Your twenties are here and it’s time for a change.
- Spending money on things you don’t really need.
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You don’t want to wake up at 30 and reealize you have less than 5K in your savings. Trust! Think before you spend—especially on cheap clothes you’ll probably never wear again—and you’ll be happy you did.
- Using tanning beds.
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I really hope I don’t need to be telling you this, but just incase: please, do not use tanning beds. There’s nothing wrong with a side of Vitamin D (when you use SPF), but people who tan indoors are three times as likely to develop skin cancer than those who tan outside.
- Comparing yourself to everyone else.
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Social media is a powerful tool, but sometimes does more harm than good—especially to our self-esteem. Sure, it’s hard to scroll past pictures of your friend who’s an account manager at Nordstrom, teaching weekly restorative yoga classes, flying to Italy for a week to sample wines and spending weekends cuddled up to her law-school-bound boyfriend. Being supportive of others is great, but comparing your life to those you see on your newsfeed is truly the thief of joy.
- Buying excessive amounts of drinks at the bar.
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Money looks better in your wallet, and in your twenties, if you don’t learn to drink smart, you’ll be dropping a good chunk of your paycheck at the bars. Just remember the next time you buy a vodka tonic at the bar, you probably could have bought an entire bottle of Merlot for the same price at the grocery store down the road. Also, you never really need that third drink. Opt for a (free!) water instead.
- Not thinking of your family.
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Choosing to skip your cousin’s wedding over attending fall break in PCB with your sophomore-year besties might seem like a fair trade-off while you’re in college, but after witnessing your grandma’s hospitalization or your best friend’s parent passing, you’re going to value the time spent with your family over any drunken shenanigans in a three-star hotel at a sub-par beach. My suggestion? Call your loved ones, send e-mails to catch them up on your accomplishments and go out of the way to make yourself available while they’re still around.
- Expecting people to change.
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You will encounter people in life who want what you have, are intimidated by who you are and will disagree with what you’ve done. Be above it all.
- Being comfortable
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Get. Outside. Your. Comfort. Zone. That’s where the magic happens. Your twenties are a vital time. Learn to let go of the past and adapt to your quickly approaching future. Make big decisions and own them. Appreciate the new memories and accept challenges with steadfast confidence. Battle the storms that come your way with grace (and a pint of ice cream… or two).
- Blaming yourself for being human
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You’re going to fall. It’s fine. Get back up. You’ll trip and fall and scrape your knees… again. It’s still fine. Getting scared is fine. Being imperfect is fine. Don’t expect the world to be anything but perfect when you’re nowhere near scratching the surface of perfection. Don’t dwell on what you can’t change and accept that bad things happen. Change your attitude, not the circumstances.
- Not controlling your destiny
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Grab your life by the reigns and be in command of it. We live in an era where it’s become more and more common for girls to ask a guy out, send the first text or even propose. If you want something, or someone, then what’s stopping you? Fear? A good friend once told me that fear isn’t a choice, but rather a door. It’s a door we can choose to walk through or walk away from. More often than not, it’s not going to be easier to walk through later on. Don’t let yourself become full of regret (or that person’s second thought!). Speaking of dating…
- Chasing after those who won’t better you
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It’s normal to want people around you to like you, but when your behavior revolves around acceptance and seeking approval, it becomes an unnecessary weight on your shoulders. Be honest to yourself. Maybe you disagree, but the person texting you to meet up at 1:00 a.m. does not have your best interest at heart.
- Living your life for others
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You should be accountable, take care of your responsibilities, volunteer your time and aim to better the lives of those around you, but you also need to start making your own decisions. Stop being a follower and start being a leader. Don’t consider the same things you’ve always done to be the only options you have. Going out every “thirsty Thursday,” dropping $5 on a latte to cure the hangover and spending the morning desperately scrolling through Facebook to make sure you didn’t miss anything will be a weekend routine you won’t miss come post-grad life.
Life happens and it’s perfectly normal if you’ve come to realize that growing out of going-out is okay. FOMO is a real thing, but growing up includes realizing that replacing shots at a bar for a night spent sampling gourmet popcorn around the dinner table with old friends is just as satisfying. Having greater aspirations than you can possibly dream of achieving will give you the motivation needed to navigate this crazy, challenging decade we are so #blessed to a part of.