Not even three months into being twenty and I've quickly realized that this new season of life is hard. And it's going to get harder.

It can be really scary growing up.

Every time I think about how the choices I make right now are going to directly affect my future, I shed a couple tears. Now, don't get me wrong, I believe it when people say, "Your twenties are some of the best years of your life!" I agree. There are lots of memories to be made and celebrations to celebrate. But in between those happy moments, there's lots of tough decisions, late night shifts, and second-guessing everything. In these years, crucial decisions surrounding your friends, relationships, education, and jobs will be made, and it will impact your future. Here are 20 reasons why this decade is challenging:

1. Making friends is harder than it was in middle/high school.

2. Your grades in college are way more important.

3. You have to make adult decisions you've never even thought of before. Multiple times a day.

4. Working part-time while being a student full-time can be exhausting.

5. Actually finding a job after graduation is harder than you'd think.

6. Trying to be self-sufficient while on a microscopic budget.

7. Regret from those nights you went out when you should have studied for that exam.

8. Making bad decisions, and the repercussions hit you like a brick.

9. No matter how many times you replay a situation in your head, life just doesn't make sense sometimes.

10. Living by yourself can get lonely.

11. You can't rely on a relationship for sustainability.

12. The people you surround yourself with do make an impact on you and your future.

13. Juggling school, work, obligations and social events can get overwhelming.

14. Questioning if you're even qualified enough for the job you're applying for.

15. It's harder to avoid responsibilities than before.

16. When interviews go not as planned.

17. Your parents keep reminding you to save up for your future, but those student loans aren't going to pay for themselves...

18. You feel so indecisive about what you want to do with your life.

19. Not knowing where you'll be in 5 months, let alone 5 years.

20. Realizing you sometimes need to lower your pride to just get by.

Though our paths might be different, we've all been here and experienced the struggles within our 20's. I have good news, though! We have the opportunity to take these challenges and make something great out of it. So take those mistakes that you made last semester or that wrong job for you, and bring out the life lessons from them. Stop looking at your situation as a failure or a setback, but rather a precursor for what's to come. This is only the prologue to your beautifully messy story. So turn around these experiences, follow your heart, and think positive about the future -- because only you have the power to change it.