble
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    If you have something in mind do it. You never know without trying.

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    #33

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    KassandraKitson Report

    Blarrg
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why the hate? (Well into the negatives at the time I'm writing this.) Maybe this is what she did, and looking back it was the best part of her life. Or maybe she didn't and has lived with regret. Either way, why do so many downvote anything different from the way they think?

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    #34

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    ninatypewriter Report

    Steve Barnett
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Even though he wasn't a nice person in real life (he beat up women, his own admission), he didn't deserve to be murdered.

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    #37

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

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    Night Owl
    Community Member
    5 years ago (edited) Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I think the system in most countries is intentionally created like that - much easier to get married than to get divorced

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    #38

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    homemadeguitars Report

    ArhomR
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    My son did and is doing a happy dance.

    #39

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    TRantosaurus Report

    Blarrg
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never vote straight party, and especially do not suggest a lifetime of straight party. If you convince yourself that either party is all good or all bad, one has all the answers and the other is just stupid, you are part of what's wrong in the world.

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    #40

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    MrRaulJenkins Report

    Steve
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This is more than 3, so how about "Learn Math"?

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    #41

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    charlesjtinant Report

    Pungent Sauce
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Came here for this, wasn’t disappointed 😆

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    #42

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    99freemind Report

    Khadeja
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Why the downvotes? Maybe she just regrets not having as many children as she does now.

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    #43

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    gehrig38 Report

    #44

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    clinrawlins Report

    Blarrg
    Community Member
    5 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    Easily the worst advice on the page.

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    #46

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    BestDamnOLine Report

    #47

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    XRP_OWL Report

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    #49

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

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    #50

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    edujdw Report

    #51

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    SlingerVibe Report

    Tara K
    Community Member
    5 years ago

    This comment is hidden. Click here to view.

    don't do it

    #52

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    ryxcommar Report

    Colin L
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    No... Domino's ownership is crazy conservative.

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    #53

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    GrrrGraphics Report

    shyanna banana
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    yep thats me and my dad right now i gave you up vote i mean ammo is pretty good thing to have laying around but not around kids and not to kill people

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    #54

    Time Travel-18-Year-Old-Self-3-Words

    superbucks2050 Report

    Blarrg
    Community Member
    5 years ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Never vote straight party, and especially do not suggest a lifetime of straight party. If you convince yourself that either party is all good or all bad, one has all the answers and the other is just stupid, you are part of what's wrong in the world.

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