The Ups and Downs of Being Twenty-Something

Personal Growth

July 15, 2020

Life is a struggle, and as we get older it will only get harder. When I was younger, I always thought being twenty meant I would have my life figured out. Here I am, twenty-two years old and my life is a mess - well, at least it feels like that.

Some days I am stuck between making adult decisions and other days I am told to stay in a child's place. The sad reality is that being twenty something is not where you have your life figured out, it is where your life begins. This is the point in your life where at Thanksgiving you are too old to sit at the children's table, but too young to sit with the older family members. So, you end up sitting alone.

Twenty somethings are really confusing. Some of your friends may already be married with two kids, some may have their dream house and dream car, and then there are some who are still in college trying to figure out if the cafe is going to be edible or if they have to spend their last five dollars on a cookout tray. Do not forget the weird guy behind you in line who notices you are struggling to find thirty-six cents for tax, so he gives it to you, then asks for your number.

No matter which category you are in, we can all agree that being twenty something may not be what we imagined. Being twenty is all about failing at everything you do, but being able to learn from those mistakes and create a purpose. Being twenty is all about losing connections with people you thought would always be there.

Being twenty is all about getting your heartbroken by the one who you gave your all to. Being twenty is all about becoming - YOU. Although being twenty something sucks, it may be the best thing life has to offer.

Being twenty something is not what I imagined it to be. Honestly, I did not even plan to be here at the age of twenty. Due to multiple suicide attempts and obstacles, I made it.

Now that I am a senior in college, life is about to hit me much harder than ever before. Am I going to graduate and have a good paying job? Maybe.

Am I going to get into law school? Maybe. Am I going to be stuck in my hometown?

Maybe. I am assuming if you read this far in the article, you may have similar questions. The worst thing you can do is question yourself.

Often, times when you question yourself, you will begin to believe those negative thoughts in your head, saying that you cannot do something. If you allow it, doubt will kill your dreams before failure ever gets a chance.

As a twenty something, you feel as if you have something to prove. Maybe to your family or even your peers. The truth is, trying to prove how much you do know ends up showing everything you don't know - filing taxes, 401k plans, stock market, real estate, your future.

It is okay not to have life 100% figured out. No one thinks you are a failure. You are just twenty something. You are literally in the stage where you aren't fluent in an adult language, but you still have adult responsibilities.

Your twenties are your selfish years. You are old enough to make the right decision, but young enough to make the wrong one. Be selfish with your time - travel, explore, fall in and out of love, be ridiculous, silly, stupid, and wild.

Be twenty something.

Mayah Amorai Williams
20k+ pageviews

Writer since May, 2020 · 6 published articles

Mayah Williams is a Published Author, Amazon Influencer, Actress, and CEO of Roots of Royalty. Her passion is to uplift, inspire, and motivate young people to be the next generation of leaders. She actively works in her community to advocate for social justice, human rights, equality, and peace.

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