ADVICE FOR TWENTIES
Have you ever thought about which part of your age has made you feel the most vulnerable? For me, it’s my 20’s. I’ve learned some very crucial lessons in this decade of my life. In your twenties you make mistakes, you learn, you mess up, you get hurt, you discover what makes you feel good or what makes you feel bad and in short you are supposed to carry a heavy load of responsibilities on your shoulder.
Today is my 26th birthday, which means I’ve already lived half of the decade of my 20’s and although it has been a roller-coaster ride and quite a learning curve, I still wish there was a guidebook for people entering in their twenties as it would have made my life much easier!
In the past five years I’ve experienced almost everything from heartbreaks to finding the love of my life and from failure to utmost happiness of success, life has been a bitter sweet symphony. Each year brings new hopes for the future and give us a chance to reflect back on our previous life decisions.
In this article I’d pen down some of the advices that I wish I had received so if you’re going to begin your 20’s I wish you luck and if you are already living them, I am sure you can relate to a lot of things.
Try New Things, Take Risks
Its just the beginning of so much adventures that are yet to come in your life. Try new things, a new ice cream flavor, eat a new food, give a different genre a try, overcome your fears, go to new places and meet new people with different backgrounds, this will not only make you feel good but also going to expand your horizon. You are going to learn more about your likes and dislikes and what you really want to become.
Don’t Care About What People Think
This is the decision that only YOU have to make. Constantly remind yourself that your opinion about yourself is all what matters and that no one else has the right to judge you. Once you start feeling comfortable in your own skin there’s nothing that can stop you from being fearless version of yourself. People will always try to bring you down, if you start worrying about what others think you’ll be losing your own confidence and happiness. Simply, do what makes YOU happy, sing, dance, paint, write and do whatever the hell you want to do cause in the end its you for yourself and hey you’ve only got one life to live so Yes!
Stop Comparing Yourself
Don’t compare yourself to others, there’s no comparison between the sun and the moon, they both shine when it’s their time. You are exactly where you are supposed to be. This is the age where some of your friends might be getting married, some might be starting their new job or some may not even have any idea about what they are going to do. It’s okay, take a deep breath and try to understand that everybody’s living according to their own timelines. You don’t have to be graduated at 22 and you don’t have to be married at 25. Just take your time and do one thing at a time, don’t overburden yourself thinking that you have to do something at a certain age and if not then you’ve failed. Its okay to be graduated at 25 and its okay to start settling down in your late 20’s. Water your own grass and concentrate on your own journey.
Start Taking Care Of Yourself
There’s no better time to start taking care of your mind and body than NOW! You think you’ll forever be this much healthy and energetic but the truth is if you don’t take care of yourself in your early age you’ll be regretting later in your life. In order to enjoy your older age and live the life to its fullest you have to lay a strong foundation of your body to rely on. Drink as much water as you can, exercise daily, manage a healthy diet, sleep 7–9 hours daily at night, stay away from stress and develop a mindfulness practice. You’ll thank yourself in your 30’s for taking care of yourself in your 20’.
Learn To Let Go
Stop forcing things and people in your life. Some people come into your life only to make you learn how to let go. Not everyone is supposed to stay with you forever. Respect yourself enough to let go off people who don’t deserve your time and energy. Know your worth and give importance to only those who are willing to make an effort for you. Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.
Take One Thing at A Time
Set your goals and try to work on things one by one. The most efficient way to accomplish your goals as soon as possible is to work on one thing at a time and do not try to get everything done at once. It’s the baby steps that lead you towards success just make one change, one moment and one breath at a time and whatever you do put your soul and efforts into it and you’ll see how that changes your life.
Don’t Rush into Relationships
Relax! Everything’s going to fall right into place. Don’t rush and trust the process. If something is meant to be it will happen no matter what, with the right person, at the right place and truly for the best.
Learn Who You Are, Explore Yourself
As soon as we enter our twenties people start to think that we are grownups with everything sorted out already where else the reality is totally the opposite, its just the beginning of a new chapter. You’ll evolve a lot in the next ten years and so will your friends. People will come and go; life will reveal some bitter realities and you have to become brave enough to endure that. There will always be two ways, one, explore yourself, your interests, your passion and learn something new everyday or second, worry over little things and chose the way which leads to settling, complacency and bitterness.
Don’t Worry About Having It All Together
Its nearly impossible to have your life all sorted out in your twenties. Believe it or not most of the people have no idea what they are going to do with their lives until late twenties and that’s totally okay. Things start to make sense when you give enough time for them to settle down at their destined time. You will make enough money; you will be landing your dream job and you will find the right person for you just know that good things take time and its always worth the wait. Just KEEP GOING!
Don’t Give-up
Failing means that you are trying and that’s what matters the most. If you fall once get up again and work even harder, just don’t give up on your dreams. Keep your head and standards high because you never know how close you are to the next breakthrough or next opportunity.
Love Yourself
Selflove is a blessing and it only comes to those who wakeup each morning and practice it. Loving yourself is your greatest responsibility because if you don’t know your worth no one else will give you the value you deserve and most importantly a person who can’t love himself is unable to love someone else the right way. Remember what you are looking for is not out there, its within you!
Expect Less, Give More
Not everyone is going to be the way you want them to be so don’t expect anything from anyone instead try to give more from your end. Sometimes we create our own heartbreaks by expecting a lot from people so expect more from yourself and less from others. This way you’ll be able to create a happy and sound place around you.
Eliminate Negativity from Your Life
Learn to include positivity in your life and remove everything that is harmful for your mental peace. Eliminate the negativity that brings you down and make room for positivity to grow. Surround yourself with people who bring positive vibes to your life. Choosing this way of life will help you have a better attitude, better health and better mindset.
Get Good Sleep
Getting enough sleep affects everything from your mood to your health. Studies show that getting 7–8 hours of sleep is important in order to maintain your over all immune system. While working tirelessly do not forget to take care of yourself. Remember your mind and body needs as much rest as anything else.
Be Grateful
The key to happiness is to be grateful for what you have. If you’ll concentrate on what you don’t have, you’ll never have enough, be thankful and you’ll end up having more than you expect. A grateful heart has always something to cherish and is more likely to attract positivity.
Cherish Little Things
Don’t wait for a perfect moment to cherish. Its always the little things in life that makes the big difference. Text your loved one, cuddle with your pet, take a hot shower, enjoy hot chocolate while reading your favorite book, go on a walk, smile at a stranger. Life is a beautiful journey and cherishing all these little things will make it even more beautiful. Do not complicate it, rather keep it simple and enjoy!
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
You’re a human being and so its natural to not feel good at certain days. Take a break, cry and let it all out but come even more stronger than before. This is the time of your life where you will have weak days and emotional breakdowns but be brave, give yourself permission to grieve and to heal. You are doing your best!
Choose Your Partner Wisely
Marrying someone means you are going to share your whole life with that person so chose your partner very wisely. Chose someone who shares the same perspective of life as you, someone you can rely on, someone with same sense of humor so you both spend the rest of your lives laughing and making memories together. Work together towards your goals and build your life in the best way possible.
Don’t Push Yourself
Done push yourself too hard for something whether it’s a relationship, friendship or job if it’s not making you happy the world has so much more to offer you. The world is full of opportunities and what’s meant for you will make its way in your life.
You Are Enough
You are enough for yourself and you really don’t need anyone else to complete you. You are brave enough, you are beautiful enough, you are worthy enough and you are strong enough. Its time to believe in yourself and you don’t have to settle for anything less. At this age you may be thinking that you are not good enough partner or good enough friend or good enough companion but know that you are trying your best and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Give Time to Family
While you may be busy accomplishing your goals and your dreams in your twenties, you might be missing out on a lot of things. Never miss out a chance to spend quality time with your family. Your family is the only thing which stood by your side when you had nothing and they are the only people in your life who want to see you doing better each day. Don’t take anything for granted. Keep family over everything.
