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An Open Letter To Twenty-Somethings

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at JMU chapter.

Sit back, relax and stop growing up so fast.

I’ll keep this short because I know how much you must have going on, filling your plate up and then biting off more than you can chew. We all do.

But hear me out…stop rushing to get to your future, so that by the time you realize you’re in the present, the moment is gone.

Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. No matter how many people tell you to *insert monotonous task here* to prepare for the future, know that you can do more. After all, the best way to predict the future is to create it.

I sit and listen to people talking every day, and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one who remembers to stop and smell the roses.

I challenge you to take the road less traveled and say yes when everything is saying no.

We need to realize that our twenties are some of the best times but also the worst. Without the worst, we can’t appreciate the best. And without our twenties, we wouldn’t make mistakes that help us figure out our lives.

When was the last time you met someone who was perfect?

What IS perfect anyways?

Right here, right now, being imperfect is perfect.

This is the time to fall in love, and fall out of it–maybe break some hearts along the way. Take a day off and use that extra five dollars to treat yourself even if your New Year’s resolution was to save up.

Your twenties are the best time to truly be yourself.

I will never forget my mom’s advice, “The best part about being alone, is learning how to be your own best friend.” No matter how many Facebook posts you see about relationships, engagements, and weddings, you don’t need ANYONE but yourself.

When you learn to love yourself, you can share that same warmth with someone else… or a cat.

What we want to be when we grow up has been in question since we were little kids, but you know what? Sometimes there isn’t just one solid answer. Let’s be real, I hardly know what I want to eat for dinner, let alone what I want to do with the rest of my life. Am I right?

That being said, dream big. Just do it. Go back to that feeling of limitlessness that was so familiar to us as kids.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“An astronaut!”…. “the president!”…. “famous!”

You can be ANYTHING you choose, and we live in such an amazing opportunistic world where we are at the prime of our lives to go out and just DO.

At this point you might be thinking about how cliché this all sounds, but please take a second to reflect—just one. Ask yourself, am I happy? If you are, keep it up and enjoy. If not, make that one small change, but do it only for you, no one else.

Your twenties are your time to shine– take advantage and jump at it.

Hey everyone! I'm Megan, a senior at James Madison University pursuing a double major in the School of Media Arts and Design (with a concentration in journalism) and political science, and a minor in political communication. I am an avid Netflix viewer, obsessed with breakfast foods, and a yogi-- queue the headstand. I love to read news and stay up to date with all things pop culture...and I also love to write, go figure! Due to extreme wanderlust, I am always on the move, and I look forward to traveling the world and whatever comes with it. Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments you have. Enjoy! 
Aleixka has a B.A. in Media Arts and Design and a minor in Spanish from James Madison University. She loves all things books, traveling, food, and photography.