It’s one of the downsides of a youth-obsessed culture. We tend to think if we haven’t published our first book, planted our first church or gotten married by the time we’re 30, then we’re on the fast track for a lonely, penniless death which will be mourned by none.
Your twenties are a prime time to explore and grow, without all the baggage that comes with settling down and making your mark.
That said, there are a few things every twenty something should know.
So Stop, take a deep breath, trust yourself and read on...
1) ‘Who your friends are’ matters
This is the most important thing. Why? Because the environment is extremely impactful and your friends are a huge part of it. Be careful with who you choose to spend your time. You may not realize, but this is really important for what you do. Friends should be there to support and to push you into challenges that will help you grow. By the way, you are a friend to others as well so be sure to do the same.
2) You’re never too young
I can’t stress this enough. We guide ourselves by social norms that we usually take for granted. Don’t listen to anybody saying that you’re too young to do that, or do this. Just because they did things in a different manner than you, doesn’t mean they know better. If I were to give you an advice, it would sound like: “the earlier, the better”.
3) Find your edge
I think it’s really valuable for you to find your edge. What do I mean by this? Well, find the thing that you are good at, the one that you are passionate about and the thing that you can get paid for. Try to intersect all those things and that’s your edge right there. You won’t end up like most of the people who can’t wait for the weekend or have a really hard time going to work in the morning because they dread it.
4) Have goals
Let’s say you get in an Uber and you don’t tell the driver where to go. How do you expect to get to point A or anywhere else, if you don’t make a choice to go there or you don’t even know if that point exists or not? You need to have a destination, you need to have goals! Having a purpose in life is important if you want to achieve fulfillment.
5) Stay fit
You need to stay fit and care about your nutrition. It’s not just our mind that matters. I know that going to Ibiza and partying for 25 days straight is crazy attractive. Yes, been there done that. We know that you want your body to be by your side and let you do all the things you want to do. You need to treat yourself better and actually care about how your body feels.
6) Time & speed
Nina Simone used to say in one of her songs: “Sometime in your life, you will have occasion to say, “What is this thing called time?” What is that, the clock? You go to work by the clock, you get your martini in the afternoon by the clock and your coffee by the clock, and you have to get on the plane at a certain time, and arrive at a certain time. It goes on and on and on and on.”
You have time and you don’t. I’m going to just let you figure out what that means.
7) Get enough sleep
If you’re like me, you’re probably trying to find new ways of approaching sleep so you can have more time to be productive and do a lot of stuff. No matter how many power naps you take or how much coffee you drink, sleep is extremely important and there is no other way around it. In order for the brain and body to regenerate and refresh, 6–8 hours of sleep is what you need to incorporate into your life.
8) You don’t need anyone’s approval
The way to do things is that you go and do them. You don’t need to ask for permission and that’s exactly how you’re going to make stuff happen. If you let others tell you their opinion, no matter how strong you are, at a subconscious level you’ll take their opinion into account. That will have a big impact on how you do things. Just do it.
9) You have the advantage of technology
Technology is your advantage — USE IT! This is going to make you incredibly valuable to the marketplace. Don’t act like it’s not there. The 2000 generation was born when the Internet, the iPhone, and social networks were already here. We are going to plunge more and more into the digital side of the world.
10) Travel the world and try new things
Try to experiment as much as you can. If you don’t have any burden on yourself and don’t have incredible responsibilities, the best thing you can do is go out there and explore the world. Try stuff out and understand as much as you can so you can gain knowledge about the world that you live in. It’s something that every human being should do.
11) Work your ass off
I know that you’re not going to like this, but it’s the only way to reach a certain level of mastery in your field of working and have something valuable to put out in the world. It’s going to be a bumpy road but, as Rihanna says it: Work, Work, Work!
12) Be grateful
Gratefulness is incredibly precious. If you’re not in a state of awe towards what you have right in this moment and the circumstances that you’re in, there’s no way that you’ll be empowered to get more. When you do it, your body is overwhelmed by a state of well being thus making you more receptive to everything that surrounds you. Enough of this. BE GRATEFUL!
13) Sleep
I know, I know…You might think that I’m repeating myself but think twice.
14) Learn your ass off
There are some very peculiar objects that exist on Planet Earth and they’re called ‘Books’. They are extremely helpful for the human species so please take the time to read them. Sometimes it might be like having a conversation with someone who may have lived 100 years ago or a superior form of life that is 2000 years further in the future, You pick and choose. Some people have spent their entire lives writing them and you should honor that. Learn from every book as much as you can.
15) Nutrition
Again, I’m not repeating myself, I’m just stressing the importance of being healthy. As cliche as it sounds: your body is your temple,nurture it. Don’t eat fast food or any kind of stuff that well harm your body. I know, I’ve done it. I’m in the same boat as you are. Nutrition and fitness are like air for the lungs, especially if you want to have a foundation upon which you can grow yourself.
16) You can party at 28 as well
Being 20 is not the only time you can or should party. Actually, previous experience is not required in order to attend a party but you really need it for a job though, so get that. Build yourself first.
17) Go towards your fears
There’s not much to say here. As hard as this sounds, you need to go exactly in the direction of your own fears and face them. It’s the only way you’re going to grow. Don’t overthink. Just go for it and you’ll see for yourself what I mean. Fear is what is holding people back from becoming great. Success does not come easy breazy.
18) Authenticity
People need authenticity. If you are who you are and you understand what you like or don’t like, and you also know your limits, you don’t need to be fake. There’s just no reason for you to post perfect pictures, or better said, wannabe perfect pictures, on Instagram, so that your friends will be amazed at your perfect life. That’s not anybody’s life. Be authentic. It’s what people care about and what they desire in others.
19) Spirituality
If you’re looking for something meaningful that will keep you going for a long time, Find that inner motivation and stick with it.
20) Courage over confidence
You don’t need confidence, you just need the courage to stand out for yourself and do stuff your own way. I can say this again, you don’t need confidence. Confidence is the outcome of daring and being courageous, it does not pop out of nowhere before. Don’t stress too much about how things will turn out. You just need the courage to do it and things will eventually fall into place.
Do you think that a list like this one actually helps you grow? Could these things also be considered social myths?
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