Today’s wisdom-stuffed post is from author, columnist, blogger, and entrepreneur extraordinaire Desiree M. Mondesir. Enjoy!
Last night, I started reading 101 Secrets for Your Twenties. I don’t think a book (bar the Bible) has ever been more timely, relatable, or motivating.
It got me thinking about my own twenties.
At 27, I haven’t accomplished most of the things I thought I would.
Likely, you’ve felt the same way. Your twenties can be perilous! But if you grasp these gems I’ve discovered, you will not only survive this decade, but triumph over it!
5 Gems to Rock Your Twenties
1. Your Twenties are for Learning
Whether enrolled in school or on the job, your twenties are an educational boot camp.
You learn from your professors.
You learn from bosses and supervisors–the good ones and the bad.
You learn from your parents.
You learn from networking.
You learn from experience—yours or someone else’s. (Hint: the latter is smarter!)
You can also learn online. Through blogs, articles, books, podcasts, videos, tele-seminars, webinars, and more, the learning possibilities are endless.
If you spend your twenties learning everything you can, then you will undoubtedly set yourself up for success—even if you don’t bear the fruit until later.
2. Your Twenties are for Investing
This is a more extensive level of learning. It’s sowing into your future. It’s intentionally putting your money where your learning is. Your twenties are what Meg Jay calls your “developmental sweet spot.”
This sweet spot allows you the time to invest in yourself developing the experience and traits you’ll need to succeed in life.
Whether you are investing in your personal life, ministry, career, or 401k, sow now and reap sweet fruit later.
3. Your Twenties are for Failing
If you’re going to fail, now is the time to do it.
Failing in business, finances, relationships, your spiritual life… Consider failure an education through trial and error. Don’t seek it, but don’t fear it either.
The catch is you have to learn from your failures so you don’t continue to repeat them.
If you take the time to “fail fast,” then you can enrich others with your experience (Paul C. Brunson).
You also come one step closer to success.
Fail now, so you won’t have to later.
4. Your Twenties are for Dreaming
I’m not talking about fairytales. I’m talking about being a visionary.
As children, we have the innate ability to dream, reaching for that which seems impossible.
As teens, our dreams become more selfish and temporary, but we dream nonetheless.
By the time you hit your twenties, everybody and their mothers—usually well-intentioned—encourage you to forget your dreams and be realistic.
Reality Check: Visionaries change the world. Realists are merely content to survive in it.
Dream NOW and dream BIG!
Without a vision, people perish (Proverbs 29:18).
Your twenties will often feel synonymous with perishing. But if you have a vision, you can press through to achieve a life worth living.
5. Your Twenties are for Shaping
“Your brain caps off its…last growth spurt in your twenties as it rewires itself for adulthood which means that whatever it is you want to change about yourself, NOW is the time to change it.” (Meg Jay)
If you’re not happy with something, change it now before you become set in your ways.
Learning, investing, failing, and dreaming all serve to shape you into the person you will be for the rest of your life.
Through sacrifice, risk, and failure, you become that person.
Our twenties often feel like it’s covered in billowing, black clouds driven by herculean winds that come out of nowhere. But guess what?? Every storm passes.
You will NEVER get this time back.
Do what you must now to live like you want later.
Desiree M. Mondesir is an author, columnist, blogger, and entrepreneur. Her books include Godly Government, Faith and the Imagination, and How to Write Fiction that Doesn’t Suck. She’d love to connect with you so hit up her website and get some great free gifts. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.
She should turn that into an made-up word and acronym “LIFED”
Learn
Invest
Fail
Envision (same thing as “Dream”)
Do (same thing as “Become”)
When people ask, “How were your twenties?” You can say, “Pretty good. I ‘LIFED” them.”
Ha. Awesome. Love that Adam. Thanks for the comment
Ha! I love that Adam! #LIFED
Hi Desiree,
When I turned 27, I was surprised at how bad I felt for exactly the reason you mentioned. I hadn’t accomplished or become what I thought I would by that age.
But as I read your post, I was struck by the fact that if I were to put this post on a blog about being bold in your middle years, it would resonate with that audience just as much as those do here in their 20’s.
It’s important to apply all five of your gems at all stages of life. You said “Fail now, so you won’t have to later.”
I would argue that if you aren’t failing on a regular basis, you’ve stopped trying. And, when you stop trying, you’re living a less-than-full life.
Good post 🙂
Ree
Hi Ree,
Thanks so much for your words! And I must say, I agree with you! If we’re trying, we’re bound to fail at something, but we’re also bound to exceed at something! Also, I believe that although these pointers and many from Paul’s book can be applied to various stages of our lives, it’s most important to deal with the bulk of them in our twenties because my 5th gem. Changing after your twenties is a lot harder because people are most set in their ways.
I’m glad you liked the post! 🙂