Enjoy Being 20-Something.
Your early 20s are some of the best years of your life. They are the years to discover yourself, make mistakes and find your way. You are old enough to be considered an adult, but you are also young enough to be carefree and stumble along the way. Here are a few things to remember while enjoying your 20s.
Travel
If you have the opportunity to travel the world for a week, a month, or even a semester, take the chance. When in your life will you ever be able to travel across the world for a short period of time? As a 20-something-year-old, you have no ties to the location you’re at now; you are still determining where you are going to plant yourself permanently. So go see Venice, London, Sydney and Hong Kong. Go see the world while you have the chance. Get a taste of something new and exciting that you’ve never seen before. That way, when you’re settled and have a family, you have stories to tell your children about what you did “back in your day.”
Explore
This past year, I made a promise with a close friend of mine that I would say no to nothing. If someone asked me to go do something with him or her, whether it’s camping, a road trip, a late night coffee run, or a walk/bike ride down the road, the answer is always yes. You never know whom you’ll meet along the way, and some of my best encounters have occurred because I took a chance and said yes to exploring and adventuring. Start small and say yes to ice cream with a group of people you aren’t so close with. Say yes to going out on a school night. Say yes to that hockey game even though you know nothing about the sport. Say yes to the nice guy for once and do something new you’ve never explored before.
Fall in and out of Love
Be young; don’t depend on one boy to provide all of your happiness. If you do, you’re making a mistake and it’s never to late to turn it around. Have your heartbroken. We know it hurts, but we learn, grow and prosper from it. Stop looking for the one and enjoy the people in your life now. Stop thinking you’re going to be the single cat lady who lives alone forever; there’s a nice man out there who loves cats just as much as you do and you’ll meet him one day. Stop trying to rush it. It’ll happen, and you’ll look beautiful in that white dress on your wedding day. For now, be 20-something and enjoy the time you have with those entering and exiting your life. When the road gets lonely, just remember that when one door closes, another opens.
Be Ridiculous
Please make mistakes. It’s a reminder that we’re all human. You are still learning; it’s okay to act out and be a little ridiculous. Be outspoken and say the wrong thing. Laugh obnoxiously at jokes that weren’t that funny and, when you’re out downtown walking past that street musician, dance like nobody is watching. Go protest for what you believe in and tell the world you are going to make a difference. Dance on a table top with a group of your closest friends. Rollerblade your heart out and don’t be afraid to fall. Do things only a 20-something can get away with and live with no restrictions; be ridiculous.
Be Silly
If you trip or stumble in front of a really cute guy, laugh it off. Sing way off-key when the radio comes on and scream Katy Perry at the top of your lungs in the shower, loud enough for every apartment complex or dorm room nearby to hear. Laugh at arguments. Stop and smell the flowers, and remember you are never too old for a little food fight. Pick up a guitar you have no idea how to play and pretend you’re Ed Sheeran performing at Madison Square Garden. Bake even though you’re not good at it and remember life is too short to be anything but happy.
If you do nothing else, just be 20-something.