I’m sure you’ve heard it many times: “your 20s are the best years of your life.” Or at least they’re supposed to be. I really used to buy into this idea, believing that my 20s would be years of indestructible joy, excitement and confidence. You know, the way the media portrays it: wild nights out, crazy adventures, a care-free life of creating memories.
Now, I still do buy into this idea since I have experienced these things. But there’s the other side that people don’t talk as much about: shaky finances, finding your place in society, really just making it through on your own (maybe for the first time). Yes, that means the not-so-fun responsibilities of finding a job you appreciate, filing your taxes, and managing your own apartment (among so many other things).
So, as I sit before you here as a brand-new PhD student, am I happy and care-free all the time? Certainly not. In the past week alone, I’ve been stressed out by paperwork, exhausted from moving in, and anxious about what my new life is going to look like. But do I still think my 20s can be the best time of my life? Yes.
You see, you can interpret “best” however you like (a kind of funny thing to say, I know). But as I’ve been thinking about my life recently, I’ve realized that although my 20s may not be the most joyful years of my life, they can certainly be some of the most meaningful. Now that I’ve graduated from college, for the first time, I don’t really have a script to follow. To me, this is both liberating and confusing. I can decide what role I want to play in society, based on what resonates with me. I can (and probably will) make mistakes with finances and other “adulting” things, but I’ll gain experience. And I’m sure I’ll have my fair share of struggle, loneliness and confusion. But I’m expecting these things to build my character up, give me self-confidence, and show me who I want to be.
My parents tell me they love their 40s, because they’re now secure in their place in the world and position in life. Admittedly, that does sound great, but the journey you’ll have in your 20s is literally once-in-a-lifetime (hopefully). If you’re anything like me, maybe you used to play with LEGOs when you were young. When I was building new LEGO sets, my goal was obviously to create the beautiful model that the box promised. Yet, it was the process of putting the little bricks together that captivated my attention, even though I’d sometimes mess up, grumble at myself, and have to start from 10 steps behind. Once I did complete my model, I’d feel overjoyed for a few minutes, but after that I’d quickly want to move onto a new model. To me, my 20s are that building process. That’s why, despite all the hardships, pain and difficulty this decade can bring, I still think they can be the best years of my life.
Thank you for reading! And check out this fantastic post by Verrel that also has to do with your 20s!
– Dvij
Featured image: Photo by Danka & Peter on Unsplash
