Feel Good Friday: 10 Tough Life Lessons You Learn In Your Twenties
Happpppppy Friday, good getters!What are your plans for the weekend and the Fourth?I am extra excited to have Monday and Tuesday off with only a few outings planned, so I am open to wherever the weekend may take me. :)
It kind of dawned on me the other day how life teaches us lessons along the way when we need to become aware of something.There are life lessons our parents teach us growing up, like what it means to work hard, how to forgive, and why it pays to persevere. But then, there are the kinds of lessons we have to learn on our own—like, how to recover from a betrayal, how to deal with others' negativity, and why you shouldn’t force yourself to do anything that doesn’t feel right.As my twenties near an end (which I keep forgetting 'til I count the months left on one hand), I’m taking today to think back at some of my self-taught lessons that really sunk in this past decade. You’ll have to tell me if you agree.
In no particular order...1. People you feel close to may not be the best secret-keepers. A.K.A.... choose wisely who you open up to and what details of your life you’re comfortable sharing with them, just in case those conversations leak to others you may not be as close to. My circle of trust has closed in over the years and you know, that's okay... it just took some hard lessons to really learn that one. It's better to just keep quiet sometimes with information that's near and dear to you.2. Skin care is the best care and just because you’re not a teenager doesn’t mean that zits disappear. This may sound like a silly lesson but the older I get, the more time I take to care for my skin, particularly my face. I wear less makeup, take extra time to remove the day's residue from my face, and on the weekends, I try to really to go the extra mile with a face mask or scrub. Everyone hates the occasional break out, so I try to really take care of my face and not over do it with sun and chemicals.3. Sometimes no plans are the best plans. Come on, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s some shift that happens in your mid to late 20s when you don’t entirely need to go out anymore to have a good time or to even have plans at all. Sure, I’m social and love a good outing, but I could kick back on a Friday or Saturday night and be just as happy.4. No one’s life timeline is the same. You’ll watch some friends get married, others have kids, and some get the job of their dreams. You may be doing the same or something completely different. Whatever the case, know this: no two people follow the same life timeline. There’s no rush, urgency, or pressure to compare your journey to anyone else’s. As Sam would quote, "Comparison is the thief of joy." Amen to that.5. It’s okay to change your mind when it comes to your career. Just because you studied one major in college and had a vision for what your dream job might look like doesn’t mean you can’t explore other options once you're a working adult. People change their passions and what you thought you might love doing may feel different once you're doing it day in and day out. Be patient with yourself and see where your passions take you.6. You’ll always need your parents. Even 3000 miles away, I still call my parents for advice or just to chat. Just because I’m older doesn’t mean I have life 100% figured out and sometimes I have financial questions or career concerns that would benefit from their valuable life experience. Your parents are only a call, text, or Facetime away. Tell them you care about them.7. You can’t allow people to determine your mood or thoughts. It is so easy to let others people's negativity bring you down, especially when it surrounds you more often than not. Don’t adopt their mood as your mood and don’t accept their unhappy thoughts as beliefs of your own. Try meditating, reading, and keeping the peace.8. Sometimes adulting is hard. When you’re young and your parents take care of the finances and family schedule, it’s easy to not have a care in the world. But, when you’re an adult covering your own tush day-to-day, you quickly realize life is nonstop. There are bills, deadlines, paperwork, taxes, banking, dates to remember, appointments, car maintenance, and household problems to tend to. How did our parents ever do it all AND take care of little humans, too? Beats me! Sam and I joke sometimes that we can barely take care of ourselves (kidding), so how are we going to take care of babies?! (Obviously we're exaggerating but you get the point...)9. Hangovers are hard. I remember two strong memories of my last toughest hangovers. New Year’s Day 2015 and my 29th birthday. HOLY MOLY. There’s nothing that’ll serve as a wake up call quite like a late 20s hangover. Let me tellllllll you. I do not recover quickly, lol. What about you?10. The best kind of love takes time. I remember being in my early twenties dying for a steady, long-term relationship. So many people around me (see, comparison...) were happy in love... where was my guy? Dating came late for me and it really wasn't until I met Sam that I realized that love could be fun and easy going. I wasn't trying too hard for the boy to like me... he just did. That's kind of when you know. When it's effortless, natural, and no fuss. If you're single and looking for love, keep giving it time to happen. I know it sucks waiting for Mr. Right, but he's out there and he's on his way.Have an awesome weekend!Ari