Good (and Bad) Advice

I know it's not healthy, but I spend a lot of time imagining what my life would be like if I had made different decisions.  Ultimately, I wouldn't have done anything different because if I had I wouldn't be the person I am today, and I like the person I am today.  I never would have met Melissa, and who knows what delusions I'd be chasing

Still, I would not wish the life I've led onto anyone else.  The things I've learned, I've had to learn the hard way.  If I could go back and give myself a lifetime of advice, here's some of the things I'd tell myself:

1. Pick something and stick with it. 
You'll never get good at anything if you give up after a few tries. Real skill takes a lot of practice.
2. Stop trying to be a prodigy.
Face it, it's going to take a lot of work to master anything. But when you do, it'll be totally worth it.
3. Stop trying to impress people with how smart you are.
Being smart requires you to ask a lot of dumb questions first. Stop worrying about what they think and really try to learn something.
4. Stop trying to be a soloist.
Drop the piano and join the school band. Better yet, take drum lessons and join a rock band. Learn what it's like to be part of a team. Learn to improvise.
5. Learn to take directions.
People critique you because they're trying to help you get better. Listen to them and take their advice.
6. Start dancing.
It's the best exercise you'll ever get. Of course you'll feel awkward at first, everyone does. Stop worrying about it and have a good time. You'll attract more stares sitting by the sidelines acting miserable.
7. Start learning people's names.
The first person you see who's name you don't know, walk up and introduce yourself. Chances are, they don't know your name either. Do whatever you have to to remember their name and if you forget, apologize and ask their name again.
8. Listen to your instincts
You overthink things, especially when it comes to people. Stop convincing yourself that your instincts are wrong. Go with it.
9. Don't be afraid to tell people what you want
Your teachers are there to help you achieve your goals. Don't just wait for them to give you assignments, talk to them.

Here's some advice to ignore:

1. "If you can't be the best at something, why bother doing it?"
Remember what Dad said during the Olympics one year? Ignore him. Anything you work hard at is totally worth it
2. "Never talk to strangers."
You'll never make friends if you don't talk to people you haven't met.
3. "Just ignore them."
Mom used to say this all the time. Don't fall into this trap. Those kids teasing you? They're your friends. They like you. Go tease them back.

Unfortunately, the evidence doesn't support a universe where decisions are made randomly. Neurons fire according to fairly basic set of rules. Whatever fluctuations occur on the quantum scale, the effects on the macro scale are infinitesimal. There aren't a whole slew of alternate universes out there, where I became an engineer at ILM or married a girl I new in Middle School. In every case I would have made the same decision because the variables were the same and my brain was the same. Still, it's fun to wonder.