how do you do it

I hear you, Twayne. One of the toughest things to do at 19 is figure out what you want to do with your life, on the basis of little to no experience. At 19, I worked in a cafeteria, took 6 hours of BS level econ and accounting, and crewed on what is today a Nationwide car. At the time I had a contentious relationship with my parents, no social life at all, and was surviving on about 4-5 hours of sleep a night.

An article I read says that the average person "re-invents" themselves 3 times during their working lives. I'm on track for that. I've retired twice (military & IT) and currently working as a valet to keep from going crazier. I got my Demon in 2005 (in-process) and my 73 came along in 2011. It became my DD seven months later. What I've learned is that everything has its own time to come along. I've run into trouble when I've forced the issue.

Life lessons I've learned that I hope will be helpful to you:

  1. There is a God and it is not me. Worship Him.
  2. Whether college or trade school choose a profession that I have a passion for and that will allow me to provide for my basic needs.
  3. Control is an illusion. Stuff happens
  4. Comparing myself to others is an exercise in frustration and futility. Their grass may be greener but their weeds are thicker, too.
  5. Guard my health. The fewer replacement parts I pick up along the way, the less to go wrong later. OEM stuff is the best.
  6. Do not go into debt for an amount that I can not walk away from free and clear. Also, do not go into debt unless there is an income stream that can see the debt paid off. The borrower becomes the lender's slave otherwise. One of the reason the Demon seems taking such a long time is that it is funded entirely by tip money and I keep making changes.
  7. Set out goals and milestones for yourself that are realistic and celebrate when you achieve them. Always try to make progress on them.
  8. Some days I'm the big dog, other days I'm the fire plug. Roll with the punches.
  9. Be responsible for my actions. There are things I can control and things I can't.
  10. Things happen for a reason, even if it isn't clear. e.g. I sold the 73 in June of 2013, it was abandoned and came back last month because the buyer had not changed the title or registration. All of the documents to change it were in the glove box untouched.
Good luck, Twayne, wherever the road of life and your Mopar take you.