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25 Things I’ve Learned In My 20s
 

FlakieBear's picture
(Gorilla, 502
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 1:00am
learned in my 20s.jpg

1- You can’t date a jerk and expect to turn them into a good person. Jerks are fully committed to being unpleasant. Those brief moments of tenderness they give you are designed to trip you up and give you false hope. It’s best to stay away altogether.

2- The rumors are true: your metabolism does slow down as you get older! That means if you’re still eating whatever you want, there’s a good chance you’ll start to gain an awkward amount of weight. It won’t be too drastic but your clothes will start to hang differently on your body and you’ll feel an overall feeling of unattractiveness. Start to be conscious of what you eat and strive to live a healthier lifestyle if you want to get your teen body back. (Let’s be real though, that might not ever come back.)

3-You’re going to lose touch with a lot of your friends. With some people, it will be expected but with others it will feel like a punch to the stomach. No friendship is truly safe in your twenties. You’re undergoing so many personal and professional changes that there’s bound to be some casualties along the way. Don’t worry though. You’ll end up with the ones that matter. If someone’s no longer in your life, it’s for a reason.

4- You’ll be jealous of everyone who’s more successful than you. That’s okay. Just transfer that jealousy into something productive, like working really hard so you can one day eclipse them and make them feel jealous of YOU.

5-You’ll question every decision you make and never feel completely certain that you made the right choice. It’s pointless to wonder though. You’re here now so you might as well make it be the right decision.

6-You’re going to give your heart to a few people who don’t deserve it. Then, one day you’ll come to your senses and ask them to give it back.

7-You’ll see your parents get older. You’ll come home during Christmas break and see new lines developing on their faces. One day it’ll just hit you that your parents are old and going to die. There’s nothing you can do about it, besides treat them with kindness and visit as much as your budget permits.

8-You’ll have a boss who makes you feel like you’re nothing. It doesn’t have to be in a Devil Wears Prada way. The cruelty can be much more subtle. Don’t let them get to you though. They have no idea who the hell you really are and you’re probably going to have their job someday so…

9-Doing drugs is fun until it’s not, until it starts affecting your life in negative ways and leaves you feeling guilty and wrecked. If that happens, you should stop doing them.
You’re going to puke in public. It’s fine. No one cares. Just puke.

10- You’re going to puke in public. It’s fine. No one cares. Just puke.

11- You’ll know how to make twenty dollars last an entire week because you spent almost all of your paycheck on groceries at Whole Foods and drunk cab rides. This lesson in frugality will serve you well.

12- You’re going to betray your convictions. You’re going to feel shame. You’re going to continue to put yourself in situations that aren’t good for you. And then, slowly but surely, it will become less frequent. It might not ever go away completely but it won’t be as bad. In the meantime, stop shame spiraling about it. It gets you nowhere.

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them
Tags:
FlakieBear's picture

CONTINUED ... 13- Loving

(Gorilla, 502
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 4:51pm

CONTINUED ...

13- Loving yourself is hard. Hating yourself is harder.

14- You’re going to hook up with someone who you would never touch in the daylight sober. Just don’t freak out too much about it. Consider it to be your good deed for the day.

15- You’re going to have people in your life who are toxic. They may say that they love you, they may say that they have your back, but they don’t. Get rid of them.

16- You’ll have moments with someone that are so intense, it’ll feel like you’ve been electrocuted back to life. You’ll hold on to these moments for a long time. They’ll give you hope when you’re going through the motions.

17- You’ll always care about your first love. That doesn’t make you crazy, it just makes you human. When relationships end, it’s not so cut and dry. You carry everyone you’ve ever loved into every relationship thereafter.

18- You’ll enter your twenties as a fashion disaster and (hopefully) leave them looking fantastic. If you don’t know how to put yourself together by then, I really don’t know what to tell you.

19- You’ll realize that the Internet can be a cruel son of a bitch but, you know, www.whatever.com.

20 - So much of what you think matters doesn’t actually matter at all. It’s kind of rude. Like, thanks for making me believe in things that are ultimately so inconsequential, you jerk.

21- You’ll treat someone terribly. Whether it to be a lover or your friend, there’ll be someone whose feelings you take for granted. We focus too much on whether or not someone is hurting us. The reality is that we might actually be the one who’s hurting someone.

22- Doing “grown-up things” doesn’t make you a grown up. Shopping for housewares, buying a plant, embracing domesticity — these things don’t create maturity. If you’re still a baby who hasn’t figured things out, you’ll remain a baby, no matter how many times you pay your rent on time.

23- Don’t force yourself into loving anyone. If it’s not working in the beginning, it’s probably not going to work ever.

24- You are so lucky to have everything that you have. Stop crying about an unreturned text message and get some perspective.

25- Don’t go too long without having sex. Ever.

Enjoy the reading homies.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/25-things-ive-learn...

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them

BlackHat's picture

#7 and #16 will change your

HF
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 4:50pm

#7 and #16 will change your life.

And drugs will always be who I am, once the kids come I'll be singing a different tune I'm sure...

The rest... meh. They stopped applying by graduation.
I aged too quickly when I was younger. So sad.

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

sayandarula's picture

EXCELLENT post. i've

O
(King Kong, 1,809
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 5:43pm

EXCELLENT post. i've experienced plenty of these and i'm mid twenties, pushing late twenties.

hey mods, front page?

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?

sayandarula's picture

FlakieBear: 25- Don’t go too

O
(King Kong, 1,809
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 5:45pm
FlakieBear:

25- Don’t go too long without having sex. Ever.

OUCH.

+1 btw..

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?

DontMakeMeShortYou's picture

solid post. +1

HF
(King Kong, 1,964
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 5:56pm

solid post. +1

See my WSO Blog

econ's picture

FlakieBear: 10- You’re going

O
(Neanderthal, 2,416
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 5:59pm
FlakieBear:

10- You’re going to puke in public. It’s fine. No one cares. Just puke.

I did it in front of co-workers, my second week at a new company lol

For my aspiring Entrepreneurial Nomads, check out my blog.

MrMonkey's picture

#7 and #16 +1

ST
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 6:05pm

#7 and #16 +1

sayandarula's picture

i should point out that your

O
(King Kong, 1,809
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 6:10pm

i should point out that your link has an American Appearal ad on the bottom that is a bit nsfw.

Money Never Sleeps? More like Money Never SUCKS amirite?!?!?!?

Redroom's picture

Great post. Gonna send this

IB
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 6:23pm

Great post. Gonna send this one around.

Boreed's picture

Great post, can relate to

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 7:37pm

Great post, can relate to each and every point.

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CanadianPositiveCarry's picture

FlakieBear: 2- The rumors

IB
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 7:46pm
FlakieBear:

2- The rumors are true: your metabolism does slow down as you get older! That means if you’re still eating whatever you want, there’s a good chance you’ll start to gain an awkward amount of weight. It won’t be too drastic but your clothes will start to hang differently on your body and you’ll feel an overall feeling of unattractiveness. Start to be conscious of what you eat and strive to live a healthier lifestyle if you want to get your teen body back. (Let’s be real though, that might not ever come back.)
.

Yup agreed. But, that just means that you will have to hit the gym 100 X as hard as before. My dad and my grandpas both look like fucking beasts given that they are in their 50's and 70's respectively.

rothyman's picture

Amazing. The first 10 or so I

HF
(King Kong, 1,163
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 7:56pm

Amazing.

The first 10 or so I read are things that I can associate with recently. You're post is so accurate to reality it's almost unbelievable.

Some things that you mention that have hit home with me..
A) Seeing your parents get old.. sad and does put some 'pressure' on you as an individual to step your game up so you can take care of them/spend as much time with them as you can before they go..

B) Metabolism.. what a bitch this is. Yet some of my buddies still remain unaffected and have the metabolism of a 12 year old. What a bitch.

C) Drugs.. it's not like college anymore. Have one bad 'next day' experience in front of a client because of a drug binge the night before and you'll swear to have quit for life.. until the next time you decide 'it won't be a problem'.

D) Dressing.. I still have days where I struggle to find the right things in my closet

E) Grown up things.. you'll notice all these people around you (especially NYC) acting grown up and doing things that make them seem grownup.. yet they have no idea what it is to be a grown up. More than likely they have no responsibilities and are living on their parent's dime (again this is central to NYC.. especially women).

thx!

FlakieBear's picture

econ: FlakieBear: 10-

(Gorilla, 502
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 7:58pm
econ:
FlakieBear:

10- You’re going to puke in public. It’s fine. No one cares. Just puke.

I did it in front of co-workers, my second week at a new company lol

LOL what was the outcome? SMH

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them

FlakieBear's picture

Thank you guys. I am glad

(Gorilla, 502
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 8:00pm

Thank you guys. I am glad you enjoy the post.

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them

FlakieBear's picture

rothyman: Amazing. The first

(Gorilla, 502
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 8:09pm
rothyman:

Amazing.

The first 10 or so I read are things that I can associate with recently. You're post is so accurate to reality it's almost unbelievable.

Some things that you mention that have hit home with me..
A) Seeing your parents get old.. sad and does put some 'pressure' on you as an individual to step your game up so you can take care of them/spend as much time with them as you can before they go..

You are so on point. I think the hardest part in this whole process is when your parents get sick as they age.

My mom ages gracefully but she is having eyes problem because her incompetent doctor did not notice it or kept telling her that she was having eyes problem because she overworked herself and has fatigue.

Now all I keep thinking about is : will she be able to see my children?

I would love to take her on a trip spree. But how the heck will she see the beauty of the world if she is losing her sight. SMH.... things like that make me angry lol

Power and Money do not change men; they only unmask them

econ's picture

FlakieBear: econ: FlakieB

O
(Neanderthal, 2,416
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 8:14pm

For my aspiring Entrepreneurial Nomads, check out my blog.

Onetwobit's picture

yep #7 for sure. only 22

CF
(Orangutan, 255
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 8:25pm
JimmyDormandy's picture

+1, solid post

VC
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 8:27pm

"Jesus, he's like a gremlin; comes with instructions and shit"

SanDiegoBolt's picture

#7 For sure. Went and visited

O
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 8:38pm
TA2012's picture

Kind of a depressing post...

 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 10:05pm
Downtown's picture

Great post. A lot of these I

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 11:09pm
cokeaddict's picture

What a coincidence - I was

IB
(Monkey, 45
 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 11:10pm
Chocobo's picture

Great post! I can relate to

 
Points)
 on 7/11/12 at 11:59pm
bankbank's picture

cokeaddict: What a

 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 2:19am
HerSerendipity's picture

Love this. I'd add that the

PE
(King Kong, 1,031
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 2:52am
BenedictPowers's picture

#7 is probably the most

O
(Baboon, 101
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 2:55am
constipatedmonkey's picture

great post.. depressing (#7),

(Chimp, 15
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 4:05am
Voltaire X's picture

bankbank: cokeaddict: What

ST
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 5:02am
melvvvar's picture

can we start a new forum for

(King Kong, 1,693
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 8:37am
pariahdog's picture

Could somebody please expand

 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 9:29am
immaculatedx's picture

Jeez this has been all over

 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 9:51am

"Know thyself"

bonks's picture

Very relevant post and I

CO
(Orangutan, 316
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:30am

Nothing short of everything will really do.

DontMakeMeShortYou's picture

immaculatedx: Jeez this has

HF
(King Kong, 1,964
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:01am

See my WSO Blog

rjr16's picture

Great post. Very enlightening

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:26am
onedumbmonkey's picture

How long is too long?

 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:42am

"Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid"

George87's picture

#3, 5, and 7. Great post,

IB
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:48am
Johnny Ringo's picture

But you're from Canada....so

HF
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 12:39pm

Eventus stultorum magister.

Kools's picture

Doing Laundry is bullshit,

O
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 2:22pm
cphbravo96's picture

sayandarula: i should point

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 3:19pm

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

BlackHat's picture

cphbravo96: sayandarula: i

HF
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 3:25pm

I hate victims who respect their executioners

Follow BH & Co. on Twitter: @DumbLuckCapital
twitter.com/DumbLuckCapital

cphbravo96's picture

Couple things to add. First,

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 4:25pm

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so."
- Ronald Reagan

SC911's picture

i luv u

(Baboon, 118
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 3:42pm
Human's picture

Thanks FlakieBear. This is a

PE
(King Kong, 1,891
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 3:43pm

"I am the hero of the story. I don't need to be saved."

Aimez's picture

+1 Appreciate the post.

CO
(Orangutan, 291
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 8:11pm
neil joseph's picture

call me a 22 yr old ignorant

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 8:52pm

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." ~George Moore

neil joseph's picture

hey and did i add..great

PE
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 8:54pm

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it." ~George Moore

ivedtara's picture

Great points. I am in my late

O
(Monkey, 62
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 10:04pm

- Strategyard.com
Virtual Stock Exchange
Stock Market Game

ws_dood's picture

I wish i was born today

(Chimp, 9
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 10:19pm
SymphonyBanker's picture

Fellow ThoughtCatalog fan.

(Baboon, 113
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:36pm
SymphonyBanker's picture

Fellow ThoughtCatalog fan.

(Baboon, 113
 
Points)
 on 7/12/12 at 11:36pm

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