Many young people feel as if they need to have their life together all at once. More often I hear "oh I am (insert age here, I should have done this, that, and the other thing by now". Many people have felt this way at one point in time, including myself. It is a working progress, but I am trying not to beat myself up over what I have not done yet in life. I have some advice for the 20 somethings that feel as if they don't have their life together, or that they have not accomplished everything that they have wanted to:

1. Focus on Accomplishments, Not failures

My father got extremely sick. He had bowel resection twice, which lead to septic shock. This involved multiple organ failures and nearly killed him. I gained a lot of weight out of depression and anxiety. I felt as if every ounce of life was sucked out of me. I failed a lot of classes in the year that he was sick. I may have failed quite a few times, but I am back up and still going.

I also managed to lose almost all the weight I gained. I got a personal trainer, which lead me to the right direction. Forty pounds in seven months is what I have managed to lose.

The moral of the story is that I have learned from my failures as well as my setbacks.

2. Your Mind Will Change, A lot

In my case, I have changed my major twice. I went from nursing to teaching. I have also considered staying at the job where I am at and making a career out of it. After a while my mind goes back to wanting to stay in school, then my mind shifts back to work. I really wish I can simply make up my mind on what path I want to take, but I just can’t. Whenever I feel like I have it all figured out, I don’t.

Indecisiveness is a part of being in my twenties and I have learned to accept it.

3. It’s OK to Ask For help

I can’t do it all by myself. I tried for a long time to handle life by myself and I simply can’t. Adulting sucks. I still have my mom pay for some things. I still ask my parents for money if something comes up. I have sought mental health counseling for bipolar disorder and received the assistance of a personal trainer to lose weight. People want the status of being independent but in your 20’s, it is more than OK not to be!

These are three important lessons I have learned at the age of 22. Life is full of learning and growing. The best is yet to come!