I'm baffled.
Always.
Seriously. Confused. 24/7.
It's as though every decade has a reason:
0-10 years old: School and playdates with friends
11-20: High School, College, Partying, "Figuring out life"
30-40: Married, having kids, working a full-time job
And then this:
20-30 years old: Ummm, what?
What are we supposed to do? Most of us are graduating college, moving out of our parents houses, trying to determine what our future holds. But the majority of us have no idea what we want to do or where we expect ourselves to be within these years. It's going back to those awkward gap years, like when you wear braces and goofy glasses because it's just that time of your life. You feel as though your life should be coming together and you keep getting hit with these horrific moments of pure anger, confusion, and self doubt.
I think when you're in your 20s you either have your shit together or you don't. And I'm not saying that one is right and one is wrong, but lets face it; you feel like a major failure when you don't. I'm not even sure where I stand in this debacle we call a "quarter life crisis." The only thing I know at this point is that I have survived 25 years of my life, I'm not homeless, broke, or in jail. I don't know about you, but I call that a success. But success is not measured by the amount of time spent in jail (look at Martha Stewart for example).
Let's be serious for a second here: What is the true deciding factor that determines your success in your twenties? Does having a part-time job mean you're not doing well? Is being single, living alone, with one cat (maybe 5) mean you're a failure? Because to me, I'm being told these are the years you're supposed to have acquired your dream job, find the person of your dreams, and start feeling put together and ready to take on the world. But can someone please show me this checklist of what you're supposed to accomplish in your 20s because I think mine may have gotten lost in the mail.
Here's what I think, not that you care, but this is my take on your 20s:
These are the years about experimentation. You move new places, take on new jobs, new opportunities, and you do a trial and error run on your life. Figure out what makes you happy; what job do you want to wake up and go to every morning? Who do you want to spend all of your time with at the end of the day? Where do you want to live that combines everything you love into one? When you shoot a bow and arrow, chances are you don't hit the bulls eye on the first try, but after figuring out your errors and fixing them, you are bound to hit the center eventually. And as we all know, frustration and aggravation come into play along with self-hatred and depression, but life isn't all uphill; you have to go down at some point to make it to your final destination.
I have had jobs in a plethora of fields, befriended people of different varieties, moved to a copious amount of places all in the last few years just to try and come to some sort of conclusion about my life. And you know what? I still have absolutely no idea where I'm heading but I know where I'm not, and to me, that's progress.
If there is one I've learned halfway through my 20s it's this:
Don't get so down on yourself. Believe that eventually everything will come together and it will. If you don't put in the effort, nothing will happen to you. Everything cannot be handed to you a silver platter and if you believe that everything should, well then enjoy not getting anywhere anytime soon. These are the years to enjoy your freedom and try out new jobs, new locations, and new friends. Your twenties may be the most confusing years of your life, but I think they're the ones that make you stronger and get you closer to exactly who you want to be.
Now go on, take your twenties and show them who's boss.
