As I will enter my 30s next week on my Birthday, I thought of sharing Top 20 Lessons which I learned in my Twenties. Twenties is the age where you leave your parents protection & enter the World with rose tinted glasses ready to take on Life. I have listed my learnings from the entire decade. Hopefully this will make your 20s much more enjoyable & meaningful. So here it goes:
1. Health is Wealth
This is the age when we feel energetic & nothing happens to us immediately even if we eat a lot of junk food or do not pay attention to our body. But I am seeing my older friends who are in mid 30s already having sugar, cholesterol problems. So start taking care of your Health with Healthy food and exercise as without good health, nothing you experience will stand meaningful.
2. Make Friends with Parents
Try to connect with your parents as friends. They will be your first and most well wishing friends forever. See them as Humans with flaws and try to listen to their story, struggles and Learnings from Life. Don't put them on a pedestal of perfection as everyone tries to do the best as much as they could. Include them in your every major decision.
3. Start investing Early
The power of compounding is precious. The more you start saving early, the more you will benefit from it later on. Taking small jobs like internships from an early age will not only give you a lot of exposure to what you like & dislike, but also will help you become financially independent.
4. Learn Life Skills
Life Skills like cooking, laundry, cleaning & other chores should be learnt at an early age. This will not only help you your entire Life but will also help you transition into your hostel or working life easily.
5. Take Risks Early
For most people in their twenties, the responsibility of family is less. No one is dependent on you financially & you might just have education loan for college or not even that. So this is the best time to take risks. Even if you fail in those risks, the amount of damage will be less & you will learn a lot of lessons. As you grow old, there will be family to support for, mouths to feed & you might feel hesitant to take any sort of risks.
6. Cherish Friendships
When you are in college, your friends are right beside you. You are always in touch. But as you grow older, you might meet just once a month or in my case once a year or even less. Work, marriage makes you move places & countries & the frequency of your meets reduces significantly. And friendships require time, energy & effort. So do put in all your effort because these are the most valuable relationships you will ever have & if nurtured right can last Life Time.
7. Healthy Mind
Always take measures to keep your mind healthy. Without Healthy mind, you can't enjoy your Life. You might have everything but still feel like a miserable person inside. For this, it is really important to keep working out your mind just like your body to keep it young & lively for the lifetime. Measures taken initially can give long term benefits. Meditation, yoga are some of the measures that will help you manage your anxieties, fear etc & keep your emotional health good.
8. Keep Learning
At twenties, we are full of energy and curiosity. Use this to learn as much as possible through books, inspiring videos, podcasts and what not! This will not only shape your personality but make you a wise person as well. Do not wait to learn from your own mistakes; instead read a lot & learn from others mistakes! Learning will keep your mind young forever.
9. Make Soul Based Decisions
Do not give in to Ego's temptations when making any decision. Any decision which stems from Egoic emotions like greed, insecurity, fear, pride, power to control etc will have long term negative repercussions. Instead follow Soul based decisions which come from a place of positivity, love, creativity, happiness, a desire to serve etc. This might not look tempting in the short term but in the long term will give you peace of mind & happiness.
10. Try various Hats
Explore many roles. Do a variety of things. This will help you gain clarity about what you are good at and what you like to do. This will help you find your Ikigai or Purpose in Life. I have written about this in depth here https://www.mindsutra.in/post/find-your-purpose-this-way-ikigai-finding-meaning . The sooner you find your Ikigai, the more you will be purpose driven in every work you do!
11. Always be Grateful
Cherish everything you have. Life is too short to be miserable about things you don't have. And I firmly believe in the quote, "What you appreciate, appreciates" . Meaning, the more you feel grateful for everything you have, you will have more of that! This is a power mantra to keep all low feelings at bay!
12. Travel
Travelling makes you smart & knowledgable. It gives a depth of other cultures, lifestyles & people. We usually think when we will have this much money then we will travel to these exotic destinations but I know so many people who spent years earning good amount of money but when time came to enjoy it, either they had health issues or their enthusiasm to travel dwindled or they didn't have time or were caught up in many responsibilities. I'm not suggesting to blow up your money on travel. Even if it's a nearby city, soak in the culture, lifestyle and vibe of the place. Learn as much as possible!
13. Be Orginal
Do not try to fit in a crowd. Read here to know why https://www.mindsutra.in/post/stop-being-a-people-pleaser-this-way . You will be at peace with yourself when you are your original self. There is no one like you and copying others will make you a bitter person from inside.
14. It is ok to not know
You don't need to figure out everything in your twenties. Take your twenties as a decade of experimentation, understanding yourself and explore every opportunity you have your way. There is no book that will give you definite answers that if you take step A and B in life then you will reach C. Think about this, if that were the case, life would have been so boring. The fun and wonder of Life is in the "not knowing what will happen next".
15. Try to create difference in the World
All your actions should add some value in the World. It could be as small as using recyclable products or cycling your way to work or giving monetary assistance to the underprivileged. Do something that makes the World a better place! The sooner you start, the better you will feel about your Life & the World.
16. No shortcut for Success
Don't be in a rush to achieve Success fast. Social media gives false standards that highlights people achieving overnight success. There is no such thing as an overnight success. There have been years of hard work behind the success. Success comes with lot of hard work, patience, perseverance & getting up again from a lot of failures. Do not run after money, but pursue excellence in everything you do!
17. Love Yourself
In this age, we are bound to fall into peer pressure and comparison traps. This causes low self worth in us which hampers our relationships, confidence, performance & almost everything we can think of. Hence working in our Self Love can be immensely helpful. Read here to know how to increase self love https://www.mindsutra.in/post/10-ways-to-start-loving-yourself-the-way-you-deserve-to-be-loved-1 .
18. Design Your Life
Be clear, visualise and write about how you want your Life to be. How do you want your every day to be Like? Journal about it to get clarity. When we set intention, our chances of manifesting what we desire becomes true.
19. Don't compare
Do not compare your Life with others. We tend to feel low seeing others successful Life or if somebody is getting married before you or having kids or travelling to beautiful destinations. But always remember that everyone is on their own Life journey. We are at a perfect situation in our Life Journey at the current moment & we will achieve things as per our own timing. Do not rush into things and savour every moment.
20. This Shall Too Pass
Lastly, remember the Mantra, "This Shall Too Pass". Meaning every moment is fleeting. Whether it's a good situation or bad, it will change. So savour the good ones and learn from the bad ones.
So these are my learnings from my Twenties. It has been a roller coaster for me. I experimented, failed a lot, succeeded a little but most importantly learnt a lot! Which point is your favourite. Comment below and share your knowledge! Wish you a happening & exciting Twenties!
Image source: theyallhateus.com
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