20 Pieces of Advice for People in Their 20’s (Part 1)

Your 20’s is an incredible time to be alive. Both incredibly wonderful and incredibly difficult, sometimes for the same reasons. 

This is a time in life where many people reflect upon earlier life decisions and behaviors and set intentions for their future. As parents (or aunts/uncles/grandparents/friends) of teens and young adults, we often struggle with walking that razor-thin line between over-offering advice and sitting back and watching our kids/new young adults make their own mistakes.

The twenties are often seen as a watershed decade, with childhood decidedly in the rearview mirror and a whole lot of responsibility being added each year to the backpack that we all carry through life.

It’s a time when many of us felt that we didn’t need any more parental advice, yet decades later, we realized just how young and naïve we really were. So, from the “hindsight is 20/20” view, here is some advice we have to offer this week.

11 Things To Consider In Your 20’s (or anytime for that matter)

9 more next week in part 2…

1. Learn to love and accept yourself– In other words, show some self-compassion. Scientists say it can make you more successful because you’re learning from your missteps, instead of just berating yourself for them. One self-compassion exercise involves treating yourself as you would treat a friend or a colleague who has failed at something or is learning from a consequence of a decision made. You might say to yourself, “This is really hard right now” or “I’m sorry you are struggling.” You will be okay, remember that it is always good to be kind to yourself and find those who will support you as you grow. 

2. Start taking good care of yourself now– The earlier you start managing your diet and beginning an exercise regimen, the sooner you build the foundation for a healthy mind and body. According to a study by researchers at George Mason University, not only does exercise make our outlook on life more positive, but it also makes us more likely to engage in positive things — therefore seek to have a better social life, surrounding yourself with positive and motivated people. It can also help prevent depression and manage anxiety, not to mention it will help lower health care costs later in life.

3. Try new things to see what you really like- Don’t talk yourself out of doing things you want to do. Don’t let fear win. If you want to vacation in Europe, do it. If you want to talk to that girl/guy, do it. If you want to start your own business, do it (and do the research first). Getting to your 30s and having a string of regrets is going to haunt you. “What I think most people don’t realize is that it takes between 10 and 15 years to find a job that really does align with your skills and your values and your sense of, you know, what you want to do in life. And in that 10-to-15-year period, most people are job-hopping a lot. The average American will have 12 jobs between the ages of 18 and 50. But half of those jobs will be in their 20s.” -Elizabeth Segran, author of ‘The Rocket Years: How Your Twenties Launch The Rest Of Your Life’. 

4. Show up for the people who show up for you- Throughout your life, people will come and go, and my advice is to pay close attention to your “3 am friends.”  Those are the people you could call at 3 am when you’re in trouble or in need of help.  Those are the people who have your back no matter what with no questions asked.  And those are the people who you show up for no matter what, just as you know they’d do for you.  Those relationships will bring more value to your life than anything else ever could.

5. Always be open to advice and criticism from others but take it all in with a filter of self-knowledge. You know yourself best, but there are some people in your life who are paying attention to what you are going through and who may have walked a similar path.  Allow them to speak into your life, especially those who have shown they care about you and who have a track record of positive growth and change.

6. Learn how to say no with confidence- It’s best to learn this skill now, while it’s still relatively early in your career. That way, you can prioritize the people and experiences that are truly meaningful to you. If you’re looking for tips on turning down an invitation — without seeming antisocial — etiquette and civility expert Rosalinda Oropeza Randall recommends keeping it simple: “It sounds great, but I think I’ll pass this time.”

7. People aren’t against you, they’re for themselves- Hard truth- most people don’t think about you.  They make choices without you in mind, to help themselves, and sometimes the results of those choices will hurt you. You’ll feel betrayed, backstabbed, and angry.  Keep in mind that most people don’t see it as betraying you; they are merely doing what they feel is best to help themselves, not to hurt you.  Instead of getting angry, try thinking about the decision from their perspective.  Oftentimes you’ll realize, they weren’t being malicious and when we understand someone’s intentions it makes it much easier to shrug it off, forgive them, and move on.

8. You will feel lost- and that’s okay- One thing you discover upon graduation is that no one really has life figured out.  You’re not alone and it’s completely normal. People are just doing the best they can, and often still harbor doubt even when they’re doing well. You will wonder if it is worth it or you if you will ever get there, just know everyone feels this way, especially in their 20s. Try to find healthy ways to manage those feelings, like working out and if you need extra support talk to someone.

9. With fashion and in your home, spend money on quality basics and neutral colors. It is always fun to make your space and your closet your own and be creative, but it is likely that your style is still evolving so keep it simple at first, so you don’t find yourself spending excess on things you won’t like 6 months to a year later.

10. Creating things without the pressure of trying to make money from them- Making art, writing poetry, putting your hands in paint is so essential for our health and happiness. One of the biggest problems we see is people thinking they can only create if it’s “good enough” to make money from and that is not true. Create to create and enjoy the heck out of it! 

11. Stop caring about other people’s opinions- For whatever reason, people will root for you to fail. It’s not because of anything you said or did, as a matter of fact, it has nothing to do with you at all. Their reaction to you is likely not something you said or did, it’s their own issue or perception. So don’t take negativity to heart, just keep working. You are not anyone else’s idea of you…be who you were created to be! 

Check back with us next week for the last but not least important pieces of advice we have for those of you enjoying your 20’s right now and the people who love them!

p.s. Just in case you are looking for a specific supplement solution, or any other wellness need, reach out to us here at 916-253-9276 and we would be happy to help you find exactly what you are looking for.

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