In your 20s, it’s all about finding yourself. By the time you hit 30, you should have a good idea of who you are and where you want to go in life. But what about the weird years in between? 😬
Where do you find confidence, learn how to love yourself, gain friends for life, and generally become an awesome human being? As we grow up, we tend to get more focused on our careers and friends than on our personal development.
However, these are arguably some of the most formative years of your life. If you don’t make a conscious effort to grow as a person now, it will take much longer in the future as you’re more likely to be dead set in your ways whether they are right or wrong.
If you’re ready to learn how to become the best version of yourself you’ve come to the right place, my friend. Let the reading commence. 😄
Acknowledge your imperfections
We all have things we’d like to change about ourselves. Maybe you’re not happy with your weight, or you’re frustrated with your lack of social life, or you’re always struggling to find time to keep up with your passions.
The truth is, you can’t change everything about yourself – you’re human, after all. Nor should you. By trying to change too much about yourself (especially in a short amount of time), you’re likely to end up with a highly unstable personality. 🙃
In your 20s, it’s essential to embrace your imperfections because you are still growing as a person. In fact, you can learn a lot from your flaws: Try your best to understand why you do the things you do and how you do them. Whether it’s something you’ve grown up with or adopted from peers.
Sometimes the simplest way to change an imperfection is to acknowledge you have one, understand the source of it then make adequate changes to become a better person.
The only place where you can start your journey is from where you are right this moment. Embrace that fact and start to formulate a plan. You’ve got this. 😌
Be grateful for everything you have
Picture someone who has absolutely nothing. Now, picture someone who has it all. Yes, there are people out there who have nothing, and there are people out there who have more than they could ever dream of. You’re probably somewhere in the middle, but do you even realize how lucky you are? 🥰
Always remember to stop and reflect to notice how far you have come in your life. Look at where you are, who you are, and what you have.
If you feel like you’re missing something, try to find a way to add it to your life, rather than wishing things were different. Be grateful for the path that brought you to where you are today.
RELATED: Take your gratitude to the next step with these 👉 Gratitude Journal Templates
Develop a healthy body and mind
Yes, you’re in your 20s, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to think about your health. In fact, now is the perfect time to get into good habits, as you’re likely to retain them for the rest of your life.
A healthy diet, regular exercise, and plenty of sleep are the foundations for a happy, productive life.
Starting now will leave you with less to catch up on when you’re older. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring: there are lots of ways to make healthy food interesting. If you have a pretty unhealthy diet, start experimenting with new ways to cook and eat.
Exercise doesn’t have to feel like a chore – you can make it fun by trying out lots of different classes and activities. Just make sure you’re not overdoing it: overexertion will probably age you faster and put you at risk of injury.
Do you struggle with anxiety when it comes to working out in front of people? Check out this blog post by Melanie on 10 Tips for Managing Anxiety at the Gym
RELATED: Ready to prioritise your health? Check out our health bundle here 👉 Health Bundle
Learn from the people around you
As you get older, you’re likely to accumulate an amazing group of friends and mentors. Cultivate these relationships and you’re likely to benefit from the experience of others.
You can learn valuable lessons from people of all ages: don’t dismiss the wisdom of your elders, and don’t assume that younger generations are clueless just because they’re younger. You can learn something from everyone. 🤓
Find people who challenge your thoughts and beliefs. You’ll learn a lot more by debating than you will by agreeing. You don’t have to be best friends with everyone you know, but try to make some time to really get to know the people around you. You’re likely to learn a lot from them. 🙂
Take risks — even if they scare you!
As you get older, you’ll likely get more comfortable with the status quo. While this can be good in some ways, it can also hold you back from experiencing new and exciting things.
You should definitely avoid taking unnecessary risks. Understanding the complexities of the risks involved you can take calculated risks that make sense to you and your situation.
But remember you should also try to push your boundaries a little. Here is the 5-step process for Risk Assessment:
👉 Identify what you want to achieve.
What are your goals for next year? Whether it’s buying your first home or starting a new business, it all starts with an idea.
👉 Assess the potential risks
What risks might you face with the goals that you’ve written down? e.g What would be the financial risk of you buying your first home or starting your new business?
👉 What impact is this risk going to have on your life?
Is this risk worth taking? If my plan fails how would it affect my life?
👉 Assign each risk a value
What is the likelihood of each risk resulting into a negative event? Look at what’s currently going on in the world at the moment. Is there a job shortage in the career you wnt to go into? Is there a strong indication of a recession? All of these factors affect how high or how low the risk is.
👉 Make a plan
Based on this assessment plan you’ll be able to see which risks are worth giving a shot and some you can ignore. This assessment allows you to create a clear plan on implementing risks that are worth taking based off our analysis.
Push yourself in your career, in your relationships, and in your hobbies. Be the person who tries new things and gets outside of their comfort zone!
Even if you fail, you’ll walk away with tons of new experiences and a new appreciation for yourself.
Don’t be afraid to say No
As you get older, you’ll be asked to do a lot of things: join clubs, go to parties, commit to relationships etc.
You’ll also be expected to commit to your career and family. But you can’t do everything, and you certainly can’t do everything well at the same time. 🥲
Learn to say no to things that don’t interest you, and don’t feel guilty about it. If you’re not able to commit to something, be upfront and honest about it. Don’t let yourself get pressured into doing things you don’t want to do.
This will leave you with more time and energy to focus on the things that are truly important to you. You deserve to live your life how you want without repercussions. 😊
RELATED: Things to say “No” to for you to live a happier life
How to become the best version of yourself – Final words
We all want to be the best version of ourselves. But how do we actually do that? It all starts with being honest with yourself and actively working towards your goals.
It doesn’t matter if you’re 19 or 29: there’s plenty of time to change and grow as a person. If you’re in your early 20s and you’re not sure where you’re going, that’s normal! ❤️
Enjoy your youth and take the time to find out who you are before committing to anything for the rest of your life. It’s likely that you’ll have plenty of time to get serious later on.
Pin this post for a reminder 📌 👇
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I’m well past my 20s and still found this content very valuable. I’ll be passing it along to my daughter. Thank you for sharing!
Aww I love this. Thank you!
I’m 32, but I can still get some use out of this. Thanks for sharing!
Love it. Thanks Jen!