words of advice for someone whose turning 22?
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1. Listen to your gut. Always.
2. It’s ok to kiss a lot of boys.
3. Break ups suck, but you learn a lot when you get through them.
4. It’s ok to move in with your parents for a year or two until you get your feet under you.
5. Start a retirement fund ASAP.
6. Floss.
7. Schedule your regular doctor’s appointments annually.
8a. Eat your veggies.
8b. But it’s ok to eat chocolate cake for dinner once in a while if you feel like it.
9. Breathe deeply.
10. Don’t compare yourself to others.
11. Tell the people in your life that you love them.
12. Call your mom.
13. Learn how to make at least one kick butt meal to impress house guests.
14. Crank up the music and dance when you do dishes — it makes it so much more enjoyable.
15. It’s ok to let go of old friends if they don’t feel like your friends anymore.
16. Always post classy pictures on Facebook — future employers will see them!
17. Learn how to dress for your body type.
18. There’s no “right” or “wrong” timeline for your life.
Honestly? Looking back — I wish I’d slept with MORE people. I was too moral. And really? For what? Also — be practical. DON”T follow your fucking dream. The whole do what you love and the money will follow. FUCKING. BULLSHIT. 100%.
Yeah, I’d say enjoy it as much as you can because it flies by so fast! My 20’s were a fast time of parties/boys/clubs that I look back fondly even though at the time I was probably keyed up about something. Have fun, most things are temporary (as long as you use condoms!)
I’m with BGM, follow the money, don’t be miserable to do it, but man does money make life easier. Birthcontrol! And I probably would have slept with more people too. Always be genuine, your employers and friends will appreciate it.
Ha so funny, I would have slept with more people too or just been less rigid about what I considered “okay”. I was such a prude and damn I was hot and the boys wanted that shit. Be safe about it, but have fun! Those experiences and spontaneous things you do are what you remember going forward. I rarely remember the boring nights I stayed in or abstained from drinking for whatever reason, I remember the nights things got wild and I just went with it.
I agree with the advice about being practical to an extent–I think if you have the forethought you can be practical and do something you enjoy or possibly love… I didn’t really give two thoughts to my life outside of college and so wound up in a shitty position with basically nothing going for me and now 6 years later wanting to finally break in to the field I realized I want to be in, I am pretty much SOL because I have no experience or qualifications. Sorry if this is downer advice.
Also if you have the opportunity now for a crazy adventure, take it! I had a crazy adventure when I was 24 and it was the best year of my life and something I will always remember. If you can stretch that adventure out, do it, I returned home for practical reasons and sometimes wish I hadn’t.
Second on birth control. One of my best friends got pregnant at 22 and it didn’t ruin her life, and her baby daughter is just a beautiful little thing, but it was a shitty situation for a long time and now she is 26 and a single mom and really struggles.
22 isn’t old, I remember I thought 22 was so old, 23 24 25 etc. but it isn’t you are still so young and have so much ahead of you!
Don’t worry about specific timelines, go for the money in something interesting and don’t get too bogged down with school debt to do so (says someone $80K in, le sigh, at least I’ll get some loan forgiveness…)
Love yourself, no one else is going to do that for you.
Do things solo sometimes, even when you’re with someone. Go to restaurants, museums, movies alone. It’s totally different yet so nice. It surprised me when I learned a lot of my friends never did that when we were your age. Only 27 now, but still.
With all due respect to BGM and Mrmid, don’t chase money, unless money is your dream. i appreciate some of what they are saying. you must be practical and make a plan. You will need money and more is better to a point. But money won’t keep you warm if your life is not what you want it to be. Don’t follow a dream like some goofy kid. But choose a path with heart and integrity. Follow a dream with a plan to succeed at it. Don’t make yourself into something you don’t want to be to get money. Plan on how to succeed at being yourself. I won’t kid you. Money may or may not follow. You will have to look after finding some. But your path should be to succeed at being you, and at contributing your uniqueness to the world. I’m going to be 49 in 2 months. I have had a plausibly decent salary for under ten years. I was 36 before I owned my own home. But I know who I am and what i am doing. i will not die rich, but my life is enriched by love, good friends, a sense of purpose and satisfaction with the role I play in my world. Money is just a means – it is absolutely not the point of life. Happy Birthday!
Agree with BGM and Mrmid, my quality of life improved so much when I started making good money. Obviously don’t do something you hate, but a certain amount of money brings security and funds to have fun.
Don’t get married at 22!
Don’t get caught up in milestones or checking achievements off a list. Outlining is dangerous.
I thought BGM was saying don’t believe do what you love and money will follow? Maybe I’m the only one that read that like that.
I agree with everyone else though. Be young. Have fun. Make dumb choices – sometimes those are the best memories. Most importantly don’t follow a timeline for life and when you want and expect things to happen.
Happy Birthday!
