Our 20s are our selfish years. A time where we can take time to ourselves without feeling like we’re letting anyone down. We’re old enough to finally buy our own liquor but young enough to still ask our parents for money when we’re too broke to afford it. It may suck to constantly be broke, not have any clue what we’re doing with our lives, and eat ramen noodles for dinner every night, but we’ll never be as free as we are right now. Let’s embrace our selfish years before we have a job, house, and three kids to worry about.
Spend all your money.
Spend it on alcohol, insta-worthy food, books, new shoes, anything that your little heart desires. It will never again be socially acceptable to have $0.63 in your bank account at any other point in our lives, so treat yourself while you still can.
Take every possibility that comes your way.
Whether it’s a small opportunity like taking a weekend road trip or a big one like a cross-country internship, this is the time of our lives where we can experience it all. In our 20s, we have no roots to tie us down, so don’t be afraid to climb out on a limb and experience life.
Sing at the top of your lungs to your favorite song with the car windows down.
It’s hard to get away with this in any other age bracket. In your 20s, people look at us and think, ‘look at how much fun they’re having!’ But once we hit our 30s, people start taking pictures and making you into a meme.
Have lunch by yourself.
The only relationship that you need to work on in your 20s is the one with yourself. Before anyone can love you for who you are, you need to love yourself. Whether it’s dinner or a movie by yourself or just a long bubble bath, don’t forget to take some me-time every now and then. Because eventually there won’t be any more couch dates with Netflix when you’re thirty and have two kids.
Quit when you want to quit.
20-somethings do amazing things, but those people didn’t get to where they are by taking on every task possible. If you feel like you’re drowning in responsibilities, organizations, or credit hours, don’t be afraid to drop some of them. There’s no shame in managing your time and realizing what’s most important. Just take a look at Zuckerberg. If he wouldn’t have quit his gig with the Winklevoss twins, we would never have Facebook -oh, the horror!
Shut off your phone for an hour every day.
I know, this sounds crazy. But shutting off technology for an hour each day gives you more time to worry about your life and less about everyone else’s. By taking an hour of me-time, you’ll not only have more time to get stuff done, but you’ll start figure yourself out as well. You won’t want to look back at this time and only remember what kind of phone you had.
Write a letter.
Emails and texts to old friends are great, but nothing beats a handwritten letter. Be it a birthday card to a family member or a letter to your best friend, there’s something so gratifying about giving and getting letters in the mail.
Apply to your dream job.
The great thing about being in your 20s is that you have absolutely nothing to lose. The worst that can happen is a rejection letter, which you can stash and use as motivation to keep working hard.
Apologize to a frenemy.
We all have those people that we hate but have no reason why we hate them. Take the time to apologize to at least one of these people. I can guarantee that it’ll make you feel better, and who knows, maybe this person will be the greatest connection you’ve ever had. After all, this is the time to build our connections not just for business but for lifelong friendships.
Sex can stay, but love can wait.
I realize that the trend nowadays is to find your soulmate at the age of twelve, but what are we gaining from that? Despite popular belief, love isn’t the most important thing in your 20s. Take this time to explore yourself, learn from others, and take in everything that you can. Don’t put love before your passion.
It’s time to embrace our selfish years, and show the world what we’ve got. Our 20s are the only time that we’ve got to make the memories, take the risks and explore the world and have nothing to lose but everything to gain.
Featured image via Dellon Thomas on Pexels
You asked what we gain from finding our soulmate young(which is what I assume you meant with the hyperbole) but what do we gain fucking everything with a pulse until 30?