21 Things I Will Tell To My 21 Years Old Self
This year I’m 26 years old. I just passed through a quarter of my life. By all means, there still a lot of things I need to learn and experience. And there are a lot of people out there who have more experience than me. However, these are a few things that I would like to tell to my 21 years old self if I can turn back time.
1. Understand that no one has it all figured out
Let me tell you, the quarter life crisis is a real thing; most of us will go through this, to some degree, throughout our twenties. You’re fresh out of school, you are either working or likely looking for a job, you’re taking your first essential steps as an independent, functional adult, right? Well, here’s the thing. Everybody don’t have a clue what they are doing. Some people will continue their education, some will travel, some will move in with their parents for awhile, some will transition into a full-time job right away. Don’t place unnecessary stress on yourself by believing that you should have everything set in stone. We will never have all the answers. Life is unpredictable. We’re all trying to find our way.
2. Don’t wait for the “Right Moment”.
There is no such things as the “RIGHT MOMENT”. You need to take action. Don’t wait for inspiration. Perseverance and determination always beats inspiration. Don’t wait for others to introduce themselves. Don’t wait for the right moment to approach that man/women you admire, don’t wait for thousands of dollars in your savings account to start a business, don’t wait for the right moment to write a book. Just do it! Show up every day, spend 15 mins every day for the next 5 years working on your goals and dreams. Over a year, 5, 10 years, it will compound exponentially. You will be amazed how it will turn out.
3. Take Risk.
Your 20s is a time when most of you have almost no responsibilities at all. This is a great time to experiment, fail, and learn. Learn how to overcome failure and persevere. In your 30s and 40s, you will have more responsibilities like family, rent and children’s education. It is harder for you to make decision and take risk in your 30s and 40s.
4. When you’re young, you have less skills and experience than older people. But your only sure competitive advantage is energy and boldness.
5. Be Grateful.
Every day you’re alive and breathing is another opportunity. Don’t waste it. Be grateful for the small things. These are a list of things you will start appreciate as you get older: family, friendship, your own me-time.
6. EAT HEALTHY and EXERCISE.
This goes in hand with number 3. Your energy is your competitive advantage. To be energetic you need to eat right and exercise. In your twenties it’s easy to feel like you’re a superhero. That McD and Coke you consumed the night before burn right off and you wake up the next morning feeling fine. This does not last. Start building healthy habits now before they catch up to you later. At 26, I’m still struggling with this one myself. Get in the habit of eating healthfully and exercising. Your body will thank you for years later.
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7. Live below your means.
Don’t go into debt for materialistic things — car, house, branded and luxury items. Don’t be a slave to lifestyle: eating at expensive restaurants, drink coffee at Starbucks, eating out every day, buy expensive smartphones. This is stupid and reckless. Luxuries are a wonderful thing only if you can TRULY afford them. Don’t be a slave to funding a lifestyle that will not last. Put a fraction of your income into investments but do so cautiously. There are a lot of scammers out there. Learn to live in moderation.
8. Choose who you spend your time with carefully.
You are the average of 5 person around you. Choose your friends wisely. Separate yourself from toxic and negative people — those who would discourage you in pursuing your dreams and are not align with your goals. Seek out people who give you happiness, who inspire you and support you. Nourish those relationships instead.
9. What do you do with all your free time?
What you do from 5–9 will determine how you will be doing from 9–5. Use your free time to improve yourself. Go to classes, seminar, listen to audiobook, start a personal project, record your music, write that book you have been waiting to write. Just don’t waste your free time doing stupid things such as watching TV and gossip.
10. Stop worrying.
Everything that you worried, NEVER HAPPEN. It’s only in your mind.
11. Life is about Execution.
Dreams are FREE. In the real world, execution produce results. If you sit down and dream, you get nothing. You do nothing, you get nothing. You do something, you get something.
12. Don’t compare yourself to other generations
I always hear people talking about this — The Millennials are lazy, self-entitled and so on. You can’t control when you are born and comparing yourself to older (or younger) people is useless. Every generation have its strengths and weaknesses. Live with it it.
13. Don’t think that all routine is bad.
Routine may kill your enthusiasm when you’re working for someone else, but if you ever go into business for yourself, routine will absolutely preserve your sanity. It goes hand in hand with automation. Learn how to automate everything.
14. Learn how to communicate.
I cannot stress this enough, the ability to communicate effectively is absolutely essential whether it be in regards to relationships or your professional life. I find a lot of people within our generation (“Millennials”) often neglect the importance of their communication skills; they avoid writing essays, they are lazy in their emails, they text “How R U?”, they don’t communicate effectively within relationships– but these things matter because they supplement our over-all habits and abilities.
When it comes to the working world, the ability to communicate effectively, sell yourself, give an engaging presentation and think on your feet will always set you apart from the crowd — it will always beat the people with better GPA.
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15. Learn business.
Everyone is in business. Even if you work for somebody else — You sell your time and energy for money. That is business. Think like a business owner. Knowledge of the overall business of business will not only generate understanding but help you start your own.
16. The more pain you solve for people, the more time you save and money you earn for your company, the better your prospects within the company as well as outside it.
17. When you plan things, always plan buffers.
Problem will always happen in anything you plan. Allocate 20% of your plan for in-contingency plan. It will keep you from frustration, disappointment and save you a lot of time and energy.
18. Ask questions.
We don’t have all the answers, yet many of us seem afraid to ask the questions. Listen, knowledge is power, and it is up to you to educate yourself. Frankly speaking, there are essential skills to life that we are often not taught in school; whether it be financial advice, networking, reducing stress etc.
If you find yourself wondering or confuse, ASK. If you want more information or training at work, ASK. If you aren’t sure how to get somewhere, ASK. If you require clarification to perform a task, ASK. If you are unsure of an answer, ASK. If you remain quiet, no one will know you have that question. Be hungry for information, you will be rewarded in the long run.
19. Pursue your Passion.
We live in a world that demands a lot of us; the job market is competitive, living cost is high, economy is not good and we all feel the pressure. With that said, while we have to work to live, I don’t think you should ever settle into a cycle of complacency by working a job you hate just to get by. What is the point of working just to pay a life you don’t actually enjoy?
Yes, we have to be practical, but there is no reason why we can’t bridge the gap between practicality and pursuing something we are passionate about. After all, no matter what your passion is, there is someone who is a master of their craft. There was someone out there who didn’t take no for an answer, who fought at what they loved until they found success. It is not impossible. I know they tell you that you can’t be an artist, a writer or a musician and be successful, but the fact is you can. It may not be easy, but relentlessly investing yourself in something you love, makes far more sense to me than relentlessly investing yourself in something you don’t enjoy for the rest of your life. It’s not about succumbing to the never ending rat race, it’s about becoming a master of your craft.
20. Get out of your parents’ house ASAP.
Be independent. Rent a room. Take part time job while you’re studying. Cook you own meal. Get out to the real world. You will matured earlier than your age.
21. Travel as much as you can
If you have the opportunity to travel, seize it. Explore work or study opportunities abroad, take some risks, experience different cultures. There are lots of cheap flight tickets today. Stay at backpackers or go couchsurfing. Don’t feel as though you are bound to one single routine and place at this time in your life, you still have room to grow and explore. Travel while you are young.
Finally…
Remember what it felt like in your 20s. This is the time of life when you are likely going to feel most intense; there’s a reason why many poets and musicians peak during this decade.
Remember the hunger and the pain you feel in your heart.
Remember being poor enough so that you take nothing for granted,
Remember making life decisions at the petrol station,
Remember sleeping on couches and sofas.
Remember the feeling of hunger.
Remember how it drives you.
Remember so that you do not want to go back there again, remember it so that you are not scared of losing it all.
Remember, so that you will be grateful for what you have.
In my best moments of clairvoyance, I always go back to the thought that it is better to be young and hungry than old and fat (metaphorically speaking).
If you enjoyed this article, you might enjoy my article Nothing will change until you write down your goals
I’m Azlan, founder of Flix. I write at KingAzlan.com.
I write. I workout. I hustle. I believe there’s always room to improve no matter how incredible you think you are. If you think so too, follow me to see more inspirational stories!
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