Ah, to be young and filled with so much hope. If you’re in your 20s, these are some of the best times of your life, but only if you do it right. A lot of people somehow waste their youth and go through this decade in their lives worrying about their career in rental property management or making their first million from working as a real estate agent by the time they hit 25.
While setting goals for yourself is a good thing, when you take life too seriously at your young age, you will miss out on a lot of opportunities that it brings.
We have listed just a few things that we believe you should do while you’re still in your 20s so that you don’t live with regret when you get older.
1. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
When you’re young, you still don’t have as many serious responsibilities such as providing for children or paying for your monthly mortgage. Your 20s are the best years to live adventurously. Go see the world. Try out different cuisines. Meet new and interesting people. At this point, you can still afford to experience life and marvel at it from youthful eyes.
2. Learn to say “no.”
It is best to learn this valuable skill now while you’re still young instead of having to deal with this when you’ve already made a habit of pleasing people. Learning to say “no” in a respectful yet confident manner makes people understand that you have boundaries to protect.
3. Do the things that scare you.
If you stop and think about it, life can be pretty scary. The thought of not knowing what the future holds and that you have no control over it can get pretty overwhelming. But don’t let your fears paralyze you from living a full life. Accept that there will be tough and scary times but you’ll be alright.
4. Learn to fail forward.
Failures and mistakes are a normal part of life. These make us humans. But your past failures and mistakes should stay in the past but propel you to move forward making better decisions based on the hurtful lessons you’ve learned. It’s part of growing up. And besides, you’re young. You can still get away with a lot of things. That’s your unfair advantage.
5. Embrace your flaws.
Just like mistakes and failures, flaws and imperfections are pretty much a constant in life, no matter how much of a perfectionist you are. The sooner you learn to embrace this truth, the sooner you will outgrow your insecurities in life.
6. Laugh at yourself and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Having a sense of humor and plenty of laughter will get you through some of the darkest and saddest moments of your life. Learning how to not take yourself — and sometimes even laugh at yourself — helps you keep anxiety and insecurity at bay. This is probably the reason why they say laughter is the best medicine.
7. Get insurance.
They say that the best time to get insurance is yesterday, the second-best time is today. While you’re still young, you need to plan and work towards building financial security for your retirement. You may think that you still have plenty of time to work on it but time flies and the next thing you know, you’re already cramming in your 50s. Don’t be that person. Do it now.
8. Build good habits.
Habits are hard to break, both good and bad. Your advantage is you’re young and are more open to change. It’s easier for you to get rid of bad habits and replace them with good ones that will help you get through life. Good habits such as eating healthily, working out regularly, having financial discipline, and setting goals are just some examples that you can start getting into your system.
9. Don’t keep up with the Joneses.
If there’s one thing you should never fall into, it is the trap that you need to compete with others when it comes to material possessions and achievements. Resist the urge to spend beyond your means and end up in a vicious cycle of buying expensive things just to impress people. Wealth is never just about material things.
10. Choose your friends wisely.
Learn to wisely choose the people you surround yourself with. Do they hold the same values as you do? Will they speak the truth to you in love or feed your ego? Who you hang out and spend most of your time with — your circle of influence — defines who you are.
They say youth is wasted on the young. But that’s just because those who say it didn’t have people who told them how to make the most out of their youth. Make the most out of these years for your 20s will fly by really fast. Enjoy your life, learn a lot, and try not to worry about the future. You’ll be alright.
