Getting to know yourself is a process.
There are certain very basic things, which almost everyone I know begins doing in their mid twenties. Suddenly being healthy and fit becomes a priority. You start having more protein and becomes conscious about the nutrition in your diet. You either begin going to the gym, or find other ways to remain active and feel alive. People start caring a little more about how they look. Skin care routines and self care weekends filled with face masks and long baths become normal.
Your mid twenties are when you are hopefully making decent money, but likely not half as much as what you wish to be. So it's a tug of war of your interests. Do I travel, or do I save up for that car? You start realizing how much money living the life your parents led requires. With the amount of awareness today, every life decision ends up being extremely difficult for people who think a lot and make excel sheets to weigh the pros and cons.
You explore other interests more aggressively. Because suddenly life begins to feel much shorter. You're done with 33% of the good part of your life. Maybe even 50% if you are unlucky. What is the meaning? What is the purpose? Is it worth struggling so much to be above average if you can be mediocre and happy?
You stop feeling young, and while this sounds similar to life feeling shorter, it's a completely different feeling. Because you don't know the new music anymore. And the "in" fashion trends are no longer interesting. You're prioritizing your comfort - screw the heels and screw moving your house when you can hire movers.
But it's not all a struggle. You start buying non birthday cake and sometimes your friends do that for you too. You go out for a drive in the middle of the day just because you can. You drink tea 5 times a day. And rearrange the furniture of your house regularly. You decide when you sleep and when you wake up. You decide how late you want to text your friends until, even though you have a flight in the morning. So much agency, so much freedom to choose for yourself.
I feel like there's so much of being an adult that we don't enjoy, just because we have forgotten what it was like to be a child - when there were so many things that not being an adult was stopping us from doing. We have great power, we have great responsibility, but we forget that with them also comes GREAT POTENTIAL TO HAVE FUN.
I really wish everyone - in their mid twenties or not - starts prioritizing fun in their life. For most people, their family, friends, or job is what their life revolves around. But your job will let you go when you're not their priority. Your family may be taken away from this world. Your friends will soon have their family to take care of first. What do you do when you lose what you most care about? When your passions and goals or everything you wish for is not within your reach?
I won't pretend to have an answer. But I was thinking about how most of us dream big. And that is great, and we must keep working towards those dreams. But it is also important to dream small. And make those small dreams consistently come true.
I believe those small dreams will keep life magical. :)
Love,
Kanksha
