1.Make Time For Family

I put this as number 1 because this is very important! You have to remember friends come and go (especially when you’re young) but family is forever. Life is too short, we need to spend quality time with them and show them how much you appreciate them. They are your “ride or dies” they will always have your back no matter what.

2.Don’t Settle

This is important!! Don’t settle in relationships, friendships, jobs, etc… You need to do what makes YOU happy. Don’t base your happiness on other people’s decisions. Remember you are NOT stuck. There is ALWAYS a way out. STOP settling!

3.Use Your Voice, Speak Up

Speak up for what you believe in. Don’t ever be afraid to use your voice, let your opinions be heard!

4.Focus On Your Goals

You will never accomplish anything unless you set goals and work on them. Remember that.

5.You’re Doing Great

We’re always our toughest critics! Just know that you are always better off than you think you are. At times we may feel as if our lives are at rock bottom; trust me it’s not there. Take a look from the outside in, if you have a roof over your head, food on your plate, and have a job then you are doing just fine. You are blessed more than you realize.

6.We Are All On Different Journey’s In Life

This is important to remember. No one is on the same journey, we may be in this thing called life together but we all have different paths.

7.It’s Okay to Ask For Help

This is something I struggle with. I always have had a hard time asking for help, not because I am ashamed or embarrassed to ask, but because I do not want to be a bother to anyone. You will soon learn that if you have strong and supportive relationships in your life, they will want to help you. All you need to do is ask.

8.Invest in Yourself

You will quickly learn that you need to be your own biggest fan. If you want to sign up for a class to learn a new skill, a healthy life style change such as a gym membership etc… Self-development is never a negative thing; learn as much as you can now. You do not want to regret it when you’re older.

9.Make Mistakes

This is how you learn; it’s ok to make mistakes. I had to learn this the hard way; I always beat myself up over every little mistake I made. One day I had to really sit down and accept that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes and I’ll say it once again its ok to make mistakes.

10.Stop Criticizing Yourself

You are always harder on yourself than anyone else ever will be. The more you criticize yourself the worse off you will feel. You should always speak positive thoughts about yourself.

11.Your Current Job Isn’t Forever

Starting off on your own you’re still finding yourself. While finding yourself you will have many jobs that you do not like. These jobs are not forever, there is always a way out and you should look at these jobs as stepping stones helping you grow to where you will end up. These jobs will help you get to your dream job; you just need to put in the effort and time to get there. Remember the job just isn’t going to come to you. Always work toward the job that your dream is calling.

12.It’s Okay to Start Over

Don’t make life changing decisions for anyone but yourself. I have started over several times; I changed my degree about 3 times. The people that really matter and deserve to be in your life will still love and accept whatever decisions you make. If it feels right, go for it. If it doesn’t, leave it behind.

13.Make Happiness a Priority

If you aren’t happy, again don’t settle. I heard a quote that has always stuck with me, “if you don’t like where you are, move, you aren’t a tree.” Whether it’s a relationship, a job, or even friends… make your happiness a priority.

14.Be Yourself

If you have to pretend/act to be someone you’re not just to fit in with others, it’s not worth it. Why would you want to hang out with anyone where you can’t be yourself?

15.Start Saving Your Money, Now!

You should definitely start saving habits no, learn how to budget. Learn to put a little bit of your paycheck into your savings, you will be better off in the long run. You will be set for unexpected expenses and even splurges! It would be a good idea to have your retirement account set and accruing.

16.It’s Okay to Say No

I hate saying no, I tend to be a people pleaser, I always want to help people. As I’ve gotten older it has become a little easier to say no to things. I wish I would’ve learned earlier that it is okay to say no, your happiness should always come first.

17.Be Grateful & Be Kind

You will soon learn that kindness goes a long way. You never know what battle people are fighting every morning they wake up. Smile at someone… who knows this could be the only smile they receive all day. Be grateful, this is very important. Start appreciating the people around you and what’s right in front of you and you will find yourself much happier.

18.Nothing Comes Easy

The older generations always say that the millennial generation always wants everything handed to them, in some ways I see how that can be true. Many of us want to succeed and get to the top, but we do not want to put in the work that comes along with doing so. We can’t expect to get everything to get handed to us. In order for you to accomplish your dreams, aspirations, and goals you must put in the work to do so. There will be challenges along the way and it may seem like you will never get there, but you will. i promise you, the day will come where all your hard work has paid off and everything falls into place. When that does happened you can thank yourself for all the hard work you put in to get there and you will feel much better knowing that it wasn’t simply handed to you.

19.Say Yes to New Adventures

We only get ONE life to live; we need to live it to the fullest! Don’t be afraid to try something new or go new adventurous trips. We all need to get out of our comfort zones; life is short explore it while you’re young. You don’t want to look back 10-15 years later and regret the chances you never took.

20.Being an Adult is Hard

There is no instruction manual to being an adult although we sometimes find ourselves wishing there was one. You are allowed to feel completely lost and confused I get it, it is all overwhelming. It seems like one day you wake up and all of a sudden you have to figure out what you want to do with your life, figure out how you are going to pay the bills, make your own appointments, etc.…when really all you want to do is go back to the time when you could sleep all day and not have a worry in the world. There is a saying I learned from a previous boss, I say it pretty much every day of my life now its “fake it till you make it”. We all have that one person that we may seem envious of or wonder how they seem to have all their stuff together…you need to realize THEY ARE LOST TOO. Life will always be challenging, just take it day by day! Welcome to your twenties! 🙂

XO,
Shay