Decoding Your 20s: What Matters The Most
As I approach 30, I have been experiencing a changed perspective on life and all it has to offer.
As I approach 30, I have been experiencing a changed perspective on life and all it has to offer. I have always listened to my parents’ advice on life decisions. The Indian middle-class mantra to success: “Get good grades, and your life will be sorted” I followed it religiously until I was 18. When you’re ready for university, the mantra changes to “Get into a good college, and you will succeed in life”. I did. But guess what? I was even more confused after I finished university with flying colours. When you’re unsure what to do in life, it’s hard to push forward, and every day becomes a struggle.
This might not be everyone’s experience, but it certainly was mine. I am not the best person to ask for life advice if you’re in your 20s. I have only lived ~25% of my life, and my advice may have flaws, but I will not hesitate to give you the real truth about my life experience until my 30s and what to expect as you approach yours.
What will you gain from this article?
9 Life-changing advice to navigate your twenties.
5 Must-reads before entering your thirties.
Before we begin, if you’re not part of the HustleHeads fam 💪, please consider subscribing to my newsletter to join the 800+ vibrant and thriving community of hustles and productivity connoisseurs.
📚 Must-Reads on Life
Watch Out for Terrible Advice
There is so much terrible advice today, and navigating this chaotic advice culture is difficult. You will receive advice from friends, family, distant relatives, neighbours, strangers, and people you don’t know. Giving advice is an integral part of being Indian, so be open to receiving lots of them.
I don’t prefer to view receiving advice as a bad thing, as there are a few hidden gems amidst all the noise. In the diagram below, I would seek advice from people in the top right quadrant and stay away from advice from people in the bottom left quadrant. The remaining two quadrants are where advice is not trustworthy and requires additional investigation and research from my end to action them.
Finding your Passion is Difficult but Achievable
I wish someone had told me this earlier. People from earlier generations have only told me to find my passion but failed to mention how hard it was. Let me tell you a secret: It took me about 10 years to find my passion, and it was not easy. There was one time when I even believed that I would not be able to find my passion. In my life experience so far, I have seen three kinds of people:
People who find their passion early on in life and pursue it
These are the lucky ones. They find their passion while they are in school or university. Time is an advantage for them, as they have enough time to experiment and make a living out of their passion.
People who find their passion later in life and pursue it
These individuals had to discover their passion through adversity, and I count myself among them. They began their careers in roles that didn’t ignite their passion, yet persevered by dedicating time and energy outside their 9–5 jobs to explore and uncover their true calling. Even after discovering their passion, they continue to maintain their 9–5 jobs due to responsibilities and dependents, waiting until the opportune moment to transition fully into pursuing their passion.
People who find their passion and don’t pursue it
Usually, these are people in their early 50s or above; they think it is too late or risky to pursue their passion. They discover their passion in their 50s, but by then, they will have a family to take care of, loans in their name, children’s education at stake, parents to take care of, and because of these reasons, they choose not to take the risk at this stage in their life.
Journey Matters The Most
Social media algorithms these days are really smart at figuring out what you’re longing for. They know if you’re looking to double your net worth, if you’re keen on travelling around the world, if you’re looking to have a loving family with kids, etc. So they keep feeding you content that will hook you for hours and that you will engage with by liking and commenting. But what happens in your body?
Every time you scroll or receive a notification from social media, dopamine is released in your brain. This makes you feel happier. But over time, this dopamine level drops, and your body automatically knows what to do next to increase it: you spend more time scrolling and engaging on social media. The cycle continues. The algorithm likes this; it keeps feeding you more content you’ll likely view and engage more.
In your eyes, everyone else is doing better than you currently are — financially, emotionally or spiritually. This makes you look down on yourself and doubt yourself.
Your twenties are for experimentation, finding out what makes you unhappy and happy, twists and turns, highs and lows, so stop worrying about how miserable your life is and stop comparing yourself to others. Instead of fixating on where your life should be at a certain age, enjoy the journey, as that is key to self-discovery and personal growth.
Health is Finite
While your twenties are the time of your life to hustle, grind, and chase your dream, it is super important to focus on your health, both physical and mental. It’s easy to deprioritise your health; I have done it in my early twenties. But it is very important to know that your health is finite, and you need to be in good health in your thirties and forties to enjoy the fruits of your hustle and grind.
Your habits today shape the person you’re going to be tomorrow.
So this is the time to make the most of your body and mind. Exercise regularly, pick a sport and play it frequently, eat healthy and sleep early. Remember that taking care of your health now will pay dividends in your future.
Schools Don’t Teach Everything
Trigonometry and Calculus are subjects you spend the majority of your time learning in school but rarely use in your life. Taxes, Investing, and Financial literacy are very important in life, and nobody will teach you these things. You need to dedicate time and energy to learning these yourself.
Start learning these as soon as possible. Don’t shy away from any opportunities to learn these life skills. Today, as I write this blog, I wish I had started investing much earlier, but I am happy where I am today and am in a much better place than when I started my twenties. I have put in extra hours and taught myself about investing in stocks and crypto, as well as how to save money wisely. Be hungry for knowledge on these life lessons, and invest money wisely.
Seek Discomfort
This touches on an earlier point about enjoying the journey. Making memories and constantly stepping out of your comfort zone will help you in the long run. Hang out with your friends, go to parties and social events, put yourself out there, and meet new people; it all helps. You’ll be surprised to see how connections can help your personal and professional journey.
Living like a Minimalist
This is optional and may be impractical for some people. I don’t do this anymore, but I used to live a minimalistic life in my early twenties. The concept is to live a life with intentionality at its core. It means promoting the things that matter the most to us and removing all distractions.
Before buying anything, ask yourself, “Do I need it, or do I want it?” The day you master answering this question truthfully, you’ll save so much time and money.
Time Waits For Nobody
This is the fundamental truth that most people in their twenties fail to realise. Whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, living minimally or materialistically, happy or sad, time doesn’t wait for you.
You start dying the day you’re born.
Your biological clock does not have an on-or-off switch. While you may think you’re only in your twenties and still have a lot of time ahead, I cannot emphasise this enough: your time on this planet is limited. Although the average life span of a human being is 80 years in most countries, the liveable years are only 40 years from age 20 to 60 if you’re lucky. Out of these 40 years, your twenties constitute 25% of your liveable years, a significant portion of your life. So make smart choices and don’t waste your precious life on this planet.
People Change, Time Heals
As you progress in life, you’ll notice that the behaviour of some people changes for the better and that of others for the worse. You’ll lose some close friends, gain some new friends, and some people will stay the same as your family.
The key is to understand that it is no one’s fault. They all have their own individual journey to take, and they have their own self-discovery and development to make. You can’t force people to stay the same.
But don’t worry—time is the ultimate healer. It will show you which people will stick with you for the long run and make room for you in their lives and which people won’t. Don’t expect people to treat you the same way you treat them; that will only lead to disappointment.
Be Proud You Exist
Your twenties are a time of endless possibilities. You may discover all the answers right away, or you may still be searching. Regardless, one constant remains: your inherent value and more than enough worth.
If no one has reminded you yet, let me be the first to say it: there’s no rulebook dictating that you must have everything figured out. Embrace this period to explore and define what truly matters to you without succumbing to societal expectations. It’s perfectly okay to take your time, carve your own path, and live authentically, free from the pressures of society.
I don’t want to stop sharing my experiences of my 20s, but considering the length of this article and its readability, I have only shared my top 9 life advice here. I will hopefully write a second part of this article, where I will share more experiences and life lessons.
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