Lessons I Learned In My Early 20’s

The theme of your early 20’s is to build your foundation and to get clear on the type of person you want to be in this world. You may not know what you want to do or where you want to live, but this is where you decide what kind of person you want to be and work towards finding your purpose. Your early 20’s will be dedicated to developing your mindset, habits, and defining your core values. To further help you build your foundation and work towards your greater purpose, here are the lessons that I’ve learned that have helped me best grow in my early 20’s. 

Lesson #1: Get Educated 

This is the time to go get the skills you need to thrive! I’m talking about focusing on finding the jobs, side jobs, etc. that will get you the experience and/or knowledge you need in order to increase your value as a person and in the workplace! I want you to get it out of your head that you’re here to make money now. Now is actually the time to establish profitable skills and lay down your financial foundation.  

Lesson #2: Lay Down Your Financial Foundation

Being fresh out of college comes with loads of opportunity, but also loads of student debt for most. This is your time to build good financial habits when it comes to managing your finances (i.e. saving, spending, investing) and build good credit. There’s loads of information out there on how to do this, in fact, I have great resources on my blog to help you learn how to budget. I even have a Budgeting Guide that includes the budgeting templates and habits I used — and still use today — to reach my financial goals and achieve financial stability.  

Lesson #3: Stop Comparing Yourself

This will help you with laying down your financial foundation, but it also pertains to every area in life. Stop comparing yourself to your friends, your peers, and other people on social media. It’s not worth it! All it will do is create negative narratives in your head about your personal situation and it will distract you from achieving your goals. By comparing yourself to others you will be more inclined to keep up with the Joneses and try to achieve “things” that will only bring you perceived purpose and status. 

I’m urging you to put your blinders on! Be strong in understanding that you are working on building a foundation for yourself. You will be so thankful that you stopped looking everywhere else and started looking within for security, affirmation, and validation. Because of this, you will start making the right choices for you and your future! Remember that everyone is on a different path and has unique situations, so it’s not worth comparing yourself to others. 

Lesson #4: Build Your Network

You’re in your early 20’s so remember to have fun! Go out and make friends. Network! Learn from different people and establish good relationships with people who inspire you. Don’t just go out and make friends for your own personal gain, but make friends because you genuinely want to get to know people and love them. Do your best to stay clear of drama, don’t gossip, and don’t become a social climber. 

Lesson #5: Build Experiences 

Again, don’t be afraid to have fun! Not everything has to be so serious and only about building your future. Let go! Enjoy your time being young whilst having little responsibility. Obviously, that doesn’t mean you should be irresponsible or do anything detrimental for you and your future, but it also doesn’t mean that you have to be so rigid. 

If you want to study abroad, study abroad! If you want to move to a new city because you want to experience it, do so! Whatever you want to do, this is the time to do it. Step out of your comfort zone! Life is short, so enjoy what you have and be willing to create new opportunities for yourself! 

Lesson #6: Take Care of Yourself

Build habits surrounding taking immaculate care of your body, mind, and soul. You will always have you, so make sure you are treating yourself with kindness and love! That means taking care of your mental health, understanding what works for your body, and how to lead a healthy life. Life is all about the habits you build. What a better time to learn what works best for you than in your 20’s? 

Lesson #7: Reputation Matters

Back to understanding your core values and what kind of person you desire to be, it’s also important to look at how others perceive you. By all means, this does not mean to become a people pleaser and do things only for others, but it does mean that you should be self-aware of how people see you. People may not always remember what you do, but they do remember how you make them feel. I always desire to leave people better than how I found them. Have I been perfect at this? No! But, I do understand how important this is to creating and maintaining lasting relationships and how this does indeed affect your future. Thankfully, you can change anytime! What’s better than starting today to become a better person? Someone who doesn’t gossip, someone who is classy and treats others and themselves with respect. This is where you start building your personal brand, not just online, but your in-person personal brand. This is the time where you build your character.

I hope you find this post inspiring and you are able to incorporate some, if not all, of these tips into your daily life. If you’re wanting to be a part of this community and learn more tips on becoming your best self, feel free to sign up below to my Monthly Newsletter where I reveal my personal transformation formula that I use to uplevel my life!