11 Life Lessons I Wish I Knew In My Early 20s
I recently turned the big 3–0. While this milestone feels somewhat arbitrary, it was still an opportunity to reflect on the past decade. In doing so, it also helped me identify what I wanted to take forward and implement. I for one do not want to live an unexamined life. Here are 11 life lessons that stood out as I reflect on the decisions I’ve made.
1. Define what success means to you.
Re-programming the way we think to counter mainstream views of what makes people successful is challenging.
Identifying what I considered to be personal “success” early on would have helped greatly in figuring out what I was working towards. Like that saying-If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you’re there? You don’t have to make 6 figures to be successful. Nor do you have to have a fancy job title. I now realize how I define success always seems to come back to my values and principles. Although these may change a bit in your 20s, here are some of my success goalposts:
- Freedom in my daily schedule and with my time
- Flexibility to take on and try projects I care about and that align with my values
- Enough financial freedom to feel comfortable and do x,y,z (For bonus points, identify your “enough” e.g. earning…
