Now that I’m in the latter part of my twenty-something years and starting to prepare for turning thirty, I’ve been thinking a lot about life and how my perspective has changed since I was twenty.
The last few months I’ve been through a lot of changes and some great things have happened. I finally feel like I’m starting to grow up!
Recently I came across this post on the Thought Catalog blog and it inspired me to put some of the things I’ve learned down in writing.
- Good friends will stick around, even if you don’t see each other often or you move away, you can still pick up where you left off whenever you do have time together.
- Things that are important in your life aren’t necessarily that significant to others and vice versa. So if you want your friends to display endless interest in your love life, work problems, wedding plans, pregnancy etc then you have to give in order to receive.
- There will always be times when bad things happen to you, but ultimately it is your choice to be happy. It takes a lot of work and it’s easy to fall into the habit of being fed up or miserable, but make the effort and it will be worth it.
- The universe doesn’t owe you a perfect life. You have to work for it.
- Most people don’t achieve their dreams because it’s too easy to give up and succumb to the fear of failure. It might take years of sweat and pain, but when you achieve that one thing you’ve always wanted, it will be magical.
- You can’t blame your parents/siblings/teachers/boss for everything bad that has happened to you. If you carry every wrong around with you, your heart will become bitter and you will never be able to enjoy your life.
- If you’re unhappy with something, change it. I’ve suffered for years in jobs I hated because I was too scared to make the change. What if I was the problem? What if I wasn’t capable of doing a better job? What if I was following the wrong career path? Would I always feel this way? But eventually you have to stop moaning and make the effort to transform your life because nobody else is going to do it for you.
- The same applies to relationships. If you’ve spent years in an on again, off again dating hellhole, be brave and break the cycle. If you need help to do it, confide in your friends. Chances are they’ve spent years listening to you cry over your miserable love life and have been secretly dying for you to dump your loser boy/girlfriend and find somebody worthy.
- When you’re younger, you might be able to get away with drinking loads, eating takeaways and not bothering to exercise and still stay thin. Unfortunately, there will come a time when your body will finally retaliate against this abuse and you will get fat. So start exercising while you can – you might even enjoy it.
- Sad as it may be, accept that at some point you are going to have to stop buying all of your clothes at Topshop.
- You’re always going to be busy, but don’t use it as an excuse to avoid spending time with friends and family. You’ll regret it when they’re not around.
- Don’t put off doing the things you really want. If you dream about visiting Rome, Goa or Shanghai, stop booking a holiday to Tenerife every year, save up and book it. Experiences are everything.
- Not everyone is going to like you, or appreciate your work. Don’t kill yourself trying to attain their approval.
- Some people are just dicks. Don’t let them bring you down.
- It’s worth spending money on the big things like travel and new experiences, but don’t get into debt for the latest handbag or designer dress.
- You can drive yourself crazy comparing your life to other people’s and feeling that you should have a better job, be engaged, married, have a family, travel the world, but just remember that everyone has something they envy or admire in another person. You never know, they might secretly wish they had your life.
- Take as many photos as you can.
- Don’t torture yourself over your appearance. The girls in magazines have Photoshop to make them look perfect. Either that or they just don’t eat and are toxic clouds of constant deprived misery.
- Stand up for yourself and whatever it is you believe in.
- There are only so many times you can cancel plans before everyone stops inviting you to go out.
- There will always be people living off benefits or making a fortune by showing themselves up on reality TV and it will probably always piss you off. But would you swap your life for theirs?
Okay, so knowing this and living it are two very different things, but I’m taking baby steps towards my goals.
Who knows, I might hit thirty and suddenly discover the secret to an ideal existence…!
Lucy Durie says
Very insightful and can relate to some of the points you have learnt in your twenties! I will be coming back for more interesting blogs! Thanks
Amy Lord says
Thanks glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Tiffany Rosenbower says
I enjoyed reading this list, it’s very honest and eye-opening. # 17 is funny but it’s true! I wish I had taken more pictures when I was younger, even of things that seem insignificant.
Amy Lord says
Glad you liked it Tiffany, thanks for commenting!
Michelle says
So many truisms here! I turn 30 in (exactly) two weeks and agree with many of these.
Amy Lord says
Ah snap! I’ll be 30 this year, so all these posts about how to live your 20s that are popular now have a different edge for me.