22. It's so strange to be living as a twenty-something in this day-in-age..
Older adults think you need to have it all figured out; graduate college, start your career, buy a house, get married, have a family, buy a new car, be responsible and the scariest one...grow up. But at the same time, half of them don't think you're capable or "ready" and the other half are just comparing you to the neighbor-girl down the street that finished her undergrad summa cum laude and is on her way to med school at Harvard. Now let me tell you, it's not easy being twenty-something and a Millennial when all the Baby Boomers and Generation X adults are breathing down your neck and critiquing your every move. To be honest, it's hard because everyone seems to be comparing you to some other twenty-something year old and what they're doing. News Flash: It's okay that we're all not on the same track! You can't compare an apple to a banana or you'll always be disappointed that neither one of them is a piece of dark chocolate. This summer I have been reflecting, stressing and really thinking about all of this and I've come to one solid conclusion...there is nothing wrong with where you're at & what you're doing because not all twenty-something's are alike...not all of us want the same things at the same time. I know that this may sound like common sense and for some people it is. But for others (like me) who are watching the people around them go in every possible different direction, it's not so easy to understand that it's okay to create your own path. It's okay to not be 110% sure what you're going to be doing in a few months. It's okay to take some time and reflect on what it is you want to get out of life, because it's honestly all going to be okay sooner than you think. But it's NOT okay to put it all off until you're 30 though. Recently my best friend shared a TED Talk with me that really pieced all of this together. It helped me understand that your twenties are so important for laying the foundation for the rest of your life, but also that you still have time before you have to commit to pouring the cement. Like Meg Jay said, "[make your] twenties a developmental sweet spot" & "decide your life right now." Take your twenties to find your "ah ha moment," change the things your don't like about yourself or your life and don't rush to grow up...it's more enjoyable if you just go at your own pace & make it count. With that being said I'm going to go back to being a happy, stress-free, 22-year-old-college-fifth-year who each day lays a new brick on her own path instead of stressing that it's not the same as everyone else's.
POSTED BY Elissa M. Prazer
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