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19 Mistakes We Make In Our 20s And Here’s How We Can Avoid Them


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90% of what happened to me in my 20s was because of luck. I am that guy who was at the right place at the right time and lucked out. As much as I am grateful for that, I wish I knew better. Today I know, the 20s should be used to discover yourself, as against stabilizing yourself. Meet as many people as you can, do as many jobs as you can, explore as many streams as you can. Find out what you are good at and what makes you happy, and then spend your 30s doing that. I am embarrassed at who I was in my 20s. The under-confident, people-pleasing, overweight, stuck on one path, bad with money, judgmental kid. But I am glad I was all of that. Because now I know who I do not want to be.  Here are some lessons I learnt which can help someone: 

1. Continue to pursue education because you're good at it, without ever asking if it makes you happy

Just because you are good at something doesn't automatically ensure you get happy doing it.  

How To Avoid Making Mistakes In Your 20s © Pexels

2. Look down upon people who smoke or drink or party every weekend and brand them as losers

It is not what you do, but who you are underneath, that defines you.  

3. Read books to appear cool (without truly understanding what you could learn from those books)

People do not remember you for the company you keep. They remember you for who you become because of that company.

4. Feel morally obligated to help everyone in distress and blame yourself if they continue to remain unhappy

The best gift you can give yourself and to others, is to take care of your own happiness.

5. Believe that lack of money is the root cause of all your problems (and once you have it, you no longer will have any problems)

Our problems are the stories we tell ourselves, of how everything will be fine once we get what we want. 

6. Think that rich kids get everything on a platter and do not know how to struggle. Their privilege will always harm them.

It is not privilege that harms us. It is our lack of awareness of our own privilege, that harms us.

7. Eat unhealthy, sleep odd hours, maintain bad posture, while constantly telling yourself that you have tomorrow to fix all of this.

An excuse is the distance between who you are and who you wish to be.

How To Avoid Making Mistakes In Your 20s © Pexels

8. Try hard to please people; want them to like you, think highly of you and speak highly of you

If your happiness depends on external validation, then your happiness depends on something you do not control.

9. Take loans because you don't have money yet and tell yourself, "but I will have money in the future."

If you do not have the money to pay for something right now, you DO NOT have the money.  

10. Don't think topics like psychology, business ethics or human resources are important. Business is all about finance and marketing.

Business is all about people. How well you know them. And how you treat them.  

11. Assume that if you speak well and speak confidently, it will cover up for the lack of content in you.

You cannot lie on stage. The audience will always know it is within your heart.

12. Determine whether the problems people come to you with are worth your time or not. And if they are, then your job is to fix them.

Listening to someone without judgement or prescription is the most precious gift you can give someone

13. Feel the need to have a plan and believe that you won't get anywhere without it

To not have a plan and be ok with it, is the best plan.

14. Assume that the purpose of life is to make life comfortable.

Avoiding the comfort trap is the difference between who you are and who you could have been.

How To Avoid Making Mistakes In Your 20s © Pexels

15. Feel dejected when no one responds or comments on something you write, share or say something

No one owes you their time and money. You earn it, everyday, by the work you do.

16. Tell yourself that you need to make money fast, buy your parents that house, buy that fancy car, that vacation.

Money can buy you stuff. But the biggest thing it buys is freedom. Including freedom from stuff.

17. Assume that if you work hard, really hard, you will eventually win. Working hard is the only thing that matters.

What you work on is just as important as how much you work on it. Even donkeys work hard. Working smart is the difference between a donkey and a human. 

18. Blame yourself for being late in the game. Look at those successful around you and feel bad.

Everyone is running a different race. Infact, we're not even in a race. We're on our own paths. Some walk. Some run.

How To Avoid Making Mistakes In Your 20s © Pexels

19. Assume that your work will speak for yourself. If you do well, people will give you what you deserve. Don't ask!

If you don't ask, the answer is always no.

Ankur Warikoo is an entrepreneur, teacher and founder of Nearbuy. He tweets a thread every Friday about entrepreneurship, failure and personal growth @warikoo.


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