8 Life-Changing Things I Learned in My Twenties

I recently celebrated my 29th birthday and truth be told, pandemic and all, it was by far the best birthday I have had. Over the past couple of years, I noticed a shift in myself and how I have come to approach life. This is not to say that I woke up one day and had a “come to Jesus moment” but things just changed. I realized that there were some major, life-changing things I learned in my twenties. None of which are foreign concepts, of course.

Truth be told, I finally started living life on my own terms. I get that this may sound “woo woo” but it’s honestly what it feels like. I unapologetically began to go after the things that brought me joy. It might sound cliche, sure, but often times we don’t ever really allow ourselves to say yes to opportunities that come our way.

Outfit Details: Jacket (similar) // Sunglasses // Hoodie

In this post, I’m sharing eight life-changing things I learned in my twenties that have changed the way I look at life.

Let’s Talk About the 8 Life-Changing Things I Learned in my Twenties

1. Tomorrow is quite literally, another day. If it can’t be done today, there’s always tomorrow. As long as I’ve put my best foot forward and did my best, I can and should rest easy. I truly think that overworking and constantly living on the go is romanticized and overrated. We should certainly normalize putting things down and walking away until tomorrow. Even God rested on the 7th day. I’m just staying.

2. I cannot stress about things that I have no control over. I used to spend so much time worrying about things beyond my control. I’m talking about creating scenarios of all the things that could go wrong – even in the most simple situations.

3. My relationship with my mother is the most important relationship I have. Had someone told me in my younger years that I would spend my adult years getting closer to my mom, I’d have laughed them out of the room. It’s funny that the older we get, the more we realize how much we need our mothers. I consider myself so blessed in that regard.

4. University degrees and college diplomas are not the epitome of success. There are so many avenues that lead to finding “success” that go beyond the traditional route. I spent the past six years finishing a four year university degree that I didn’t enjoy but felt obligated to complete. Not by family or peers, but my employers that post jobs requiring multiple degrees to do entry level work. For peanuts, at that. Truth be told, I’m glad I did it but I wouldn’t do it again.

5. It is more than okay to leave a job that makes you unhappy. We spend so much of our younger years trying to land “adult jobs” and get our foot in the working world. What people don’t talk about enough is toxic work environments and putting your wellbeing first. It took me way too long to learn that no amount of money is worth your unhappiness.

6. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to wait to enjoy your life and to say yes to experiences. At least that’s what I’ve come to understand and implement in my own life. I am all for working hard, saving money, and overall being a responsible adult however, it’s okay to enjoy the fruits of your labour. I used to feel bad about spending money and treating myself – even when I knew I could afford to spend it.

On that note, this also speaks to celebrating ourselves, our accomplishments, and even the small things. There is so much pressure to move through life chasing intangibles and rushing to the next stage. I’ve learned and continue to allow myself to savour the moments – big and small.

7. This is more of a personal, internal one but it’s certainly not the least of the lessons. Managing weight and keeping healthy is so much harder in your late 20s and onwards. At one point, I became so obsessed with how my body was developing as I aged. I can’t be the only one (I hope). I had a rude awakening and realized that I couldn’t throw back burgers and fries as I used to in my college years. I’m still getting used to this one but I’ve come to terms with the reality of it.

8. The lack of understanding of foreign concepts and ideas does not invalidate their existence. Over the past few years, I’ve come to understand that there are many versions of life and truth that people can walk in. Not being able to see the world from their perspective is not a good enough reason to believe that their experience does not exist. One of my husband’s favourite sayings is: “Be kind. We’re all going through something”. That speaks volumes.

It’s safe to say that my twenties came with a lot of lessons and it’s been quite the adventure. I was lucky enough to meet the love of my life in my early 20s – I had always wanted to get married “young” for some bizarre reason.

I’m not one to get sucked into accomplishing things or hitting milestones at a certain point but marriage was one I had set for myself. Of course, I know that I can’t take all the credit for making this one happen – thanking the man above for answering my prayers. Head to this blog post to read about three lessons I learned in my first year of marriage. It’s a good one!

I’d love to hear some of the things you learned in your twenties or even some things that you’re still learning beyond those years. Share in the comments below!