Don’t know if this classifies as Off Topic Observatory but Mods, do feel free to move to the appropriate forum section.
If i were to have the ability to meet my younger self & could redo this hobby, I think I would advise my younger self to save up as much as I can for a large Dob of at least 16” or more & with quality premium eyepieces, cos in my older age my eyesights are shot & have fallen back to astrophotography to “see”. Don’t get me wrong...whilst I do enjoy astrophotography, there is something nice about visual. I did do a lot of visual too when I was young but didn’t have ideal setups (actually not too bad - Meade DS10A but with ave 1.25” eyepieces). I’d advise myself to take care of my eyes better, appreciate the hunt of objects with visual & have the patience to spend more time seeing rather than jumping from one object to another.
I would also advise my younger self to jot more notes down on my observations & keep good records as there is something nostalgic about going through your old notes when you’re older.
Just reminiscing the past... what would you do if you could redo this hobby all over again?