Cheesy As It Sounds, You Really Need To Stick To The 'You Do You' Motto In Your 20s

This is admittedly a very weird time in my life. I am somewhere between feeling like a lost 5-year-old and a mature adult, have a slight clue of what I would like to do in life but at the same time don't know at all where I'll be in a few years, and know people my age that are getting engaged and others who are still going to school and living with their parents.

Everyone has their own rhythm and path to take, which results in many 20 somethings being stationed at very different spaces in life. There is absolutely no problem with this- we all have our own reasons, circumstances, goals, and choices that result in a variety of lifestyles that each of us are comfortable or adjusted to.

In light of this, however, there can be a tendency for some of us 20 somethings to feel like we are coming up short, that we are not enough, that we have to move out this year, or work harder for this or for that. Sometimes we may feel lost, too immature, too mature, too regimented or too easy going. We are programmed by society, people, maybe even our families to figure out what we could have our entire lives to figure out. Anxiety, stress, body image, self-esteem, and self-worth can all be too easily impacted by the paradoxes and challenging spaces we find ourselves in at this point of our lives.

The ultimate catch is this- there is no end date, no physical line we need to cross that says 'you've made it' or 'you're not there yet.' There is no one correct way to 'adult,' to live life the right way or to be a 20-year-old. There should be no reason you should ever feel like you must flash your accomplishments in your peer's faces to feel accomplished, or ever envy them for the promotion they just got.

-Because your 20's are when you can figure out yourself, take time to reflect, work hard and save up or blow off some steam before you start your career. You can be selfish or give your time for others ( or a little bit of both). It's a time when you can stay in or go out until 3 AM, a time when you can find your passion, fall in love, get your heart broken, or focus on yourself. Focus on you and allow others to follow the path that's right for them.

Take it all in stride, take it all with a grain of salt because yesterday is the past and tomorrow is just a day away. You have to follow the 'you do you' motto instead of just agreeing or pacifying it with a smile. Integrate the mindset of doing whatever you want into your life. Manifest your dreams into reality, and allow things to come slowly and take their course to find you (or even for you to find them).

I have trouble with sticking to this myself at times since I often get lost in my routine and my habits, but I always go back to the fact that if I am unhappy there is an extent to it that I can control, that I must acknowledge I can change and then do something to -actually- fix it or at least try. And when it's happiness that finds it's way to you never take it for granted.

You can do this, and you're not alone. Here's to our 20's!