As kids, we wished that we were older than we really were. I wanted to skip the awkward teenage years and jump right into being a late 20-year-old. Now as adults, we long for the days when we didn't have a care in the world. You know the days of playing outside at school with your best friends and the days when you got that super delicious ice cream cone. Those times were the best. Now being a 20-something-year-old in this day and age is hard. Nobody said adulthood was this hard. So here is some advice that I've learned so far in my 20s and hopefully it's helpful.
1. It’s OK to take more than four years for college.
This was my biggest struggle because I wanted to be done with college in four years to get on with life. It's perfectly fine to take five or 10 years to accomplish your degree. It's your life and that's all that matters in the end. One more year won't hurt you, in fact you might just learn something super cool.2. Sometimes you are going to feel like you are the only person in the world.
With our lives connected so much with social media, it might get lonely sometimes if you live 2,000 miles away. Your friends might get together and hang out without you and post all about it on social media. I’m going to be honest, it’s a bitch. Not much I can do to soothe your wounds but chin up.3. It might seem like everyone is engaged, married, has a baby or all of the above but that doesn’t mean you need to be too.
It’s going to be hard sometimes. Everyone you went to high school with is super happy with their new lives but so are you. It’s perfectly fine to be single and when it’s your time to be married, engaged or/and have a baby, you’ll make sure you overload everyone’s timeline with your happy ass face.4. Friends are fun and all but sometimes you just have to have a me day.
Go take a walk, go shopping, have a liquid lunch, go get your nails done or something. Trust me, it's worth it.5. Experience the world.
You honestly never know when you can do it so go now while you can. Going abroad is probably the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. I learned a lot about myself and overall, I feel much more cultured.6. Don’t give up on something because it’s too hard.
I can count so many times when I almost gave up on something but kept with it and bam, now I’m writing articles every week on topics I love. Just stick with it, you never know where it can take you one day. 7. It's OK to make mistakes. You are only human.Mistakes define who you are in a way. Next time you will know not to get that giant tub of jelly beans because you only really like the buttered popcorn flavor.
8. Surround yourself with people who make you better.
Be sure to get friends that make you better and ones that support you and all your crazy ideas. Nobody needs a debbie downer as a friend.
9. It's alright to ask for help now and then.
This is one that I'm still struggling with because I want to do things on my own even when I fail over and over again. Asking for help doesn't make you weak, you can't do it all you know. Nobody can.
10. As you get older so does everyone else.
This is pretty obvious but your parents, brothers, sisters, dogs, cats, etc. are all getting older as you age so tell them how you feel before it's too late. You don't want to live life with regrets now.
11. You are your biggest critic. Spoiler alert: You look flawless even with braces.
Another one of my struggles and I don't think it gets easier as you get up in the 20s. I made the decision to get braces last year and I have to say it has been the best and worst decision yet. Everyone thinks I look like a 14-year-old but at least I'll have flawless teeth.
What are some pieces of advice that you learned in your 20s? Or even the best pieces of advice that somehow has told you?
