We've heard it said about a million times before. "Your 20s are about exploring life, and figuring out who you really are." However, what they don't tell you is why you feel as if you should have everything figured out by that point. In a world where scrolling down your Facebook you see all your friends from high school either pregnant or married, its easy to believe that's the way your life should be in your early 20s. Not true at all. Those people that tell us that our 20s are about having fun and finding our selves are completely right. Those who do seem to have it all figured out by 23, only SEEM to have it all figured out, and don't necessarily TRULY have it all figured out.
What usually gets me all antsy about the future, is the fact that I see so many people who I believe are doing life right. Even as a junior in college, I see so many of my ambitious friends, landing awesome internships and cool jobs related to their major and it makes me question if I'm doing this whole college thing right. The reality is that success is defined differently by different people. And there really is no time frame on when you should have all your goals achieved; and frankly that's pretty impossible anyway. Goals are to continuously be made. Once you've reached one, you should be setting another one so that you won't find yourself complacent. These goals should be goals set by you and only you. Which means that if you feel as though you can become CEO of a large company by 28, then that's great, only if you are non stop doing the work to make that goal happen. And what happens if you don't make that goal by the age you wanted? So what, maybe it's best to take the age restriction off and just work towards achieving the overall goal.
Another thing to remember is that everyone has their own time to shine. While it might seem like everyone around you is making major moves and being extremely productive, that simply means that it is their time to receive their blessings. If you are not so lucky at the moment, all that means is that you should use the success happening around you as a motivation to keep working hard. So that when it is your time, you will be fully capable of taking on the responsibilities handed to you.
I like to think about some celebrities that we know who didn't get their big break until later in life. One of those people is J.K. Rowling, award winning author of the hit Harry Potter series. Though she had been writing for quite some time, the very first Harry Potter book did not get published until she was. Then there's comedy actress Kristen Wiig who got her big break on Saturday Night Live (SNL). She started the show in 2005 at the age of 32. These are two celebrities we all know, and come to find out, they didn't find their successes until their early 30s.
The important thing is that you stop defining your idea of success based on other people's ideas of success. If you haven't reached your goals yet, it'll come as soon as you stop worrying and do what you were made to do.
