Important Things To Do In Your 20s Before You Regret It

Our 20s fly by before we know it, and we

want to make sure we did the decade

justice. Did we worry about the right things?

Are we where we should be now? The best

way to prepare for those questions and

answer them to the best of our abilities, is

to make sure spend time on what really

matters and what may help us in the future.

We took a look at a Quora thread that had

great advice for people in their 20s who

may be wondering what some of the

important things to invest time in may be,

and here is what we found.

1. Network.

If you form a solid mainstay of people, you

are exposed to more opportunities and

potential for success in both your career

and in your personal life. Build bridges,

because you never know when you might be

looking to cross them. As Karan Jaiswani

put it, “the 20s are all about utilizing your

today and structuring your future.”

2. Read A lot.

There is nothing more productive than

taking the time to read. Read whatever you

can get your hands on — current news,

nonfiction, fiction, career advice, self-help

books — anything! The more you know and

understand about people around you,

yourself and the world, the more easily and

successfully you can navigate those very

things.

“This will keep your mind stimulated and open to

ideas. You will get a number of ideas for each author

that you can implement in your life. You will also get

opinions from across the globe,” Rizwan Aseem

says.

3. Take care of your body.

Making time at night to wash your face,

exercise, and remembering to apply (and

reapply) sunscreen may not be on the top of

your priority list, but it should be. General

health care is something that, later in life,

you will be glad you considered in your 20s.

As Aseem points out, “No matter what you

do in your life, you will do it in your body.

You cannot replace it, get a new one, or

trade it in. This is your body and you will

live in it.”

4. Use your time and money on education.

Education is an invaluable resource that

you are unlikely to ever regret having.

Money is well spent when it is used to

broaden your mind and pool of knowledge,

especially when honing skills to be applied

to your career path. Anuj Kumar advises

you to “try different things and find out

where your passion lies . . . and then find

ways to make a career doing that, adding

that “if you need further education, get it."

5. Pay attention to your mental health and well-

being.

While your physical health is extremely

important, investing time into taking care of

your mind should not be forgotten.

Stimulate it, challenge it, be conscious of

what you’re exposing it to daily, and take

care of yourself. Aseem makes the point

that, “The mind, like anything else, has the

characteristics of a muscle. You use it, or

lose it. And as long as you are using it, it

will remain fit and healthy. The minutes

you stop using it, it will decay and rust.” So

use it!

6. Learn new skills (and master them).

While the advice to “follow your passion”

can be good in the general sense, John. J.

Bowman urges those in their 20s to master

and control a set of skills that can be used

to benefit you within the field you are

passionate about.

7. Create and maintain good habits.

The hardest part of creating good habits is

getting started, but once you are able to

master them, they will have an undeniably

positive impact on your day-to-day as well

as your future, because, as Rizwan notes,

“once a habit is established it lasts for a life

time.”

8. Build meaningful relationships.

Now is the time to drop the fair-weather

friends and make time only for those who

are really going to stick around and be

positive forces in your life. As you mature,

so should your relationships, so you don’t

have time to waste on people who will be

harmful rather than helpful in your pursuit

of your future goals.

9. Eat well.

Spend time planning meals, learning

healthy recipes, and overall taking what

you’re eating into consideration regularly.

Gone are the days when donuts, chips, and

sodas can pass as a full day’s meal. Even it

if takes a little more time and effort, your

future self will thank you when you find

yourself maintaining your energy and

healthy body as you age.

10. Establish a system for handling finances.

Sit down and figure out how you are

spending money, what you are spending it

on, and what your ongoing expenses are. “If

you take care of your finances starting today

they will take care of you when you most

need them. When you are old, or sick, or

sending your kids to school, or helping a

parent through sickness. Your finances will

help you,” Aseem says. Big pitfalls to avoid:

bad business opportunities (if it seems to

good to be true — it is), overuse of credit

cards, and choosing not to save or put

money aside for a rainy day.

11. Travel.

In your 20s, you’re full of enthusiasm and

energy and usually have the mobility to

indulge a bit of wanderlust. So indulge it.

Experience new cultures, countries, and

challenges. You will learn things that you

can take with you and apply to your life

back at home.

12. Communicate with loved ones.

Make an effort to remember birthdays,

holidays, and important events. Your family

and close friends can act as your support

system when you need it, but you should

put the time in and return the favor. Small

gestures that show you are thinking about

the people who love you go a long way, so

take the extra five minutes to write a nice

card and stick it in the mail, or schedule

that quick Skype call — you won’t regret it.

13. Examine what you really want in life.

It’s easy to get caught up in the everything

going on throughout your 20s, and people

often forget to actually sit down and

contemplate what it is they really want.

Tonya Turpin advised that you “actively,

and with intent, become aware of the world

and everything it holds. Not just about the

outside world, but also the one in your

head. Spend time alone because it is the

only true way to get to know yourself. Be

curious and question everything.” Make the

time to figure out what you love, and map

out a plan of how to get it.

Source: PopSugar