20 somethings
Your twenties are a confusing time. You’re not a kid anymore, but you’re not an adult yet either, really. At least most of us don’t feel like one.
One thing I’ve noticed about twenty somethings is the worry. We worry about our relationships, work, university. We worry about the future while we’re stuck in the past. We’re trapped in the middle ground between thinking we know everything (as most teenagers do) and realising we know nothing at all. The world seems chaotic, and none of us quite fit in.
It’s the time we’re told to be focused, that we should have this all sorted out by now. We judge our success by comparing ourselves with our friend’s Instagram updates or the grades we worked three years for.
Everyone else seems to know what they’re doing; why are we so far behind?
I want to share a little secret; they have no idea what they’re doing, either. Do you know how I know this? Because no one really knows what they’re doing; no one, anywhere, at any time.
It’s okay if you don’t know where you’re going yet, and it’s okay if you’ve not done as well at something as you thought you might. That’s life. It throws problems at you, not to ruin your plans, but to teach you problem-solving skills and toughen you up. This is what your 20’s are great for; it’s as beautiful as it is brutal .
We’re thrown into a world we have no idea how to navigate, and we’re expected to start walking it on our own two feet. A lot of us make it look easy, easier than it actually is. The reality is that you’re going to make mistakes, and it might be bad, yes, but nothing much is permanent, and it’s never too late.
It’s okay to be selfish … not the ‘run anyone down if they’re in my way’ selfish but the ‘I need a few hours alone’ kind of selfish. People will enter and leave your life, and that’s okay. You will outgrow people, and people will outgrow you; it’s all a normal process.
I won’t give you advice on what to do or when to do it; that’s on you. Just know that all growth involves struggle, your experiences will be good and bad (but you are learning) and that at the end of the day, trying your best is all you can really do.
Give yourself a break.
