Your Twenties are the most important decade of your life. It’s when you will make the first decisions that affect your future forever: your first car, your first apartment, your first job interview, and so on.
It is also when you will learn important lessons (some very hard) that will help define your adult life. In your 30s or 40s, it gets harder and harder to reinvent yourself. But at 20 you still can switch colleges or jobs without feeling like you wasted time.
To help you through this process, here are seven things anyone in their 20s should know.
Failure is Okay
Popular wisdom says that to err is human. Even a genius like Steve Jobs has failed: in the 1980s, he was fired from Apple, the company he helped found. So the idea of failing early is normal – and much more comfortable than realizing you’re a failure at age 50!
After years of just studying, it’s normal to have lots of goals. It’s also normal that you fail to achieve many of these goals. Embrace your mistakes and learn from them. After all, they are proof that you’re trying to make something of your life, taking risks and tough decisions.
When you give up on something in the face of your first mistake, all the work and effort were in vain. That’s why perseverance is one of the most important things to learn at this age: the ability to get up every time you fall and learn from it.
Start Saving Money
At 20 you find yourself away from your parents for the first time and are forced to make your own financial decisions. And maybe you’re paying too much for an apartment that’s bigger than you need, or spending more than your monthly income on superfluous stuff.
Be careful with debt. Buy affordable things or save for more expensive ones. For example, if you need a new pair of affordable sports sunglasses, do some research to find a more affordable model.
Once you’ve got your finances under control, you can start planning and saving money for a smoother retirement or buying your own home and getting rid of rent.
Remember that your parents will not always be around and you need to have savings for an emergency (like losing your job or an unexpected illness).
Take Risks
At 20 it’s much easier to drop everything to move to another job, city, or country. At 40 or 50, with a steady job and a family to support, it’s not that simple anymore.
Take advantage of these years to take risks with ideas, projects, and investments, precisely because you don’t know what the future will bring. If that doesn’t work, you still have enough time to get up, dust yourself off, and try something else.
Remember that, later on, you will have a lot more to lose by taking risks, and many people regret not having taken the chance when they had it.
Accept and Love Yourself First
The idea of enjoying being yourself is something we hear every day and mostly ignore. You’ve probably been walking on eggshells for most of your school life, afraid of what your schoolmates think of you.
At 20, it’s time to stop caring about what others think and accept who you are. You will often hear criticism from people who feel threatened by your talent and potential.
Avoid comparing yourself to others, overcome the negativity, and filter out everything you hear about yourself. After all, every successful person has heard. at some point in their life. that their idea or business would never work.
People Change
Both you and your friends change in your 20s because it’s the moment when you start to decide who you want to be. During this process, it can be challenging to keep some old friends who start to think differently than you. At the same time, you’ll find new friends with the same interests.
People tend to idealize friendships and romances. But the truth is, most relationships don’t last forever. While they last, however, they help you get through important steps of life.
So don’t be hurt if your childhood bestie is suddenly too busy to take your phone calls. He may simply have other priorities (like work and family). And remember that life is too short to insist on keeping toxic or negative people on your side.
Your Most Precious Resource is Time
Sad but true: the older you get, the faster life goes by. From 20 onwards, it’s like time flies by. That’s why you must use your time for the right things.
We all have a phase where we just want to have fun. There is nothing wrong with that. But when your life is all about fun, maybe it’s time to think about it. You’ll miss this valuable time later and regret it: you could have studied more, worked harder, maybe even started your own business earlier.
While your money and savings are important, time is your most valuable currency. Spend it wisely!
It’s Never Too Late
At 20 you are allowed to try new things without feeling that you’re already too old to do so. On the contrary: this is the right time to try anything.
Don’t waste your 20 on people that don’t deserve you, or on a job you don’t like. It’s never too late to change jobs or friends, but one day it will be.
Don’t give up and enjoy that you have your whole life ahead of you to completely change its course right now.
Your Life is Just Starting
Some people believe their future is already written. Others understand that the adult they will be tomorrow is the result of a long, gradual evolution.
From the sum of trials, mistakes, successes, disappointments, broken friendships, and new relationships, comes the person you will be tomorrow.
You probably won’t even notice many of these changes as they happen. But later, at 30 or 40, you’ll look back and see how your 20s helped define your adult life.
The process will certainly be easier and less traumatic by knowing these seven things upfront.
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