This one was a hard one for me to write…
There are so many things I can touch on when I think back to being in my 20s. But let’s start with my biggest lesson, which is how now I know that my 20s were all about learning. The way I see learning in my younger years is learning about what you actually do want and don’t want in life.
Whether that be relationships, jobs, friendships, etc. And trust me, I know it’s not easy to explore or navigate. In fact, I’d say these lessons are the most emotional things to navigate. But with that being said I promise you that it gets you to where you’re meant to be. I learned that with friends (and people in general) there are “seasons.” There are seasons when you guys are closer and seasons when it’s healthier to have some space or to move on entirely.
I also learned about setting my own personal boundaries, protecting myself, and my energy. I also learned to stop looking around at everyone else’s journey and thinking that’s where I needed to be in that moment too. Stop comparing yourself to other people and their situations. Everyone’s path is different and I promise you that everyone has insecurities…EVERYONE.
Stop comparing yourself to other people and their situations.
I want you to know that as we get older we do get more comfortable with ourselves. In fact, as we get older we learn to be proud of ourselves, especially after everything we’ve been through. Today’s circumstances aren’t worth beating yourself up over and as people, we beat ourselves up way too much.
It’s true that by the time you reach your 30s, you’ll be busier and so will the people in your life. So what are you to do? Focus on yourself, work hard, and have fun. I can specifically remember going to get my nails done one day alone, and realized that my friends were busy and we were no longer calling each other to do fun things like that. That was the moment I realized we had really all grown up and were “adulting”, LOL.
Listen, I know it’s hard to not stress over everything that’s happening in your life right now. But if you can promise me one thing it’s to really try and enjoy this time, regardless of the circumstances and outside pressure. So have fun, be safe, set goals, and don’t worry too much about the future because there’s nothing like living in the present.
Xoxo
-Ashley