Your teenage years will disappear before you know it. One day, you will wake up and be twenty-years-old. At this point in your life, you've probably spent a decent amount of time away from home, had your heart broken once or twice, and made a few stupid, irrational, "teenage" decisions. That being said, twenty marks a significant point in your life and there are some things you should experience in the years that lead up to it.
1. Take yourself out to dinner
Eating at a restaurant by yourself is not weird. It is a unique experience that everyone should have at some point before they turn twenty. Treat yourself to a nice dinner out and enjoy some rare alone time.
2. Read a book that you are not required to read
High school and college are teeming with required reading, but reading should be fun. Go to the library or book store and pick out the first book that catches your eye and read it from cover to cover. Whether you love it or not, you will enter a new world and will gain experiences through the lens of fictional characters.
3. Go on a road trip with your friends
Have family road trips left a bad taste in your mouth? Spending hours in a car may seem mundane, but the experience is entirely different with friends. Create an awesome playlist, roll the windows down, and just go somewhere.
4. Spend 24 hours with any technology
Our society is consumed with technology. Everyone constantly has their nose in phones, tablets, laptops, etc. Take an entire day to step away from all of these distractions and I guarantee you will be pleased with the results.
5. Go camping
There is nothing better than spending a night under the stars. Grab some friends, find a tent, and "rough it" for a night.
6. Try food you think you don't like
When we are younger, we deem certain food to be disgusting and often times, these labels transcend childhood. Fun fact, our tastes change as we get older. Try something you think you don't like and maybe, just maybe, you will be surprised when you discover your new favorite dish.
7. Attend a church service different from your own
Whether you are religious or not, attend a church service that you have never experienced before. It may take you out of your comfort zone, but it will allow you to walk in another man's shoes for an hour and you will learn to appreciate, or even just understand, a group of people better.
8. Take a class outside of your major
Our world today restricts college to degrees. Take a class that just sounds interesting. In doing so, you will grow as both a person and a student, and will be a more well-rounded individual.
9. Travel
This world is huge and there is much to see and do. Get our there and discover it.
10. Make something with your own two hands
Not all of us are artistically gifted, but luckily they make step by step DIY instructions. Take a few hours and just make something. There is no greater reward than staring at something you made with your own two hands.
11. Be single
The time before your twenties is an amazing time to be single. You are growing as a person and experiencing new things every day. Take this time to enjoy an intentional season spent discovering yourself, enjoying time with friends, and avoiding the stress that comes with dating.
12. Find a dish that you are really good at making
Everyone needs a signature dish that they can bring to family and friend get-togethers. Get in the kitchen, do some experimenting, and find that one dish that you make better than anyone else you know.
13. Do something spontaneous
Jump in the car and go on an unplanned road trip, buy concert tickets an hour before the show starts, or just skip class and go to the beach. High school and college can seem to be very strategically planned, but the spontaneous times are the ones you will truly remember.
14. Break off your unhealthy relationships
Everyone has those friends that you have fun with, but who ultimately drag you down rather than build you up. Your twenties are a time of growth so surround yourself with people that want nothing but the best for you.
15. Have a real conversation with a stranger
Whether its doing homework in a coffee shop, riding on the bus, or sitting in a waiting room. Talk to someone you don't know - and no, I don't mean talk to them about the weather. Hold an actual conversation with a stranger. You will be amazed what you learn.
16. Question your beliefs
You moved away from home and are surrounded by hundreds of new ideas and opinions. Take the time to reflect on why you believe what you believe. Questioning the things that you have just accepted since childhood is okay, in fact its healthy. Your beliefs may change, strengthen, or stay the same, but regardless they will be your own.
17. Spend time in silence
Go somewhere and sit in silence. Don't listen to music, don't talk to anyone, just sit. Silence can be uncomfortable, but it will provide the perfect space to really think and grow as a person.
18. Call a friend you lost contact with
The transition from high school to college comes with many unintentional friendship fatalities. Reach out to someone you miss. Your friendship may not go back to where it was, but talking to someone you didn't mean to lose contact with will brighten both of your days.
19. Forgive people that have hurt you
There is no way that you have made it this far in life without being hurt by someone. Forgive them. I mean, really forgive them. Tell them you forgive them and recognize this forgiveness in your heart, holding nothing against them.
20. Tell someone you love them
Life is short. Tell the people you love how you feel as often as you can.
