27 Honest Realities About Life You Must Accept Before Turning 27

Your early-to-mid 20s have been a time of both tremendous personal growth and stagnant career improvement. You are cruising along (or stumbling) into your late 20s and are now closer to 30 than you are to 20, which is almost too unbelievable to admit.

Despite the weirdness, there is more than enough cause to celebrate: You are slowly moving past the clouds of confusion and are finally beginning to figure out your life, your purpose and where it is that you belong in this world.

You are now learning how to deal with the constant chaos of life and grow from it.

Now is your chance to enjoy the wonderful time between not acknowledging that you know better and knowing better before you plummet into sh*t-is-real adulthood. Here are 27 things you must accept by age 27:

1. Credit cards are not another way to say “Free Money!”

You have probably already charged a lot and made some huge mistakes in your early 20s. Stop it now.

2. However, now you may be less broke!

Yes, the joy of having a career and adult responsibilities!

3. Confidence will get you everywhere.

AKA Fake it until you make it.

4. You are getting further into your career.

Hopefully, this is a good thing, but if you're not happy with where your career is going, now is the time to make a change.

5. Your parents are the best people in your life.

And don't forget to tell them that you love them. Every day.

6. Your mother is always right… about everything… even if you choose not to listen.

Trust me on this.

7. Dying your hair any color not found in nature is completely unacceptable.

Remember Manic Panic? Forget it.

8. The New York Times is your best friend.

It is no longer cute not to keep up with what is happening in the world.

9. It’s time to become politically aware.

Perhaps Bill Maher or Jon Stewart can help.

10. You will lose friends, but in the process, you will discover who your real friends are.

This is a good thing. You are growing as a person and forward movement is more positive than it is painful.

11. Your siblings (if you're lucky enough to have them) are actually your best friends.

"Sister, sister" is so much more than a TV show and hashtag.

12. Negativity will hinder you in every way and it will affect you professionally.

Changing your attitude and taking stock of all of the good things in your life (and not just focusing on what you don’t have) is the only way to live.

13. Maturity will not stifle your emotions.

You’ll still freak out, but remember that logic is key. Breathe, take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

14. Your friends are starting to get married.

So what? Proceed at your own pace and enjoy the open bar.

15. And they're getting pregnant... on purpose.

Eventually, you’ll get used to this reality.

16. The marriages and pregnancies will get you thinking about your future and where exactly it’s going.

When will you propose to me?

17. You have to do things that you don't want to do.

This is one of the inevitabilities of getting older and of life. You now have responsibilities and you won’t want to do them all — just accept this fact and move forward.

18. That extra drink or shot (if you can still even do those) may kill you.

And, I promise that you will still be paying for it on Monday morning. You will not be able to recover as quickly as you used to. Just drink less — it’ll save you money, too.

19. Also, don't expect to be able to go to bed at 6 am and magically be able to function the next day.

You’re now a real person. Get as much sleep as a real person needs. Now is the time to start paying attention to Dr. Oz.

20. If you eat like sh*t, you will feel like sh*t.

It is time to start being much more conscious about the food you eat and how much of you eat. Take care of yourself! Your internist, wardrobe and full-length mirror will thank me later.

21. Make time to be active.

Schedule time to exercise or be generally active into your day the same way you remember and make time to brush your teeth. Also, you don't want a flat butt by the time you turn 35 or a hunched back by the time you're 45, this is mandatory.

22. You're a better lover and have better lovers.

Need I say more?

23. Sunscreen.

Wear it. Every day. You're welcome.

24. Time inexplicably goes by faster.

Didn't I just turn 21 and graduate from college? Yeah… like two presidential campaigns ago.

25. You graduated high school a decade ago.

Think about it.

26. You become more aware of your own mortality.

It sounds depressing, but it is true. This means you should really be living every day to the fullest and be grateful for each day you have. Stop putting things off until tomorrow if you can do them today.

27. This is an awesome age and life will only get better from here.

For the most part, you are much more stable and wise and, for the most part, you have already made the majority of your stupid mistakes and you're awesome to hang out with because you take stances on issues and are a citizen of the world.

You're only going to get more interesting as time continues.

Photo Credit: Taren Maroun