On Learning & Being in my Twenties

I've been thinking a lot lately about growing up & this post is sort of a response to both Amy & Elizabeth's posts on being in a 20's funk. Blogging affords us the ability to find like minded people going through the same things as we are.  I am so glad I have the opportunity because I would have thought I was the only one.  Knowing you aren't alone is one of the greatest things about humanity.  And even though we try to define ourselves as how we are different from our peers, it is how we are a like that makes us human.

First off let me say that I have a bunch of school loan debt hanging over my head.  Second off, I am attempting to launch into a self-employment adventure before the end of the summer.  Finally, I feel as if I take the leap into self employment the delicate thread holding on to my loan debt will suddenly snap leaving me trapped.

I have been thinking about this 20's funk & the fact that while I feel my options are completely endless when it come to anything, I feel the gentle tug of the ball & chain loan debt on my ankle when ever I even let one thought of self-employment slip.  I have never been one to give up on dreams.  While I may not run towards the finish line, I do inch along.  The best example of this is when I moved out of my parents' house immediately after graduation.  I worked hard the semester before to find a job, I found one, it sucked.  I worked hard to find another one, I found one, it was awesome.  But now I've done all I can in this job & another opportunity has presented itself: drop everything, move north, make pottery.  There is an opening for my dream.

I've also been steadily gaining momentum in sales & learning a whole lot about this whole thing over the past year.  But mainly making strides in it in the past 3 months which is exciting & also terrifying.  But I wanted to share with you some things I am learning in my 20's

Say yes to things you have no idea how to do //  With in limits, this is the best thing I've done for myself in ages.  Whether it was saying yes to playing the guitar in bi-weekly kitchen band meetings or saying yes to a design element that I had no clue how to install, I've learned so much.  It is when we push these boundaries that we learn more about ourselves, what we can stand, & what we can do.

Don't apologize for leaving your job for a better one // In an economy where the lucky ones have jobs they love & the extremely lucky have jobs that pay the bills, sometimes we think we have to be miserable in order to be successful.  I am here to propose to you it isn't true.  If you hate your job, start looking to find a new one.  Apply to 3 jobs a day if you have to & don't apologize for leaving a crappy one for a better one.  Even if it's only slightly better.  A friend of mine suggested a statistic that he may have made up: the average college grad now a days will have at least 10 jobs before he has a career.  Which to me makes sense.  You aren't required to work a job you hate, hell, you aren't even required to work a job if you can make it on your own.  I am horrible at giving 2 weeks notice.  I hate leaving & thinking about who will be there after me and if they will be as good as me.  But if you have a better offer don't apologize for advancing.  Chances are McDonald's won't even know you've existed this time next year.

Pictures shot with Hipstamatic D-Series disposable camera app.  See how to use it this Summer here!

Blogging is a way to discover & remember who you are // Posting regularly about things that matter to you will help you incredibly in a year's time.  Personally I know that I can make it through a lot of things because I've been able to remember making it through things before.  You'll also learn how you became you & what sets you apart from the you that you used to be.  It's like you're giving yourself advice to come back on in the future.  You may not remember who you are but your blog sure does.

No one ever remembers the nights they got enough sleep // Go on adventures, live life, you're in your twenties for pete's sake! Just young enough to get away with it & just old enough to learn responsibility.  Which you may learn the hard way.  Before you do have kids or settle down be sure to live life.  You only get 10 years to be in your 20's.  Even if their half gone, the best day to start is right now.

Save your money, but spend all you can (on important things) // Don't buy the newest clothes or the coolest things no matter how bad you want them.  I should have done that with both my macbook & my iPhone.  I don't need these expensive things, though my iPhone does help a lot with etsy & sales! What I'm saying is to be responsible with your money but do things you shouldn't do.  That's the only way you learn.  I've spent way too much on things I didn't need & slowly learned to save more.  It is by saving that I can afford to spend money, if that makes sense.  I learned from my Granddaddy that money is meant to be spent, whether right then or down the line.

There is never a hole in water, things will work themselves out // This is something my room mate Katie told me when a lot of things in my life were up in the air.  When there is a void some how it will be filled, things will always work out.  It is in the incomplete that we seek to be whole, so you will always find what you are missing.  This also goes along with a philosophy of mine developed between episodes of LOST & episodes of Dr. Who: You will always make the right decision.  This is hard to explain, but pretty much every decision (major ones, that is) you make you will always choose the right one.  When faced with two paths, you will always choose the one you're supposed to.  This comes from partially being responsible & weighing the odds and partially from deciding to take a leap.  Maybe it comes from me being incredibly sound in every decision I make but I really think if you are a self reflective person you'll notice patterns with in your own life.  For me I notice that I make big changes every so often & once they resolve I make a new change.  I think it's a way of challenging myself.

With all this said, I can't wait for & am utterly terrified of the second half of my twenties.  I threw that last one in there because I need to remember to go confidently in the direction of my dreams.  Things will always find a way to work out.

What are you learning in your life right now?  What would you want the older you to remember about the younger you?

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