Our twenties are a tricky time. Whilst navigating them myself, I decided to ask some very special ladies in my life a question. I thought I would give someone else a chance to speak in this post, because you’re probably all sick of hearing my sarcastic voice in your heads by now! So, I asked some ladies in their 50s to write their 20 year old selves a letter that I could share with all of you. This is the advice gathered from those letters.
This decade is for fun, loving, hurting, healing, discovering, lots of mistakes and lots of laughs.
Trust yourself. You are learning from all your experiences, even though some of them are painful and hard at times. You’ll never recognise the right person until you’ve been with the wrong people and lived through heartbreak to know what doesn’t work.
Friends will come and go and that’s okay. You’ll find some special connections with lots of people. Some of us have friends from childhood and some of us have a different group of best friends every 10 years. Either way is perfect. Invest in your friends because they will catch you just as many times as you will catch them.
Trial and error. If something feels very wrong, get out and move on, whether that be with lovers, friends or your career. This is a time of discovery. If you’re not sure whether to stay or go, keep looking at it and the answer will become clear.
Have fun! There is more than enough seriousness coming when you have so many more responsibilities with a partner or a family (whatever way, shape and form this comes to you). Go travel, get out and do some road trips, have girls nights and socialise! Just put yourself out there.
This is the time you’ll forget about your family. They’ll be waiting patiently for you. That ‘horrible’ family dinner that drags you away from your fun life is a lot more enjoyable and important than you’re willing to admit.
Reach out. Make sure you reach out to others to support you, to support them. You will learn a lot about yourself from what you do in your 20s and you won’t put the dots together until later in life. This time is all about experience, you’ll reflect back on the lessons you’ve learned without even realising it.
Be kind to yourself. Love yourself. This is what will make a difference to your future. You will find balance and if you don’t, your true friends and family will let you know. Listen to your heart and your people and trust yourself.
Thank you to the ladies who bravely wrote a letter to their younger selves! You know who you are.
The Sammy Project 