20 Pieces Of Advice To Get You Through Your 20s
The time you spend in your 20s can be the most influential in regard to your future. These years are incredibly crucial to your development. But as important as these years are, they can be the most confusing. For many of us, this is our first time living independently while navigating the post-grad world. There is so much uncertainty that surrounds every aspect of our lives, whether it’s dating, friendships or a career path.
At times, it is difficult to lose sight of what is truly important to us. Let’s take a look at the 20 pieces of advice that are crucial to succeeding in your 20s.
1. Stop Settling
Why do people choose to be complacent instead of moving where there are better opportunities? Mediocrity is a place people often get stuck in and do not know how to escape from. This is a mindset that can only be changed with mind renewal. In order to move from this place, one must think differently, get rid of what hasn’t worked, connect with those who can give sound direction, design a plan of action and put that plan in motion.
We accept jobs we hate, we deal with friends who let us down and we let our significant others get away with sh*t. You can’t expect to achieve more in life if you keep accepting the bare minimum.
2. Be Positive
“You attract the energy you put out. The universe will keep sending you problems and annoyances that hit an issue you have within yourself as long as they remain useful to you. Once that issue is resolve, the problem no longer stimulates your personal evolution and therefore no longer needs to happen. Happiness therefore lies within a shifting of perspectives in the present moment. Choose freedom. Choose liberation. Move from panic to freedom and watch a world of magic and bliss open itself up to you.”
3. There Are Always More Fish In The Sea
Yes, this is beyond clichéd, but it's true. There are over 6.974 billion people in the world, do you REALLY think there is only one right person out there for you? Each person you date over the course of your life will teach you something new. Who you are at 15 is way different from who you are at 21 and who you are at whatever age will be way different than who you are at 40. At different points in our lives, we need different things and different lessons. Of course, once a relationship has ended, you are going to be upset, but mourn and let it go. Take the lessons you learned and carry them with you.
4. Accept Change
Change is a natural part of life and as soon as you recognize that, the better off your life will be. People are terrified of change, failure and taking risks. It’s not about unrealistic goals or perfection. It is about changing the things you can to be happy, not simply drifting along in life and complaining.
5. Get Over FOMO
There's always going to be something going on, some event to attend. If you always give into FOMO, you will never have time to do the things you want. Also you'll probably become a fat alcoholic and waste away all of your potential. Don’t let others pressure and guilt you into doing things you don’t want to do.
6. Be Ambitious
If you want something, go out and achieve it; anything is possible if you put your mind to it. That dream job you want is completely within your reach. Realize what it is you really want and don’t stop until you get there. Set goals and do everything in your power to make them come true. Live like there’s no tomorrow and make the most out of any situation.
7. Know Your Priorities
It is important to have a clear idea of what you want in life. If you do not establish your priorities, it is too easy to lose sight of what’s important to you and what is not. By recognizing this, you can better manage your time between commitments.
8. Don’t Rush
We live our lives in one huge hustle and bustle. We are always on the go, looking for the next thing to do; while we are doing one thing, we are thinking about doing something else. Distraction takes away from the current task at hand. When you choose to engage yourself in one thing, you need to focus on that and only that. Focusing on one thing is quite difficult, but it is more than worth it. Sure, multitasking can be a useful skill, but you most likely will end up with worse results.
9. Confidence Is Key
Even if you are faking it, people respect a person with confidence. Fear paralyzes people and holds them back. Many people suffer from tremendous amounts of self-doubt and are unable to believe they are good enough. There are always better options out there, but too many people have low self-esteem, which prevents them from realizing this.
10. Don’t Lose Sight Of Your Goals
Hurdles will appear constantly throughout the course of your life, but you cannot let these obstacles deter you from reaching your goals. Take each challenge as a learning opportunity that will only help you grow as an individual.
11. Start Exercising
Maybe it’s just me, but I can't eat three bagels a day and still fit into my skinny jeans. Your metabolism starts to change at this time in your life, so it is beyond important to establish some sort of fitness regime. Don’t work out to impress others, but rather to make yourself feel good, this will only help to increase your confidence.
12. Increase Your Financial Intelligence
It’s no fun being broke and living paycheck to paycheck. You need to increase your financial awareness, so you can optimize your savings. Your 20s are typically the first time you have money at your disposal, don’t fall into the trap of spending on pointless sh*t just because you can.
13. Live Your Passion
Stop wasting your precious time with a career you don’t like. This will only make you miserable. Life is too short to waste time, so let your sense of purpose motivate you to greatness.
14. Surround Yourself With Good People
The people you choose to surround yourself with can, and often do, sway your behavior, sometimes preventing you from reaching your full potential. You need to surround yourself with people who are constantly pushing themselves for the better. If you consistently surround yourself with negative people, it will hinder your progression in life. Why choose to spend time with people that are holding you back when you can surround yourself with people that can elevate you?
15. Have Fun
The most basic piece of advice -- just have fun. Go out and do things for yourself that will bring you pleasure. It doesn't matter what those things are, but if they make you happy, go out and do them. Don’t listen to the opinions of others, if it is something you want, just do it. Sometimes just the thought of a great story or memory can be enough to motivate you, embrace it because no one wants to look back on their life and wonder: ‘what if?’
16. Always Be Where The Opportunities Are
You cannot just sit back and except opportunities to present themselves to you. Take risks and surprise yourself. You need to be proactive and seek chances out. Do not take a backseat to life; go out and make things happen. Remember strategy is everything.
17. Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
Fear is one of the biggest limitations we place on ourselves. You cannot concern yourself with failure because honestly you never know what you can achieve until you try. Remain positive -- life is what you make of it, and although life can throw you some awfully big blows, you are fully capable of overcoming them.
18. Live In The Moment
There is no sense in worrying about the past or the future. The past has already happened and there is nothing you can change about it. The only thing you should carry from your past are the lessons you learned from it. The future is completely uncertain, so there is no reason to consume yourself with worry about it. If you waste time thinking about points in time you cannot control, you limit the capability of yourself in the present moment.
19. No Regrets, No Excuses, Just Results
Seize each opportunity that is presented to you and immerse yourself completely. Do not make excuses because you will only hinder your own personal progress. If you want results, you need to stop making excuses. Work hard because that is the only way you will garner the largest and most beneficial results.
20. Eat Healthy
Your future self will thank you for this. Heart diseases, diabetes and other health risks can be decreased if a proper diet is followed. Treat your body right and you will be happily rewarded.
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