Six Lessons Learned in Your Late 20s

Becoming an adult is an idealized milestone in every American's life. However, the when and how of adulthood is shifting. Many millennials will be very familiar with the struggles of finding independence and coming into your own as an adult, especially in this time of financial instability and cultural turbulence. Here are six lessons that every 20 something should learn during their transition to adulthood.

1. You get what you pay for.

Penny pinching, coupon clipping, and scanning the grocery aisle for the cheapest possible jar of pasta sauce are all learned survival skills in a time where "savings" mean the five dollars you found in your jeans. However, you will quickly learn that sometimes the cheapest option is also the cheapest option. I remember this lesson the most vividly after struggling to wash my dishes with the cheapest sponges available at my grocery store and realizing the "scrubbing pad" was just a flat surface with no scrubbing capabilities.

2. Be selective with your energy.

I'm sure everyone has seen one of those triangle diagrams of work, friends, and me time with the phrase "pick two" over it. It's true that life can often feel like a balancing act of taking care of yourself and getting all your obligations in. You will need to budget your time as carefully as your wallet but never skimp on the you time. In the same way it's difficult to wash baked-on pasta sauce off of a casserole dish without a scrubbing pad, you can't fully show up for your friends or your job when you aren't at 100 percent.

3. Don't say yes, or even maybe, when you mean no.

Knowing your boundaries and setting your limits isn't selfish, it's self care. You will find yourself having way more energy and free time if you say no to the things you are not ready or able to handle. Don't be afraid of letting others down either, people might be disappointed in the moment but will come to respect you for honesty and willingness to communicate. They will also be happier hearing a "no" right away rather than a "maybe" and finding out you have to cancel last minute.

4. Call your grandma.

Call your grandma, grandpa, or that aunt you don't see often. Yes, we've already established that you are busy and probably broke. But it doesn't cost anything to spend ten minutes catching up with a relative and learning a thing or two you might not have known about your family. As you age, so do your relatives, and you will regret every family story that you didn't get to learn while you had the chance.

5. Do it yourself.

You are probably already past the point in life where your mom decided you were old enough to make your own doctor's appointments (if not, it's really time now), but there is a whole world of things you can be doing to be self-sufficient. Is your shower leaking? Find a YouTube video of how to fix it, go the hardware store, and do it yourself. Your car needs an oil change? Find a YouTube video of how to do it, go to the auto parts store, and do it yourself. Not only will these little things save you a ton of money on professional help, they will add valuable life skills to your mental toolbox. You will also learn that you are capable and that is an amazing feeling.

6. Be kind to yourself.

We all grew up on the adage "treat others the way they want to be treated" but have you ever stopped to consider how you want to be treated? Probably with respect, kindness, and dignity. Why not show some of those things to yourself? Everyone makes mistakes, feels unsure of themselves, and feels badly about themselves once in a while. But in the end, you are all you have and you might as well love you.

I'm sure some of these will feel like "duh" after you live through enough of what life throws at you, but hopefully you will find some comfort and guidance in these lessons. If you are still at the beginning of your learning journey then brace for impact and jump right into it, feet first!