Question 1: What am I doing with my life?
I am almost positive that every 20-something dreads the question “So what are you going to do after you graduate?” We dread this question because, most of the time, we have absolutely no idea. And, once you start thinking about “what am I going to do with the rest of my life?” you inevitably next begin asking yourself, what am I even doing with my life right now?! There are people out there curing cancer, building homes for displaced refugees, and here I am doing what? Reading Kafka? Should I be saving the world or saving for my 401K?
Food for thought: I remember that there are so many successful people who didn’t even know how to do laundry in their twenties, let alone know what they were doing with their lives. It’s okay to be a little lost; it might just help you find something great a little later down the road.
Question 2: Why Am I Single?
Every time I log onto my Facebook, the word of a new couple appears on my newsfeed complete with various wall posts and pictures that show just how much they love each other. Seeing this every day as a single 20-something makes it feel like literally everyone is in a relationship except for you. It makes you think: Is there something wrong with me? Do I smell? This leads to my starting to envision my life 30 years from now, living in a five-floor walkup because I only need one bedroom for my fifty-seven cats and me. Then I wake up from this nightmare and remember that not everyone meets their person in college and that becoming a cat lady is less common than I may think.
Food for thought: If you find yourself falling into the trap of Facebook-relationship-FOMO, don’t worry! You will find the love of your life. Just because you’re not riding into the profile-picture sunset together with every other couple right at this very moment doesn’t mean it won’t happen ever. Men are stubborn. Maybe your knight in shining armor just got a little lost and won’t ask for directions.
Question 3: Am I an alcoholic?
But seriously, I don’t see 40 year olds pounding shots, shot-gunning beers, or making mixed drinks that are 3 parts vodka and 1 part soda. Is it normal to consume this much alcohol? I feel like the majority of 20-somethings are surprised that their liver made it this far.
Food for thought: This may be a valid concern. While I’m almost positive that most 20-somethings are not alcoholics, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to stop downing eight shots per night on a regular basis.
Question 4: Where does all my money go?
We all know that feeling of checking your bank statement and finding your balance at an all-time low and coming to the shocking realization that you’re nearly broke. Before college graduation, most parents will generously add needed funds to their child’s bank account as needed, creating a false sense of security that spending money has no consequence. At this stage, the parents are the ones that get to be astounded when they realize that you’ve managed to blow through 100 dollars in a week. Then, you graduate and get a paycheck and bills. And now, even though you have a paycheck, you’re somehow still broke.
Food for thought: Until you start taking serious lessons in personal finance 101, you may never know where your money goes. In college, the money mostly goes towards food and booze. When you graduate however, that extra level of independence from your parents does come at a cost (pun intended). Now, as a budidng 20-something, you’re saddled with the responsibility of paying for everything yourself. Do you miss the expenses-paid dining hall and frat parties with free drinks yet?
Question 5: Why does everyone annoy me?
There are times that I get so frustrated with the realities of college life and adulthood that I’m tempted to shatter the hopes and dreams of the hopeful wide-eyed high school seniors with their rosy visions of college. I know not too long ago that I, along with all other 20-somethings, was one of those wide-eyed dreamers, full of possibility and happiness. Responsibilities, time management, and stresses of figuring out the rest of your life can make all 20-somethings resentful of youthful innocence or frustrated with those people who just plan on coasting through life.
Food for thought: Don’t resent the youths. Eventually they will gain more responsibilities, too as the cycle continues, and it’d be more productive of us to accept our roles as quasi-adults and recognize that certain fun things come out of growing up as well. We are no longer young, wild and free, but we have the experience, memories, and wisdom to guide us.
Question 6: Was I like that in high school?
Whenever I find myself in the presence of high-schoolers, I find myself cringing. – For some reason, being in high school gives every teenager a sense of invincibility and superiority that is very irritating. Just because they’re almost the same age as Justin Bieber does not mean they know the answer to every single thing. The nineties generation does not have this same know-it-all mentality…or at least I hope we weren’t. When I was in high-school, I still watched the Disney Channel. It was nice, educating, and family friendly. Now teenagers are watching The Jersey Shore, which I don’t qualify as “classy” television. What happened to tasteful TV? And they’re lack of respect! We were respectful people when we were in high school. Granted, we may have dropped it like it was hot, but we did so courteously.
Food for thought: The more I think about it, the more I come to realize that I was probably an obnoxious brat during my high school years because I thought I was cool and knew it all. Most of us probably thought that. It is annoying, but hopefully, like us, they will grow out of it.
Question 7: When will my parents stop paying the bills?
I’m broke. I have no money. Is it socially acceptable to ask my parents for money? 20-somethings need to know when to expect their parents to cut them off. Is it the first paycheck? Or just when we graduate college? WE NEED TO KNOW!
Food for thought: This one varies depending on your situation, and I’m just as concerned about this prospect as every other 20-something, so if anyone knows the answer…let me know.
Question 8: Why don’t I have time to go to the gym?
In all honesty, we probably do have time to go to the gym. That time is just occupied instead by Facebook, Netflix, going to parties, and catching up on sleep. The gym is just unappealing. It’s full of really fit people being fit, or really motivated 20-somethings trying to become fit. Seeing all of that energy and effort is exhausting in itself. So, it’s not so much we don’t have time to go to gym, it’s just we don’t have the mental motivation to make time to go to the gym.
Food for thought: Next time you’re tempted to skip the workout, ask yourself “is it really necessary for me to marathon Keeping Up with the Kardashians right now?” If you can admit that it’s not (which I know is actually very hard because you really want to know if Kim and Chloe are ever going to make up) you’re one step closer to a healthier lifestyle and one step farther away from being a couch potato.
Question 9: How was this a good idea?
College, life, that last rum and coke, it’s basically the question asked on a daily basis. How was college a good idea when I could be living at home, having my laundry done and meals cooked for me? The burning question of how posting that picture of you doing a keg stand two years ago was a good idea when you’re applying to your 15th job.
Food for thought: Not everything that seems like a bad idea at the time is actually a bad a idea. Dating that one guy who made Kayne look polite might have taught you exactly what you didn’t want in a guy. Some of the best things in life may come from realizing our mistakes. But you still might want to untag that picture of you doing the naked mile.
Question 10: Are these realy the best years of my life?
In truth, even if the 20-something years are the best of our lives, we probably won’t appreciate that until we are no longer 20-somethings. The decade is filled with constant anxiety, frustration, panic, and hangovers. There is enormous pressure to figure out what we want, who we want to be with, and where we want to achieve what we want. We have to do this all in 10 YEARS…all while enjoying our youth. The pressure alone is enough to make a person wish they were a 30-something or maybe a 10-something instead. The biggest decision of our teenage years was figuring out who we were going to take to prom. By contrast, now we have to figure out our entire life plan!
Food for thought: Yes, this is stressful, but you need to remember to appreciate the small things that are great about being young: Like how you still get carded, because one day the bartender will no longer ask for your ID and then you know the time has come to wish you were a 20-something again.
[Photo Sources: Linnysvault.com]