The 20s is when our lives start taking shape. Baby fat shading, acne clearing and meeting boys is one of the good things that happen at this crucial age. Below are some of the things I wish someone had told me when I was 19 but then life wouldn’t be as interesting if it had a manual. Experience, they say is the best teacher so here goes.
Embrace Healthy Eating
Our bodies are like a machine; take care of it by servicing it and you will experience fewer breakdowns. Long life isn’t really guaranteed but if you have an option that can offer you extra years to live wouldn’t you take it? This is it, a balanced diet and 8 glasses of water every day, a mantra we were taught since we were in Primary School and for good reason. Exercise regularly too; develop a culture of walking instead of javing, taking the stairs instead of the lift. Also avoid junk food that young people tend to make our go to food and you will be thankful you did in your 40s and beyond.
Be Yourself
There is this cool quote going around the social media that says “Be yourself, everyone else is taken” which is so true. There must be a reason why God didn’t create us using Adam and Eve as the template and how boring would that be? Avoid the herd mentality, be real, stick to your moral code and do not attach or compare your identity with someone else’s otherwise you will end up being a very miserable person.
Drink Responsibly
We’ve all heard young people who have lost their lives or got badly injured ending up in the hospital after a night of wild partying due to either drunken driving , an overdose of roofie or mchele or worse still getting raped. Waking up with a stranger in bed is also a common occurrence with the youth which usually is accompanied by anxious questions like kwani jana kulienda aje? If the above description fits you, reduce your alcohol consumption and better still, always go partying with a friend who knows how to hold their liquor who can take care of you later.
Don’t Be Stuck In A Bad Relationship
You are young and beautiful and you are always whining about being in a bad relationship and yet you cannot leave that man/woman to save yourself. This isn’t the time to shack up with someone just cos it’s the norm in our campuses. These relationships forged in our campuses barely last after college. So instead of focusing on that one person that makes you miserable because you’ve got this idea that she/he’ll change for you, it’s time you got stepping and mingled with your peers.
Choose Your Career Wisely
The good thing about careers is that you can always switch to something more suitable if you so wish successfully. So many people are stuck in careers that they don’t like all because they made the wrong choice when they were in their 20s. Decide early on what you wish to do in life and go get it, you know how you liked playing nurse when you were a young girl and you’ve always loved taking care of people when they weren’t feeling well? Then why choose to be a pilot? Sure we tend to focus on what will make us most money but if you consider gratification and money equals, then this is your time to choose your dream career.
Save, Save, Save
This one cannot be overemphasized. It is easy and quite understandable for one to fumble when it comes to earning income especially after college. Save some percentage of your monthly income (some say 8%) for a rainy day. Whether longevity is assured in your place of work or not, embrace the saving culture and it will save you some headache someday.
My list is inconclusive all my experience cannot be put on “paper” but at least you get my drift. We have all had different experiences, feel free to share in the comments, who knows you might save someone’s life!!
Photo credit: 436ocw