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12 Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make In Your 20s
In this article we bring you some of the mistakes you don’t want to make in your 20s. Among all mistakes you can make, you must avoid these
Your 20s are a crucial point in your life that you want to be careful, too careful not to f*ck up. While it is impossible to not make mistakes in life, especially in your 20s, I mean who doesn’t make mistakes? You must however be careful above all, in all that you do to avoid some of these mistakes in your 20s.
The truth is no one knows for sure or has all the answers, but your 20s serve as a prime time to make decisions that your future rest and depends on, must times the decisions you make in your 20s have a lot of effect on your entire life so it is not an overstatement and over-emphasis to try your best to avoid making mistakes that can change the course of your life.
Additionally, to avoid living a life full of regrets and burdens, thinking of what you should have done better or blaming yourself for what you shouldn’t have done, it is only fair that you should be informed and be extremely careful about making mistakes that are unnecessary. And lastly, your success in life is somewhat tied to not making these mistakes, I wish I could tell my younger self – Man, you don’t have to do this sh*t.
To avoid living a life devoid of love, self-respect, regret, and an inferiority complex compounded with all the trouble you can ever get, here are the mistakes you don’t want to make in your 20s as it represents a time for you to hustle, and fight for the life that you want for yourself, it is a time to manifest your own destiny and make your own path.
Mistakes You Don’t Want To Make In Your 20s
1. Not building life-long connections
One of the mistakes you will probably make in your 209s is not building quality connections when you have the time to build them. Among some of the things building a life-long connection will afford you is access to people who really matter. It is true that the world is more connected now than it was in the past, so that is to your advantage by leveraging social media to engage and build connections that surpass your natural habitat.
Although using social media to engage is quite different from your Instagram or Tiktok followers, this has to do with creating a good network of people you can always depend on, industry experts, and career people who can actually get you to places. Your 20s should be about networking and connecting with future clients and employers, so start getting into the habit of connecting with interesting people early.
2. Not exercising
As I would put this, this is a mistake that most people in their life fail to realize they make before it is too late. Exercising and taking care of your health is one crucial part of your 20s that you must take attention to as it not only guarantees you have a healthy body and build strong hormones that can combat many diseases but also ward you with the ability to have a strong mind.
Obviously, you don’t want to be in your 50s and 60s and be on a life-long treatment because you fail to do the necessary when you ought to have done it. You don’t want to be a fragile old wimp by the time you get old because you fail to exercise when you still have the strength to lay the foundation for your future with also having a bad eating habit.
3. Watching porn
Many may be able to argue watching porn is not totally bad but believe me only a few are able to have a neutral mind about their porn-watching lives not turning to addiction. Pornography takes time away from other activities like sleep, homework, and time with family, in your 20s you don’t have the luxury of time to lose. Watching porn aside from the effect it has on your mind, you don’t want to be caught living an irresponsible life that you will have to come regret later in many years to come as it will hunt because you didn’t do what you ought to have done while watching porn.
4. Forgetting to save and Not investing early
If you ask many people who are in their 40s, 50, 60s, or 70s, you will find out most of the people who fell into this category will tell you the same thing about living for the moment. Most of them will definitely tell you if they had known it was going to be what it later became of them in the future they would have learned to save when they had the opportunity. Be careful of spending more than you earn.
Meanwhile, money is a major source of stress for many people, regardless of their age. To gain an advantage in handling your finances, it’s important to learn what to do and what to avoid. Starting to manage your money wisely at a young age can greatly benefit you in the long run. Investing in your mid-twenties, for example, can lead to substantial financial gains. Therefore, not investing early would be one of the biggest mistakes you could make in your financial life. The benefits of early investment are clear and can greatly impact your financial well-being.
5. Having to please everyone
Another mistake you don’t want to make in your 20s is the mindset that you can please everyone, or trying so hard to please people is a dangerous illness that you should allow to grow on you. The blunt truth is you can probably think you can please everyone that is a very bad mindset, having that nature or mentality will only attract you to people who should never be in your life and it will give people the foothold in your to demand from you what shouldn’t;t have been their right to demand I the first place.
It’s natural to want to get along with everyone at work, including your boss, clients, and coworkers. However, it’s impossible to maintain this friendly dynamic forever. This desire to please others is a common mistake you must avoid making in your 20s, and sometimes it continues into your professional life. Instead of feeling crushed when you realize that not everyone likes you, it’s important to accept it and move on. Many experienced professionals have admitted that they wish they had realized this sooner and stopped putting so much effort and worry into being liked by everyone.
6. Wasting time on plans and doing nothing
Having a plan for your life is crucial for achieving success and happiness. Without a clear plan, you may find yourself unaware following someone else’s path and losing sight of your own dreams. It’s important to remember that your aspirations and goals matter, and by creating a well-thought-out plan, you can steer your life in the direction you truly desire.
Why the above statement is very important and true and why you don’t want to end up veering from your own path it is important that even as you make plans you must execute them. Well, most times why you keep on planning without doing anything is not only because you don’t have the resources to achieve what you are planning but also because you are not serious enough to take yourself seriously and you dint have the gut to accomplish what you have set out to achieve.
“When you do the things in the present that you can see, you are shaping the future that you are yet to see.”- Idowu Koyenikan, “Do not wait for a change of environment before you act; get a change of environment by action. You can so act upon the environment in which you are now so as to cause yourself to be transferred to a better environment. Hold with faith and purpose the vision of yourself in the better environment, but act upon your present environment with all your heart, and with all your strength, and with all your mind.”- Wallace D. Wattles.
7. Taking on debt
While mistakes in your 20s may not be generally avoidable, you should, however, not allow some mistakes from taking shape in your life as you try to navigate your life through your 20s to decide how your future will be and taking up debt should be one of your top prioritizes among mistakes you must well to avoid.
It’s generally advisable to avoid accumulating debt unless you handle it wisely and utilize “good” debt to grow your business. Debt can have a negative impact on your financial freedom and place a constant burden on you especially as you try to navigate your life in your 20s, hence hindering your creative potential. If you find yourself in debt, it’s important to make it a priority to pay it off as soon as possible.
8. Not getting good at at least one high-income skill
One of the mistakes you must avoid making in your 20s is not being good at a particular thing, especially in a changing world that is shifting from celebrating college degrees to elevating and praising what you can actually do with the knowledge you claim to have, you can’t afford to not have something you are actually good at. You should desire having a skill that matters, this is one of the mistakes you don’t want to make in your 20s.
It is not a lie our world prioritizes education you get the four corners of school walls but having a high-end skill seems like the future of work. You have to take on the initiative to teach yourself or to learn a particular skill that can in return generate for you high returns.
9. Investing in relationships with the wrong values and holding on to friends that waste and add no value to your life
In your love life, it’s important to be wise with your investments and seek a positive return. Instead of showering your partner with material things, focus on finding someone who brings you happiness and fulfillment. Your relationships should enhance your life and bring you joy. Similarly, in your personal life, it’s important to surround yourself with people who support and inspire you.
Likewise, if certain family or friends no longer contribute positively to your well-being, it may be necessary to distance yourself from them. Instead, seek out individuals who challenge and motivate you to grow and find solutions to your problems. Avoid negative influences and surround yourself with those who genuinely want to see you succeed in all aspects of life.
10. Sticking with jobs not for building your dreams
A job that isn’t fulfilling is similar to an unhealthy relationship. Often, people stay in these situations because they feel it’s the safest and easiest option available to them. However, it’s important to avoid any job or relationship that simply allows you to get comfortable. Settling for mediocrity can lead to a life of dissatisfaction and regret, resembling the stereotypical image of middle-aged individuals trapped in mundane routines.
Instead, strive to challenge yourself and pursue your own dreams rather than building someone else’s. Even if it may not seem logical at the moment, create something of great value that can lead to significant success in the future.
Always keep your focus on the long-term and don’t prioritize immediate rewards. Consider what you would do with your weekly wages anyway. Avoid feeling entitled and thinking you deserve instant wealth, prizes, or vacations. In time, you’ll come to realize that money alone doesn’t bring happiness; it’s the journey toward achieving your goals that truly matter.
In summary, don’t settle for a job that doesn’t fulfill you. Seek personal growth, challenge yourself, and strive to create something meaningful. Remember that true happiness lies in the journey, not just the end result.
11. Taking a break
Your 20s is a time for you to expend your energy not that you should go on without resting but you shouldn’t take a break, the truth is you will have a lot of breaks later in the future if you choose in your 2os to let mediocracy step into your life. Your power and strength and opportunities you have is in your youth, most people that the world celebrates today started out when they were young, not when they became old.
Also, I understand that taking breaks and vacations is important for everyone but looking at the example of Mark Cuban who dedicated seven years to building his first business before taking a break, it’s also essential to maintain a healthy work-life balance. It’s crucial not to lose momentum now.
12. Being impatient
It’s not necessary to achieve wealth or settle down in your 30s or have a well-defined career plan by your 40s. Devoting all your energy to your passion will eventually lead to a successful career. One of the mistakes you don’t want to make in your 20s is being impatient to quickly finish one goal and move on to the next or to get rich on time. Such impatient will lead you to do what goes against all generally accepted norms and standards. While the end result is quite important the journey or steps taken to get to the end are quite more important. “Impatience can cause wise people to do foolish things” – Janette Oke, “What is destructive is impatience, haste, expecting too much too fast” – May Sarton.