*[Originally published in November 2019](https://medium.com/@jdahl/advice-to-my-18-year-old-self-slow-down-dont-stop-72fcf3b59be4)*. Earlier this year, a friend asked me for something cool: he wanted a few friends and peers to share what they’d tell their 18-year-old selves so he could compile the advice for his younger brother on his 18th birthday. Over the last few years, I’ve received similar notes from young people reaching out asking for general career advice. I rarely know what to say. Advice is a tricky thing: it’s very tempting to give, occasionally useful to receive, and usually worth taking with a grain of salt. Baz Luhrmann put it well in _Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen):_ > “Be careful whose advice you buy, but > be patient with those who supply it > Advice is a form of nostalgia > dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off > painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth” Nonetheless, I wanted to give something of value to my friend for his brother. So I took two favorite pieces of advice and combined them. As I haven’t stopped thinking about these two ideas since I put them together like this, I figured I’d share them publicly today. I hope this is helpful for you as you figure out where your place in all of this is (and as I try to do the same). I have some advice from two people much wiser and more brilliant than me. These might seem contradictory, but bear with me: ## 1. **From Phil Knight (_Shoe Dog_):** > Just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t even think about stopping until you get there, and don’t give much thought to where ‘there’ is. Whatever comes, just don’t stop. Stay in motion. You may know exactly what you want to do or have no idea. In either case, your answer will almost certainly change. The important thing is not necessarily even what direction you’re going in or what ladder you’re climbing, but in my experience, that you just keep plugging along amidst the highs and the lows. The times in my life where I’ve been most unfulfilled were not dependent on my success (or lack thereof) but when I became idle or complacent. Keep learning, stay curious, stay hungry. ## 2. **From Billy Joel (_Vienna_):** > Slow down, you’re doing fine. You can’t be everything you want to be before your time. We live in a time where people seem to value success more highly when you’re “young.” The 20-something billionaires, the 30 under 30 lists, the obsession with “overnight” success… it’s alluring, but ultimately not very important. Some of the most incredible people I’ve met “screwed around” for 10+ years after college before ever “becoming something.” Great things (and growing yourself) take time. Focus not on the endpoint of success — however young or old — but on learning, making yourself interesting, and developing great relationships. Those things, compounded over time, will take you much farther than chasing whatever your current idea of success is. And for those things, there are no shortcuts. Focus more on staying in motion — however that may manifest —and then on your velocity. Take your time and enjoy the ride. **Slow down; don’t stop.**