One sure thing about life is that it passes right by and we don’t even acknowledge it. We take it for granted and go by our routine believing that a bright new day shall dawn upon us somewhere, sometime and we shall be happy then. But till that day arrives in our lives, we must work hard, go by our monotonous life and just wait for it eagerly. But if this is the way one should live, what’s the point of this life after all?
The 20s are the time when we are at our best. Not so best financially, but we are young, full of energy and our dreams rule our lives. We have just stepped out of our teen years and we haven’t yet forgotten the thrill of a late-night out with friends or the fun of going on a trip. The adventure remains within us, waiting to be awakened again. We still remember the beauty of watching a sunset, we haven’t forgotten the joy of taking a walk alone. This is the time to make the best out of life, while you still have the heart, mind and the body for it. So what should we do other than live the way everyone else lives? Let’s take the plunge!
1. Get out of your comfort zone: One of the first things you need to do in your 20s is to get out of that comfort zone. Get out of that city you were born and brought up in, get away from those familiar streets where you can find your way blindfolded. Go to a new place, take up that job offer that requires you to travel new places. Don’t cling to a certain place and job just because you want to “settle down” sometime in the future and you need stability. You will always have room for stability in the years to come, now is the time to chase new horizons, not cling to the old ones.
2. Get hold of good habits and stick to them: Your 20s are the time when you are going to form some of those habits that will decide how your body and mind are going to turn out in a few years from now. Have a little less butter today, practice yoga when you have the time, get drunk a little less, go out for a walk. Take a look at what you shove down your throat. Go vegan once a week. Meditate. These may seem little things but in the end, all little things make a difference.
3. Travel: It doesn’t matter where. So many of us push travel aside because we think it’s a waste of money. 20s are the time to land a secure job and save as much as you can, you may have heard your elders say a hundred times. But what for? Add ten years and you will be married and you will be worried about paying for that home loan. Twenty more years and you will be worried about your kids’ college funds. Now is the time to go out, travel the world as much as you can, go on solo trips because that’s the best way you get to confront your insecurities. See new places, meet new people, listen to new stories. So one day when you are really old, you have something to look back to and feel content about.
4. If your job doesn’t feel right, kick it and move on: Admit it. You don’t like your job. Your boss sucks. Your colleagues enjoy office politics. No one seems to notice the hard work you put in because everyone’s too busy pretending they are working. When you ask for a holiday, your boss looks at you as if you asked for his kidneys instead. Is this what you office sounds like? Then maybe it’s time to shove this job down the drain. It’s okay to look for a secure job but it is another thing to stay at the wrong job for years for the sake of it. Get the confidence to walk out and know that you can get a better opportunity. Actively look for chances that come your way. Never quit trying for the kind of job you want to do, because someday, you are getting there. Remember, you can have as many number of jobs you want, but you have only one life. So don’t marry your job, opt for a job that lets you marry life.
5. Read: Read everything and read as much as you can. You don’t need to have an opinion about everything though, but do know what’s going on, read up literature, learn about new cultures and be well-informed. Always have a few books lined up to read every month. Set foot in that library. The more you read, the more you know.
6. Make new friends in new places: Make yourself approachable and learn to approach new people. Start a conversation with strangers in a new place you are visiting. Make a new friend in a new place. Get to know their life, get to know their story. New contacts can do wonders, both on the personal and professional front.
7. Master your finances: Take up a job that lets you breathe but at the same time adds some value to your bank balance. Skip credit cards, save some money. Learn to live by your means. This is the time you can save up and not look at someone else to help you out with your finances. Get rid of that debt or that study loan you took years ago. Pay fast for those EMIs and be done with them. A life without any monetary obligations is the best you can ask for, work hard to make it happen.
8. Take good care of your body: This is the time to get rid of that extra pound, now is the time to get in shape. Take up a sport or a hobby that lets you exercise without making it feel tedious. How about dancing? Or aerobics? Swimming is a good option of you don’t have a fear for water bodies. It’s surprising how much we neglect our body when we are going to live in this all our lives. Devote just half an hour to your body each day and you will see miracles happen to your fitness and mood.
9. Practice positive thought and make peace with yourself: Every single one of us has a past. Bad relationships, abused as a child/teenager, bad habits that went out of bounds; we have had it all. But now it’s time to get rid of that burden and start breathing. Everything that could possibly go wrong has gone wrong and you are in a position to let go of it and be happy again. This is the right time to get over things. Practice positive thinking everyday, look forward to a life that is beautiful and full of gift-wrapped blessings just waiting there for you to open! It doesn’t matter if you have bullied someone, hurt someone, or made someone fall out of love because of what you did. Get in touch with them, apologize and make peace with your past. Life is too short to hold grudges and be resentful. Forget and move on.
10. Smile, and smile a lot: Do you know the secret to make yourself happy? Just smile. No matter how intelligent you think it is, your brain is actually stupid. You can trick it to feel happy about everything if you just smile ear-to-ear everyday. You don’t need to mean every single smile, just fake it at first and trust me, it gets easier to be happy once you start doing it!
You are young, beautiful, full of hope and are an extremely optimistic person. Believe that life has something amazing to offer each day and it’ll will start offering you the same. It’s not easy being a 20 someone, but you can get ahead with it and get the best out of it, if only you believe you got it right!
