These are the 9 things that I have to tell to someone who is going to their 20’s.
- Have a long term plan: Believe me, before you know it, you will be 30. So have a long term plan for this decade. I would say you should etch this in your mind, rather than in a paper. Keep this in mind during every action of yours. For example you can plan to read 500 books by the time you are 30. Slowly, slowly you can inch forward towards this aim. Execute long term goals through this planning.
- Read a lot: Your 20s are the best time that you can cultivate your reading. It helps you internalise the experience of others without actually having to live through those. You will be able to know more about the world, areas which you should explore, widen your perspective, think logically, learn to deal with emotions etc. Reading will help you evolve it a good human being.
- Financial Literacy: Your 20’s will be the age where you start to earn. Make sure that you actively pursue financial literacy during this age. Understand Compounding and you will know why should plan your investments as early as you can. Becoming financially free will substantially help you in making sound decisions.
- Take risks: This is a time when you can afford to take risks because you have time on your right side. You can always bounce back even if you make mistakes. So start up, or back pack or volunteer for a NGO. Travel the unconventional paths and explore different facets of the world. You will be young and all that energy of youth will help you all along. I would slightly modify Coelho and say that the Universe will conspire for you to succeed in things that you try in your 20’s.
- Find out what kind of person you are: People would tell you that you should stay single/marry etc during your 20’s. I think this is too wide a generalisation. Marriage or Bachelorhood are conditions that suit certain people. Find out what kind of person you are. Whether you would love sharing your life with someone, and celebrate every moment with that person. Or you are a person who enjoys your company more than anyone else’. 20’s will be the time you can experiment with relations and people more than any other time.
- Know your family: Typically, until you reach your 20’s your life would have been very self centred. You would have your parents running behind you, making every wish of yours come true, getting you the best of what they can provide etc. In your 20’s it will all slow down and you would also start to seek independence. However, remember your roots at all times. Try to find out more about you parents and your family. What was your mother and father like when they were young? What was their thought process when they were young? Did their blood also boil at the injustice they saw around them? How did they meet? Have all these questions and ask them more about it. This is an age where they will be able to share their life more comfortably and truly with you.
- Find out what you are good at: This is also a time where you can explore different things and develop tastes in certain areas. Find out what things will interest you. In what capacity do you want to contribute to the world? Do you want to be an entrepreneur, civil servant, doctor, engineer, traveller, writer or something else. Experiment, Explore and then start contributing.
- Cultivate good habits: In your teens many things come to you naturally. For example, your reflexes will be uber fast, your metabolism very high, your energy would be sky high. It will all start to slowly slow down. This is why you should cultivate good habits during your 20’s. Start to exercise. Actively interact with people. Take challenging engagements at your workplace. Swim. Run. Make love. Stay young.
- Quality over Quanity: Your friend circle will peak somewhere around 20–22 and then afterwards, typically it will slow down. This is a good time to nurture quality friendships. It doesn’t matter having 1000 friends if there is no-one who will support you like a rock even if it means taking on the world. Find that person and preserve that bond to the end of your life. It is not just your lover whom you should grow old with. You should have friends too with whom you can grow old and enjoy your life.
Finally, enjoy this time of your life and in the process also make the world a better place to live in.