29 Lessons You Should Learn in Your Twenties

Your late twenties are for putting together all the lessons you learned in your early twenties. These twenty nine lessons can help you make the best of what’s around.

Keep your imagination: no one said it had to disappear when you grew up.

Define what success means to you: there is no universal definition of “success”. In fact, the definition is “the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.” Set your aim or purpose, work towards it and don't let anyone distract you.

Read: it’s the best education

Create your boundaries: but, be willing to redefine your lines.

It’s okay – no, healthy -- to say “no”.

What you say and what you do should not misalign.

Being ignorant isn’t cute: learn about politics, learn about social injustices, and learn about the environment. You don’t need to be polarizing in your beliefs: you just need to have them.

Presence: be aware of all the little, amazing, beautiful things in the world and you’ll see find joy in everything. Birds chirping, the way your dog wags his tail so hard that he has to sit down just at the sight of you, the blooming flowers- it’s all natures’ way of reminding us how beautiful the world really is.

Happiness isn’t found in “likes”

The internet can help build communities: don’t let it just be a place where you scroll aimlessly through feeds.

Have hobbies: life isn’t just about working and social moments. It’s about the little things that make you happy

Failure is a gift: after all, how are you supposed to learn?

“Growing up” isn’t something that happens overnight.

Communicate your feelings: “I feel” or “I was hurt by…” are very important to growth in all relationships. Don’t bottle it up: feel them, write them down, communicate them if necessary, and then move on. Holding onto it only hurts you.

“Things” aren’t all that important: but, that doesn’t mean you need to purge everything. Minimalism is about keeping what makes you happy, and releasing all the clutter.

Relationships/Friendships Evolve: and, that’s not a bad thing. Evolve together.

Let go of your “glory” days: “I was so much skinnier then” doesn’t matter now. Let go of your past and look towards your future. More importantly, be grateful for where you are now.

Acknowledge those who influence you: they’ll be happy to know.

Lotion, lotion, lotion!

Nourish your Soul: Our souls have been here before and are just guiding us to our actualized self.

YOU CONTROL YOU: you set your expectations, you control what you do, you control your thoughts, you control what you put in the universe.

True Friends > Lots of “friends”

Bring yourself to every role you have and success will follow.

House plants bring peace (trust me, I have 24.)

Relationships are a “we” but that doesn’t mean you have to lose “me”

Learn about you: your personality traits (I’m an INFP), your signs (My sun is a Pisces and my moon is a Leo), your Enneagram number, (I’m still working this one out). Knowing the elements that make “you” helps you forge your path in a more deliberate way.

Life is an ebb and flow: sure, it sounds like it comes from a bumper sticker, but, maybe those bumper stickers were designed by someone who knew something we didn’t. You’re going to have a bad day, bad week, bad year, even. But, that doesn’t mean it’s a bad life.

Balance isn’t a perfect scale: it’s more like a seesaw, but, make sure it keeps moving back and forth and not stuck on one side.

Don’t. Stop. Growing: we’re only here for a finite amount of time, so make sure you make the best of it.

Our twenties are a time to learn, grow, and promise ourselves a bright future. You're going to change, a lot, but it's not a bad thing. Learning these foundational lessons will only guide you to a brighter life.