Life Lessons: What I Learned in My 20s

Well, if life is a ride, then sometimes it takes time to learn who’s driving. Well, in my case, I determined that we as human beings can live actively. We are not just passive participants. We are rising directors that determine what ends up in our reality. With that said, wisdom doesn’t come pre-packaged. As a youth, it seems useless and boring to use what now seems like common sense. But that is what makes life interesting. Our collective journey includes various experiences. Life takes twists and turns. These experiences, both good and bad, make us who we are. We share happiness, sorrow, and joy. It’s all in our unique mixture of emotions. These emotions make us human. At best, we are travelers in this world of divine imagination.

What happens after nineteen? You don’t feel much like a teenager anymore. You know you’re not a legal adult yet. You’re left in limbo at least until you’re twenty. Then on that anticipated day at twenty, you can at least declare you’re in your 20s. This is when the greatest lessons can be learned. That is, if you can remember them. As a memorial to my 20s, I decided to write a detailed list of what I learned. I hope people will identify with the list. Learn something from it, or at best have a chuckle or two. So here it is, the things I learned in my 20s…

1. There is no such thing as a stupid question unless you’re asking something stupid.
2. The internet is a spectacular resource!
3. Drinking coffee keeps you awake to complete important crunch-time tasks, like being awake enough to talk in the morning.
4. Never say never.
5. “You only live once” doesn’t mean you can participate in dangerous, risky behavior.
6. Being on time is important, especially when no one is telling you that you should be.
7. Discovering the reason we were born with two ears and one mouth. It’s much better to practice listening more than we talk.
8. It is better and less stressful to space out work projects. This approach is more manageable than trying to complete, let’s say, a “20-page research paper in one day.”
9. Drink in moderation! Enough said.
10. It’s very hard to listen to someone talking when you have a hangover.
11. It may be wise not to choose a bottom bunk bed if you have an adventurous roommate. Trying to sleep with thoughts of a bed collapsing on top of you is not fun. Advice: Dismount Immediately.
12. Staying determined to reach your goals pays off.
13. Never take people or your loved ones for granted. Let your loved ones know how much you love them.
14. Make time to share quality time with those you love.
15. Children are a wonderful additional gift to life.
16. Courage is not the absence of fear but the mastery of it.
17. A place is as fun as you make it.
18. Student loan deferment is awesome.
19. Entering the real world you’ve known all your life seems less scary. It feels this way once you get your “feet wet” with an actual job. Rrright this is what adults do. Check.
20. Bills!
21. Set goals and dream of accomplishing them.
22. Sometimes what you think is meant to be forever isn’t’ it’s really just meant to be a year. Hence, chocolate and ice cream are awesome.
23. Someone you think is the one may not be.
24. Marriage is wonderful, and being single can be too.
25. Don’t get so absorbed into your romantic partner’s life that you lose attention on your own. Enjoy your own life interests; life’s better that way.
26. There are amusing advantages of being the most sober one during group outings.
27. You can know what it feels like to be a celebrity. This happens if someone has a digital camera or phone with a social media account. Hence, the paparazzi-like invention of #TAGS!
28. The extreme beneficial advantages of bluffing.
29. It’s okay not to know what you want as long as you spend time really soul-searching.
30. Learning the best things in life are free, such as love.