It is no understatement that our early twenties are maddening and glorious all at the same time. However, somewhere between the tear-filled late-night phone calls and the head thrown back laughter sessions, we find ourselves faced with a choice. That choice is whether we want to spend our early twenties on auto-pilot or if we want to feel as passionate about our own lives as Kanye feels about his Yeezys. This post is dedicated to the young people who have decided that even if their lives don’t feel as awesome as the guacamole at Chipotle, they are still bold enough to make a change.
This is a continuation post. To view the first post click here.
1. Your health is your greatest asset.
Both emotional and physical health are necessary for you to live the life you want. You need them to achieve your highest potential. As you exit the college world and enter the working world it can be hard to adjust emotionally and physically. Be sure to make time to relax in a way that is meaningful to you. Now is the time to treat your body with tenderness and care, as opposed to the rapid, self-inflicted body shaming that may have have carried over from your teenage years.
2. Excuses are holding you back from success.
People make excuses for a variety of different reasons, with fear and anxiety often being the biggest two. Curb this by re-writing the script. Instead of saying “I can’t do this” start saying “I can try.” It may seem small and unnecessary, but this simple change in perspective can help you to start laying down the groundwork needed to chase after the life you really want.
3. The time is now.
Just like your dream job won’t wait…your dream life won’t wait either. Start planting the seeds of success now, so you can reap the benefits later. Get a journal and write-out your most crazy “perfect world” bucket-list then start breaking down what you want into manageable steps. For example, if you want to travel to Europe, searching for travel groups is a small action step that can lead to achieving the bigger picture goal.
Remember: Baby steps are still steps, no matter how seemingly small they may be.
4. The only opinion of you that truly matters is your own.
Building self-advocacy is a key component of loving yourself, and now is the time to start. Entering into early adulthood can be seriously intimidating without the continuous support your received from teachers and parents back in high school. Without this continuous support, it can feel as though small setbacks are major let-downs. However, if you have a strong understanding of yourself and your own values these disappointments seem less like the end of the world and more like opportunities to reflect, grow, and move on. Accept that people will try to knock you down at this point in your life, and while you can’t control what people say about you, you can control how you feel about yourself.
5. It’s time to care instead of compare.
Life is not a race. However, with the influx of social media highlighting every single new relationship status, engagement picture, or graduation status of your friends on the daily, it is hard not to feel like you are falling behind if you’re not at that chapter in your own life yet. Instead of comparing yourself to your friends and feeling like you are behind, start really caring about them and celebrating new milestones with them, while still taking steps in your own life. Real talk: It’s a lot more productive, and a lot less sad.
6. You have the creativity and the strength to achieve anything you want in life.
At this point in your life, you still have the child-like creativity as well as the mental and psychical agility to juggle multiple projects at one time. Use these positive qualities to your advantage both professionally and personally so you can reach new and exciting heights.
7. Failure is just an event, never a person.
Point blank.
8. The world is waiting for you.
You will never be younger than you are in this moment. Take advantage of your youth, and go explore all the wonderful things that this world has to offer. Dare yourself to travel to distant places and challenge yourself to make time for the festivals, concerts and experiences of your dreams. Lastly, never settle for anything less than greatness during this time in your life or twenty more years down the line.
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