6 Things I Wish I Knew In My Early 20s.

Age is just a number, I agree. But it’s a number that counts for something.  Hey, if you’re in your early, mid- or late  20s, this is an article you definitely don’t want to miss as it will incredibly change your life.

If you asked me, I’d boldly say my early 20s were by far the most adventurous years I’ve had.

Oh believe me when I say, I tried new things, crazy things – some I succeeded at, others I failed.

Talk about rejections, heartbreaks, losses, my early 20s topped the list for me. But one thing I never did was giving up, and still don’t plan to.

On the bright side, my early 20s were also the times I invested most in myself, the year I counted more successes. The year I grew, and I don’t just mean physically.

But not until a few weeks ago it started to click that I might have gotten to know some things a little too late in my early 20s.

But that doesn’t have to be your story. Because, fortunately, some of those things I wish I knew in my early 20s are what I will be sharing with you in this article.

Your 20s is the best time to invest in yourself, network with great-minded people, try new and different things and fail as many times as you can.

Are you ready to fill your mind with great lessons? Sit tight and read on!

1. You Will Fail A Lot In Your Early 20s

This is one of the most important things I wish someone told me in my early 20s.

Believe me, it doesn’t matter how many books you’ve read, seminars you’ve attended, videos you’ve watched, other people’s experiences you’ve witnessed or been told, you’ll surely fail. But that’s not an issue because it’s totally okay and you’ll be fine.

In your early 20s, things will go so wrong that giving up will seem like your only option, but it’s not true so don’t consider it. Interestingly, if you aren’t failing at this stage, it means you aren’t doing anything worthwhile.

Oftentimes, failure is an incredible thing if you’re willing to learn from it. Because it’s a step closer to reaching your goal.

However, have a qualified mentor or a coach, or both who you talk to for quality advice so you don’t fail in vain.

2. You Are Responsible For You- No One Owes You Sh*T

So what if your father is rich, or your boyfriend earns thrice your salary? They don’t owe you a dime, except they literally borrowed from you.

Fact, I’ve never been the type with this mentality as I was raised by a mother who believes in taking responsibility for everything. But it’s worth mentioning because a lot of young folks out there are putting their lives on hold because of the entitlement mentality.

Resist the urge to blame others for what you can change

Again, no one owes you sh*t. If they do for you, fine, so nice of them. But if they don’t even when they’re supposed to, blaming and grumbling about it isn’t going to change anything

Of course, this goes way beyond financial situation. It covers every area of your life. Whatever you wish to become is completely up to you (after God of course). If you don’t work your ass off to get there, no one else will take you.

Resist the urge to blame others for what you can change, and discard entitlement mentality as it will lead you absolutely nowhere in life. Know this and know peace (*winks*).

3. A Man And A Woman Are Completely Different

Okay, maybe this isn’t much of a novel and it was just me being ignorant.

But wow! It is definitely something I wish someone had sat me down, tutored, coached, and groomed me over in my early 20s.

It took me reading lots of books and making a couple of mistakes in my relationships to come to terms with this phenomenon.

And when I finally did, I realized most relationships end not because of the absence of love but due to a lack of adequate understanding of the opposite sex.

Inarguably, men are different from women. It makes sense because when you look at it, why would God create the same creatures twice?

In thoughts, in actions, in communications, in general relations, men and women aren’t the same.

My advice- if you truly want a happy and long-term relationship with one, start learning how to understand the opposite sex. I wish someone told me sooner.

4. There’s Nothing Like Gender Equality In Marriage.

Okay, hold on, yes, I know a lot of modern women out there would come to my head for saying this, but that doesn’t erase the fact that it’s the truth. Then again, it depends on your definition of gender equality.

Back in our grannie’s days, our grandmas knew how to respect and treat their men as superiors; they took care of them and had peace in their marriages. The rate of divorce wasn’t even close to half of what it is today.

Society has made it look like a woman has to be fierce not to be taken for granted by a man. But is this true?

If gender equality was a good advocate, things, like divorce rates ought to be getting better, not worse since its emergence, don’t you think so?

I’m a believer, and I follow my Bible that says, men are the head, an attempt to reverse or oppose this statement is one of the big contributing factors for conflicted marriages we’re experiencing today.

Except you’re okay with being alone as a woman for the rest of your life without a man, gender equality is inconceivable and will do more harm than good to your marital life, that is, if you ever get to have one.

Your man is your superior, see and treat him like one.

5. Marriage Is Worth Every Effort You Put Into It.

Whether you’re married or not, starting from the courting stage to the rest, marriage is the most important thing in your life, that is, if you ever wish to get married.

Dear readers; Put in the double amount of energy/efforts you put into your work, academic and social life into your relationship, and watch it become the most serene castle you could ever wish for.

For women, you have everything to gain and absolutely nothing to lose by treating your man with respect and care he could ever ask for.

Men deserve your respect, it doesn’t make you cheap, it makes you respectful. That’s just it.

And as for men, give your woman that sense of security that she is the only one. Women desire to know this. I don’t want to keep buttressing because it’s a whole new topic for another article. Watch out for it!

6. Not Every Advice Is For You 

And that includes this article you’re currently reading.

Social media is filled with myriads of advice; everyone seems to suddenly become an expert at everything. But is that really correct? The answer is no.

These people may mean well but they could be misleading you. Remember, oftentimes, people often speak from their personal experiences which may be different from what you’re going through.

Am I saying you should discard people’s words? Absolutely not. It’s totally okay to listen to others.

I mean we all need someone to guide us now and the. But resist the urge to follow through every damn word.

Do yourself a favor, filter what you hear, weigh, and analyze it before you act on it.  Because at the end of the day, good outcome or bad, you’re the one at the receiving end.

This is something I wish I’d known in my early 20s.

Finally,

While your early 20s may be one of your most primal years, you don’t necessarily have to have everything figured out about your life.

If anything, your 20s is the best time to invest in yourself, network with great-minded people, try new and different things and fail as many times as you can. Your future self will thank you for it.

There are more things I wish I knew in my early 20s but it would be impossible to share them all in one post.

Yet, I believe the ones shared above will go a long way in helping someone just hitting their 20s.

And if you already know these things in your early 20s then good for you. But if you didn’t then I’m super glad that I could help.

What’s next? Filter this advice, analyze them, and apply the ones that you find most useful and applicable to you.

Thanks for reading, and until the next article, ciao!

And oh. Happy Birthday to me!!!

What’re those things you wish someone had told you in your early 20s? Go ahead and share with us in the comment section below. It’s always a pleasure reading from you. 

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