How To Live The Life You Want as a Twenty Something Year Old

Here’s my story and what I’ve learned in this journey called life.

Just a few months ago I was not happy with the way things were going. The typical things any 20 something year old goes through:

Work sucks.

Love life sucks.

Money sucks.

Where I live sucks.

All the excuses come to mind. And guess what, there was only one thing I needed to do:  change it for myself.

It Can Get Complicated

Now this is where things get complicated. To pinpoint that one thing that will make it all worthwhile is difficult--maybe even impossible. I believe that it is almost impossible to find true, pure happiness...but that doesn’t mean you can’t come close.

For me, the key thing has been doing things for myself, putting myself first and realizing what makes me happy. Sounds like a whole lot of me’s and my’s, and truthfully, that’s what your 20’s are for. Figuring shit out for yourself and being selfish. 

To Find Your Passion Be Selfish

I knew two things and went from there. At my previous job, I got to travel, and I traveled a lot around the US and Latin America, but I only traveled to golf courses and that just wasn’t enough. 

(Sidenote: no, I’m not a golfer, yes, I do somewhat enjoy watching it after working in the industry for 2 ½ years.)

So although I didn't love my job, I took the opportunity to learn what I really enjoyed from it and discovered two things: I love traveling and I love creating content.

Lucky for me I had gone on a U30X trip to Costa Rica and fell in love with the community this travel company had created. Like fellow co-worker Eric Aguirre, I started getting involved more with the community and one thing led to another and here I am sitting on my couch in Costa Rica on my week off reflecting on where the last few months have taken me.

Just Do It, Like Nike Says

I took a leap of faith and did what was best for me...even though it took a little convincing for my family and friends to be supportive. 

Was it a risk taking a job to go travel and meet incredible people? Yes!  But so far, it's been worth it 100%.

Many people our age, in the 20 something range, are scared to just do it for themselves. They are scared of what people are going say, scared if it’s sustainable, scared if it’s actually doable. But trust me, if you put half the time and energy into doing it instead of worrying about it, you would already be on your way.

Here is an actionable plan:

1. Stop listening to the negative advice or thought patterns that say you shouldn't do it.
2. Set a small goal and then accomplish it--no questions asked.
3. Once you succeed, set another one.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? That's because it is. People like to tell you things are harder than they are. Try it for yourself and you be the judge.

No One Said It Would Be Easy

If you fail, know that it’s OKAY...you’re still growing and learning, and that’s the best thing you can be doing for yourself. Being a 20 something year old in today’s day and age in HARD. We have a different mindset than older generations and the world is a very different place.

20 somethings want to get shit done and don’t mind moving as many times as we need. We don’t mind jumping around from job to job to better ourselves and we don’t mind being dead broke doing it (well, at least most of us). 

And guess what, that’s all OKAY too. I figured it out for myself...I knew I had to do something and that’s exactly what I did.

So that’s my story and my rant about being a 20 something year old trying to figure it out. My piece of advice is do it for yourself. There will be people that tell you you’re crazy, that’s not sustainable, how long will this last...just do it and be the change you wish to see in yourself.