If there is one thing I’ve learned in my 20’s, it’s that life can definitely be messy. Despite what you might think, nobody’s perfect. Everyone is just doing their best to figure things out. When I was a kid…I remember looking around the room to the adults for direction and decision making. And now, it appears that I’ve become an adult myself. Today I want to talk about being an adult and what I’ve learned in the past 10 years of being one…
- Take Care of Yourself
Whether it’s mentally or physically, do your best to take care of yourself. Go to therapy, be active, go to the doctor, take a bath, do things just for yourself. How can you possibly be a functioning adult without taking care of yourself first?
I admit, I’m not the best at consistently making doctors appointments, but nobody is perfect. Just do your best in keeping up with your mental and physical health. You won’t be perfect, but just try.
- Friends Come and Go
When you are in your 20’s, your friendships will change.People get busy with their careers, extracurricular activities, family, significant others, etc. and it becomes more difficult to maintain friendships. People drift apart. And you might not end up being friends with the same people you were friends with 10 or even 5 years ago.
My advice on this is that it’s okay to lose and gain friends. Remember that friendship is a 2 way street. So you both have to put the effort in to make it work.If one of you isn’t putting in the effort anymore, then it may be time to let the friendship go.
Also, if you are looking for new friends my advice on that would be to find people that you feel you can be yourself around. You shouldn’t feel self conscious in being yourself with people you consider friends.
- Never Stop Learning
Whether it’s in your career or in your spare time, always dedicate time to learning new things. For example, maybe you’ve always wanted to take a Martial Arts class or cooking class. Or maybe you want to go back to school for your Master’s degree. Whatever it is, never stop learning. Because learning is the best way to grow. And just because you are out of school, doesn’t mean that learning has to end.
- Be Yourself & Love Yourself
Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Whether that’s in relationships or at work-always stay true
to yourself. Because the right people will stay in your life and one’s that don’t like you for you, will leave. You deserve people in your life that accept you for you. And people that you can completely be yourself around.
Additionally, don’t be afraid to share your ideas at work/school. Everyone’s unique, and your ideas can bring something special to the table that nobody else considered. Be confident in who you are. And if you are still figuring out who that person is, then that’s okay too.
- You Don’t Have to Have Everything Figured Out
Your 20’s is the time to explore different interests and possible career avenues. You may jump around to different industries or job titles to feel out what you like and dislike. Just make sure you work hard and keep a good rapport with those you work with. Show up on time and do your best. And if you feel that it’s time for a career change, then start taking the steps to do that.
We are all still figuring things out and that’s okay. If you don’t try different jobs, then how will you know what you like and what you don’t? Not every job is the end all be all. We are all just on a journey. You don’t need to rush to the destination.
- Life is Messy
As we all know, life isn’t perfect. Being an adult can be overwhelming at times. You have to balance work life and home life. Not to mention social activities, hobbies, cleaning, paying bills, going to appointments, etc. My best advice is that nobody is perfect at balancing these. Nobody has it all together despite what you might think.
For Example, maybe you are really on top of keeping your apartment/house clean and organized. But your friend is doing great in her career. And your other friend is happily married with a kid on the way. Everyone is balancing their lives in different ways. And whereas you might be thriving in one area of your life, your friend is thriving in another.
So at the end of the day you really can’t compare yourself to others. Because everyone’s journey is different. We are all just doing our best, and that’s all we can do. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Adulting is tough and we are all hot messes.
As always, thank you for reading. Feel free to comment your thoughts below 🙂
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