My early twenties are almost officially over. As I look back, I noticed I’ve experienced a lot of turbulence and ups and downs during that time. But that time period also taught me many lessons about friendships, relationships, and life in general.
The early twenties were one of the most challenging times in my entire life. Heck, I found them more challenging than my teenage years. I had to figure out how to become an adult, move out, and support myself.
If you’re in your early twenties, I want to tell you these five things:
1. Don’t emphasize looks and trends so much.
I know we’re young and feel obligated to look our best. Living in a social media-driven society doesn’t help with that; everywhere we go, we see influencers strutting their expensive outfits. So, we feel obliged to follow by copying the most recent trends and spending hours on our hair and makeup to feel better about ourselves.
But we need to stop this. If we continue to copy others and judge ourselves by our looks, we will get stuck in a perpetual cycle of comparison and competition. Instead of following trends, ask yourself about your own values and desires.
2. Don’t fall for the LinkedIn hype.
Throughout our early twenties, people pressure us to find an internship or get a promotion at our part-time job. We all feel pressured to get ahead of the career world by constantly updating our LinkedIn profiles. But just like any other social media site, LinkedIn only showcases the accomplishments of an individual’s career. You can never accurately compare your work experience to someone else’s highlights on their LinkedIn account. And throughout your job search, you should continue to remind yourself of this.
3. Where you are now doesn’t indicate your potential.
We all get stuck in this mindset during a mental breakdown. In our 20s, we constantly ask ourselves whether we’re doing enough. Moreover, we compare our current positions to others our age. However, the reality is this: where you are right now doesn’t mean that you’ll always be there.
Instead of thinking you have wasted potential, think of potential as an outcome for future opportunities. The potential is something that you can strive towards if you look at your situation from another perspective. The potential is what you can achieve, despite your past circumstances. As long as you work towards something, you will realize your potential.
4. Real friends are rare.
I hate to break it to you, but finding someone you can trust and confide in is rare. Most young adult friendships are built on gossip, interests, or the latest celebrity drama. In some of these friendships, you may find it hard to open up about your struggles, vulnerabilities, and challenges. However, in an authentic friendship, you should feel comfortable speaking about your struggles. It’s often hard to find friendships built on full transparency. But once you find them, hold onto them forever.
5. Don’t spend so much time thinking about someone you just met.
Just like friendships, many of us rush to find a relationship. However, we build some of these relationships on first impressions. Even if there does seem to be a connection between you and the other individual, try your best not to think about the person and their emotions too much. You simply don’t know them well enough, and you can only get to know them with time. So, if you just met them, wait instead of jumping to conclusions.
If you’re an early twenty-something struggling with life, keep these five phrases in mind. By knowing these things, you can focus on your goals, find yourself in a world of chaos, and establish your boundaries. Being an early twenty-something is hard. But with the correct mindset, you’ll have the tools to navigate the world in no time.
Photo by Helena Lopes on Pexels
