Even though our society generally views being young as a virtue, we have to admit—being young isn't easy. Yes, twentysomethings might not yet have wrinkles, age-related health issues or loads of problems and people to take care of, this period of life has its own distinct challenges. These years tend to be pretty chaotic. You are forced to figure out your career, future plans, find a job, get a college degree, learn to build relationships, and you have to do all these things while not having much life experience. And, obviously, that bounds you to make A LOT of bad choices. Besides, sometimes it might start to feel as if you're wandering through life oblivious, with no idea what to do next.
Luckily, getting older is a truly wonderful thing since it brings people valuable life experience, clarity, fulfilment and self-confidence. Basically, all the things that twentysomethings usually lack. Because of that, it might be a really good idea to sometimes listen to those, who have gone through all the youth chaos and managed to make it to the other side. A few months ago, a Reddit user named peeledraspberry asked all the folks over 40, who feel happy about their lives, to share some of their best advice to all the lost twentysomethings out there.
We invite you to scroll below and look at some of the best life lessons we found
#21
Everything you "get" becomes something you "have"
Learn how to be happy "having" things instead of "getting" them.
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34points
#22
Get a regular exercise routine going and stick to it like your quality of life depends on it, because it does.
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31points
#23
Accept that it doesn't always work out in the end. There is no magic balance that says if something awful happens something good must happen later. Not always winning or being happy is part of life. The sooner you find the tools to accept that the sooner you can achieve your goals.
All of the tangible actions mentioned here are reflections of understanding your values. Figuring out what your values are hasten the maturation process. The reason people say go on adventures is because it forces you to understand yourself.
And honestly, get off Facebook and Instagram.
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28points
#24
Get out of that creepy cult while you are young. Live your life free of your parent's cult. (I was raised in the Mormon cult)
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27points
#25
If you are lucky enough to have the love of a good woman. Support her and she will support you. Two heads are better than one. I don't what I'd do without my S.O. never take one day for granted. Get out there into the world and enjoy it. I'm 45 this year and plenty of my peers didn't make it and wasted their shot.
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27points
#26
My simple advice is to own as little as possible. Having minimal possessions has made me happier and more focused. This isn't about sacrifice or going without. It's about finding pleasure in what I already own. If a friend buys a new jacket, I'm happy for him but it wouldn't motivate me to buy one. There's a certain zen calmness when you get off the consumption treadmill.
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26points
#27
Go to therapy. Figure out what your insecurities are, why you have them, and how to deal with so that they don't define the rest of your life. Talk about your issues from childhood and you're teens (yea, everyone has issues even in their 20's). If you don't do it now you will make decisions based on or driven by those issues and that will put you on a path you may not like.
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25points
#28
This whole thread is wholesome af. I'm 32 but I wish I would've spent more of my 20s listening to advice of slightly older people rather than trying to prove that I could figure it out on my own. Imagine how much energy I could've saved.
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22points
#29
Don't put yourself in ridiculous amounts of debt trying to portray a certain image. You'll spend your entire life trying to get out of the hole you dug or you'll have to declare bankruptcy.
Set aside enough money to cover 3-6 months of expenses for emergencies just like now. Moreover, save now for your retirement years. It doesn't require much and if you have it taken directly from your paycheck you won't be inclined to not pay yourself first.
Take care of your body. Exercise to maintain a healthy weight and good cardiovascular health. As you get older, it's much harder to maintain these.
Enjoy the days of your youth without going overboard. There is nothing wrong with having a good time, yet if you are always waking up wondering what happened last night, why you can't remember how you spent so much money or you always have a hangover; you should tone it down a bit.
Don't take advice or criticism as a personal attack. Most times the people who care about you have observed behavior in you which is off putting, doesn't reflect who you really are or could be or would make you a more rounded person.
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21points
#30
Yes, HAVING KIDS ISN'T THE DEFAULT OPTION. It's a huge decision so many people don't realise they have to make.
I'm sure you'll get replies about "true happiness" and "purpose" and stuff, and for those people who are wired to want kids, great, good for you. We aren't all like you, some of us don't want to go down that road and can live just as fulfilling a life our own way.
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20points
