resources for twenty-somethings / 18 things.

Yah, I'm engaged and I have a career, but I promise, I still have SO MANY moments of doubt. Finding articles like Sarah's "18 Things I Really (Really!) Wish I'd Known In My 20s" is comforting. We've all been there. Some of us are still there. Let's learn from each other.

Of the 18 things, these 3 are my favourite:

3. It really doesn't matter what you major in.

What does matter? The internships you get, your work ethic, your interpersonal skills, who you know. High-five, 22-year-old self! You didn't ruin everything with that English degree! Just make sure to get work experience in many different fields until you find one that you love!

7. When in doubt, make the effort.

You'll never regret wearing that nice outfit, buying the thoughtful gift for the friend you haven't heard from in a while or over-tipping. If it doesn't work out, at least you'll know you did your best.

9. There are seven billion people in the world.

I promise you, you'll love someone else. You'll make new friends. You'll find coworkers and neighbors that are awesome. If it's too hard (or if someone is making you feel bad) then walk away. There are a million other people out there who won't make you feel bad! Learning to let go of relationships is one of the most liberating experiences you'll ever have.

The other 15 are pretty solid, too.

P.S. More resources for twenty-somethings.

resources for twenty-somethings: 22.

Yes, I wish I had discovered this song when I was 22. And yes, I know that everyone is currently obsessed with Taylor's new song.

But despite the fact that I'm 24 now—soon to be 25, and the song has been out for some time, and everyone has probably moved on, I think "22" is still relevant.

Every time I hear it, I start singing and begin a little dance party wherever I am. This song makes me feel better. Happy. Vibrant. Young. I'm instantly transported to my earlier twenty-something days, where I'm dancing with new friends in the parking lot of my university residence late at night, wearing pyjamas that kind of pass for shorts (who was I kidding?), drinking a slushie (I think some of you would call it a slurpee?).

So, press play, sing along, and dance it out. Remember days that were less stressful, although you didn't know it at the time. Or revel in the nights that precede days that are spent being less stressed, although you don't know it yet.

resources for twenty-somethings.

Did you notice I added a new page to the blog? At the very top! Resources for Twenty-Somethings! 

I'm 24 years old and have said more than once that the theme of my life is I don't know.

I don't know what I want to do with my life. Don't know if I should be spending the majority of my salary paying off my student loan or traveling. Don't know if I should get married or date around. Heck, some days I don't even know what to wear or what to eat!

And I'm guessing I'm not the only one.

Sometimes I find things that make me feel better about the not knowing, things that make me feel less lost and more okay. When I do, I'll post them here. 

The most recent article I found was "The Friendship Exodus Of Your 20s." Here's an excerpt: 

As you slide into your mid-twenties, you’ll have found that core group who survived the goodbyes, or maybe were the hellos who made the rest more bearable. The ones who you meet for a (slightly less cheap) brunch, go to movies with, play at being grownups, and throw dinner parties for. As you settle in to your lives, you begin to seriously couple-up, and maybe new faces come and go, but some slide in seamlessly, and become so intricately a part of the group that you can’t fathom that they weren’t there from the beginning. You share new jobs, hated bosses, and being laid off. You lament over student debt that is going nowhere but up, the terror of buying a new car, and oh dear god how do I file my taxes? You grow into adulthood, careers, higher education, and relationships with one another.

...Slowly as you slip from your twenties, there are no more clear delineations of goodbyes. People and priorities spread apart—moving away, following different paths, and new dreams. It’s neither leaving each other behind nor choosing something better, but the natural exodus of friendship in your twenties. It’s a time of change and goodbyes, of new beginnings somewhere else, and making it on your own. A period of coming and going, of clinging to what you know while simultaneously flinging yourself into the unknown.

This one felt particularly comforting and timely because I had just been talking with a friend about how relationships, particularly friendships, change as we get older and our lives change.

Anyway, if you're in your twenties and/or relate to the I don't know feelings, feel free to check out Resources for Twenty-Somethings often. I'll update it whenever I find something new!

(Photo: Literally, Darling)