1. Don’t accept advice from your older self.
2. But if you do … First, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. Lots of them. In all areas. Painful as they are, mistakes will help you grow.
3. Be as kind and compassionate to others and yourself as possible.
4. Spend a year studying in a Spanish-speaking country. Regardless of your career, speaking Spanish will be super helpful.
5. Try to lay off the sugar. (I know, it’s still hard 34 years later.)
6. Realize your privilege as a straight, white, temporarily-abled middle-class male. Vow to resist systemic injustice in all its forms.
7. Play as much Frisbee® as you can. (This will come naturally.)
8. Take your work and the issues seriously, but yourself lightly. This will take lots of practice.
9. Don’t worry about making a lot of money. But earn enough to give back some, including to Grinnell.