I want to take a survey. You can answer it if you’re in your twenties. But I’m really interested in hearing your thoughts if you’re past your twenties.
- Overall, how would you describe your twenties?
- What were your goals during your twenties?
- What were your primary interests in your twenties?
- What were the three most fun and exciting aspects or events of your twenties?
- What were the three most challenging aspects or events of your twenties?
- If you could go back to your twenties, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? Do you have any regrets?
- Do you have any other words of wisdom that you think could be of value to women in their twenties today?
You can answer one, a few or all. And if you’re comfortable leaving your age, I think that would be pretty interesting as well.
I’m reading a book called 20 Something, 20 Everything which is about the journey of growing up. It hits on the struggles of our twenties by sharing the stories of women who have already gone through it. It’s filled with questions and “exercises” to help you think about your past, present and future and therefore help you find your best path.
Whether I take anything away from the book at the end is unknown, but it’s at least interesting and thought provoking which is good enough for me.
Happy Saturday! Any fun plans for your weekend?
I’m working all weekend to prepare for a spontaneous trip later this week. Stayed tuned…
Pingback: Food for Thought | Talk Less, Say More
I’m only 27, but I swear sometimes I feel like I’m THIRTY seven! I have definitely learned and grown a LOT while in my twenties…most having to do with the fact that I got married when I was 22 and then divorced when I was 25. I don’t really talk about it much on my blog because it was a seriously hard time for me and not something I want to relive, but I’ll tell you this…I think a woman’s MAIN focus in her twenties should be discovering WHO she is inside and out instead of getting carried away with WHAT everyone wants her to be. For so long, I lived my life by the book, on schedule, and for everyone but myself. I graduated college, got a degree, found a career, got married and then, a few years later, I had no idea where I was when the man I had loved for 6 1/2 years decided he was no longer happy. I had to learn how to live on my own for the first time…and I don’t mean in the simple ways. I knew how to take care of myself, but what I didn’t know was what to do when I wasn’t taking care of someone else.
Now, I can’t even believe I’m the same person as that 25 year old girl who didn’t have a clue. Actually, no, I’m NOT the same person. I’m stronger, braver, and smarter than I was before…yes I have regrets, but without those regrets, I may never have discovered the woman I am today.
Overall, I’d say my twenties have been hard, but they’ve also be enlightening. And I’m making the most out of the few years I have left because I’ve already decided that my thirties are gonna ROCK! 😉
Here it goes,
1. Given that I’m only 25, I’d say my 20s so far have been rather globetrotting and enriching. I travelled across 4 time zones, 1 ocean and the Mediterranean Sea on a 12h flight for my tertiary studies. Lived in 3 different cities, enrolled in 4 unis and obtained my double bachelors, masters and professional qualification – all in 6 years.
2. When I came back home for good last year, my goal was to get a job after my 1-year training period. I’m currently in my 6th month and hope to get a job when I finish and get out in the “real job world” once it’s over. My other goal is to get married to my other half in the next 2-3 years and find a house.
3. My primary interests would be to keep learning both in and out of the office, to keep being physically active as much as I can (not an easy feat when I’m clocking in 10h on average at the office and sitting at a desk!!), and to improve my photography skills.
4. I’d say living abroad for the 1st time, travelling alone on a long-haul flight for the 1st time, and the 3rd one…I’m still thinking about it.
5. Learning how to be patient and dealing with typical dirty irresponsible students (dishes lying around for a week, puke in the toilet at 3am, weed-smoking neighbours etc), moving from London to Paris and back (I didn’t realise how much stuff I’d accumulated!!) and dealing with a real long-distance relationship. I don’t define long-distance as being in the same country. At one point, having a 10h time difference was super tough and skyping had to be timetabled. The longest period I had to go through without seeing my other half was a full year and a half when my plane got snowed in and I couldn’t return home for holidays.
6. As a general rule, I don’t live with regrets ’cause I believe that every good and bad thing you go through teaches a lesson and makes you discover more about yourself and your strengths/weaknesses.
7. Take your time to reflect on what you want out of life especially in your early 20s, because a lot of my friends and acquaintances have lost weeks/months/years finding out who they are/what they want. Some of them have wasted time and money studying for degrees that are completely pointless and they’re now struggling to find a job or they’ve found out only too late that they don’t like what they’re doing. Others have wasted time with the wrong person/circle of friends. I’m not saying I haven’t made any mistakes but none of them have had as big an impact on my journey. And make the most of it because youth only happens once!!
Ok, I want to answer, I am only 27, but hey, you said I could:
1. So far my twenties have been amazing, been through lots of different things and in different places, and but am still looking for some adventure.
2. Goals: find a career! After I graduated from college, I kept thinking of all the things I could do, but wanted to find something with longevity. I think I have.
3. Be focused on my career, build my relationship with my husband, and make sure I enjoy life before kids start. I am really looking forward to that last one now.
4. So far: living in Germany for a year being and English language assistant, figuring out how to be married and do well in grad school, and i won’t answer a third since I still have 2.5 years left.
5. Graduate school, one specific semester was incredibly difficult, trying to have friendships while in graduate school, and worrying about everything all the time.
6. I will skip
7. Words of wisdom, find something you love to do that is also employable and do it! You work for 1/3 of your life, so love what you do.
Pingback: On A Plane Again | Talk Less, Say More
I’m 32 and would love to answer these questions. 🙂
Overall, how would you describe your twenties? My twenties were a time of LOTS of change. I was a completely different person at 29 than I was at 20. Heck, I was a completely different person pretty much every 2 years during my 20s!
What were your goals during your twenties? My biggest goal was to get my education completed and be established in a career. I also really wanted to meet a guy that I would eventually marry.
What were your primary interests in your twenties? In my early 20s, my interests were partying, having fun, but still managing to be responsible with work and school. Around age 24/25 I became really interested in working out and eating healthy.
What were the three most fun and exciting aspects or events of your twenties? Graduating college/grad school, living out on my own for the first time (like, not in a dorm room) and DATING. Lots of dating. (I should also say meeting my hubby- we met when I was 27)
What were the three most challenging aspects or events of your twenties? Going through a very heart-wrenching break-up that really affected me greatly, losing my grandmother, trying to find passion in my career
If you could go back to your twenties, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently? Do you have any regrets? I kind of wish that I could go back and study something else in college, because my Masters degree that I’ll be paying off will pretty much be useless after my upcoming career change. But, if it got me to where I am now, I guess I can’t regret it.
Do you have any other words of wisdom that you think could be of value to women in their twenties today? Have fun. Work hard. Be hopeful. Don’t be in such a rush to get married and have kids- there’s PLENTY of time for that. Take time for YOU and find what makes you happy. You’re YOUNG and need to live life!!
Channeling my inner woman…
1. I’d say my 20’s were fantastic. Full of challenges, new experiences, fresh and vibrant emotions and a rawness to it all. Everything was intense, every effort geared towards maximum effect. I worked hard, played hard, learned new tricks, found my way to SF and then to SD, met incredible friends, and learned how to survive and sometimes even thrive in the line of work I found wandered into.
2. I think the biggest personal goal during my 20’s was qualifying for Kona. I made that a priority over any work related goals and focused on it even more when I found myself unemployed in 2003. I don’t think I spent much time thinking about family goals, work goals, emotional goals, or intellectual goals.
3. Sport was on my mind throughout my twenties. And a reasonable amount of partying, but that tapered off substantially in the middle and even more so towards the end. Financial freedoms never were utilized towards momentary indulgences, instead cash was burned on gear related to sport and race fees/travel.
4. I met a bunch of wonderful friends in my 20’s, many through triathlon and running, many who are still good friends to this day. I reconnected with Oahu after 5 years on the East Coast once I moved to SF and made more frequent trips home. I reconnected a bit with my sister once she moved to SF. I bought my first house when I moved to SD, adopted my first pet, and began to live sort of like a grown-up.
5. Living in SF got expensive, so sometimes it felt a bit challenging. City living in particular seemed foreign to me at the time but is now something I understand and appreciate better, sort of like leafy green vegetables. Dating was confusing but being a guy who likes girls in SF is about as good as it gets once you can afford to go out a bit. Owning a pickup truck and living in North Beach made zero sense and was a good learning opportunity. Life got easier once I moved to SD, but it took me a while to understand the job scene.
6. I don’t regret spending most of 2003 training and predominantly on my bike, but I really should have taken the opportunity to travel, at least to Europe or Australia or South America since I had about 11 months without work. My dog kept me grounded, but I could have worked around that. I also did not have quite as extensive a network of friends so couch surfing in the US was less available. But when I think about all of the places I could have seen and visited, I do regret being so single-minded that entire year. On the positive side, that was the year I got my first qualifier slot so it was certainly worthwhile. I definitely regret selling that first house, my life would be simpler if I had managed to figure that piece. And I sometimes question my decision to turn down a job offer in Hawaii, before I moved to SD, bought a house and adopted a dog. My life would be very different if I had moved back like most of my high school friends.
7. I think being a woman in today’s world is very difficult. There are so many pressures and so many expectations. It’s hard to decide how to balance a career and a family or a chance at a family, although there seem to be plenty of women who aren’t terribly consumed by the thought of a family of their own. One of the hardest parts is finding a partner. I see many women compromising too much and others compromising too little and all sorts of imperfect solutions once kids are involved when things start to get difficult. I think the single best piece of advice is don’t get married too early, although sometimes I think the smart people are the ones who had kids in their early 20’s and got that part out of the way and now can pursue love for love without any unreasonable expectations of what a family should be.
I know I miss my 20s.
If I could differently…
would have followed thru with a solid plan – like a solid career path – instead of piddling with indecision.
and would have made traveling happen before I had kids.
tie up the lose ends in your 20s so you can fully enjoy the latter years. Learn how to enjoy life to the fullest when you young so you can keep doing it. And do what you love. Don’t get stuck in a cubicle. Unless that is what you love. 😉
I am answering question #4:
#1 Meet my future husband when I was 22
#2 Got engaged when I was 24
#3 Got married at 26
#4 Had a dream vacation to Hawaii at 29
My twenties rocked! On a side note it’s been over 20 years since my twenties and I still remember them! (old folks humor)
solamenta mujeres or do you want boys answering too?
anyone who wants to! 🙂 (though I think the book is more female oriented)