Is it just me, or does being in your 20s not make most of that "teenage confusion" go away? You're an adult according to your license, but you feel like an adult that's still under construction. Society has everything figured out for you: “You should already have a great career, your own apartment, pay your bills on time/be financially stable and you should be mature."
Excuse me, society, but the only things I've mastered in my 20s are how to be extremely dependent and addicted to caffeine, how to effectively remove glitter nail polish, how to be in debt, and I also figured out (on my 21st birthday to be exact) I can't drink a whole bottle of tequila by myself, or I'll get alcohol poisoning, but I also learned to embrace every moment. The bad and the good. You're only this young once.
Here's my survival guide (mostly my mistakes actually):
1. You're young
This means you have so much time to do anything and everything. Even I, now 24, sometimes forget how good time will treat you if you take advantage of it. You have all this room to travel, explore new things, take risks and get out of you comfort zone. This is the time to do all of this. Take leaps of faith. These are the best years of your life. Have FUN. Know which rules to follow and which to rewrite.
2. You're not the only one who doesn't know what they're doing
It's OK to not have it all figured out. Just like Baz Luhrmann said in his speech, “Don’t feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't.” Dip your feet in to different things, even things you think you might not like; you will be surprised. Take that painting class, join that dance class you were to scared to sign up for. Dive head-first into things without being too attached to the results. If you tried that dance class and it sucked, who cares? At least you tried it and now you have a good story to tell. Fear and failure don't exist; these two things are an invention from you mind to keep you away from living life.
3. Job hunting sucks
Especially in your 20s and especially as a student, fresh out of college. It sometimes feels like you have to settle working at a coffee shop even when you have your degree. It's always the same story, you're overqualified, you're under qualified, or no one in your field is hiring. We also have at least two nightmare gigs we found on Craigslist, and then there are internships. So many internships. Like, yeah, they're a great learning experience, but I think it's sad to say I have all of my ex-bosses coffee orders memorized until this day. But there is light at the end of the tunnel, rest assured you'll have your dream job soon…after you finish getting that tall, soy, mocha latte for your boss. Get to it!
4. Young and broke
If being in your 20s were a book, that would be the title. We've all been there, trying to find the most creative way to split your last $50 over the next two weeks. I survived on Subway tuna melts for days at a time and when I couldn't afford that, I ate my fair share of bagels for dinner. It could be a downer at times, but with every struggle comes a lesson. Being young and broke taught me to be more creative and the value and importance of a well-earned dollar. (Also, opening a savings account helps! Even if you're only depositing those $20 bucks your grandma gave you because she said you “look homeless and need a shower.”)
5. You'll meet a lot of people and make a lot of new friends in your 20s
The bad news is a lot of these people are temporary. You'll drift apart from people you called friends. It happens. Being in your 20s is kind of a big preparation for “real life.” You start to get busier with school, new jobs, traveling/moving; it doesn't mean you're a bad friend, life just starts to change. At the end of the day, your real friends will understand if you drift apart from them because life is most likely changing for them as well. Your 20s will let light shine on who your genuine friends are and who was just playing a background role.
And lastly, I'll sign off by just saying that whether you're in your 20s or not, enjoy life. Feed your appetite for new experiences, take a deep breath and know that everything will be just fine.
