Lifestyle Edit | Your 20's

So, I just realized that this April marks the third year I have been running my blog. I also came to realize that this year I will be turning 25. Yep, Moving into the late 20's category. A few years back if you had asked me what my plans were upon graduating, I would've given you a very straight, if somewhat naive, answer. Get a great job, work harder on my blog, maybe finally get to travel more with my boyfriend now that we were past with the school year, maybe get our own place and maybe start deciding a bit more on our future.

Well, none of that really happened. My post-graduation years were a whirlwind of life-changing decisions, questions and things I never learned in school. No matter how prepared I thought I was, I did not expect the punch in the gut life was waiting to give me.

Well, I survived (somewhat), and for my blog's third anniversary, I decided a simple outfit post was just not going to cut it and so today I'm gonna be dishing out some of the things I learned in my 20's. Feel free to sound off in the comments below later,

1) You won't get everything.

Before you graduate, I know many of you already have a plan in place. A company you'd like to work for, a goal you have waiting for you to accomplish, maybe a plan to leave home and find success elsewhere. If you get it, good for you. That's awesome. But, for others, we won't get everything right off the bat. You might have to start somewhere else. You might have to postpone some of your long-term goals for the responsibilities you have right now. You will meet a lot of curve balls, and you will have to deal with them, even if it changes your current path.

I ended up in a job that was neither my first or second choice for a whole year and a half. But believe it or not I learned things in that job that would undoubtedly help me with my dream job in the future. While I ended my time there at a bittersweet note, I never regretted it.  Instead of throwing away opportunities that doesn't suit your current plans, maybe consider them all the same and then make your way back to your goal. Gather experience, knowledge and save up.

2) Your decisions have a lot more weight.

When I was at the university, failing at tests was the worst thing that could ever happen to me. I was the eldest, so the pressure was on me to be a good role model to my three siblings. I always had this thought that the best thing about leaving school was that there would be no more exams. But life will always have tests. And the consequences will weigh more than just a D on your report card.

I'm not trying to scare you, if you're thinking that. Nope. Just a small reminder that everything you do from here on out carries weight. It can affect you now, or later, and you can gain or lose something depending on how you react to certain situations.

3) Marriage is more than just a contract

I never planned to be married this early, but when it came up I made a decision and went ahead (see number 2). I know in my gut that this was the right decision, and that I was ready to take on this new responsibility in my life, but what I did not know was how different it was to be husband and wife, as opposed to boyfriend and girlfriend. Suddenly, every plan you make involves the other person. Every decision you make will affect him/her too. You are each other's responsibility. My whole life, I never worried about groceries, bills, or anything much. Now we both have to figure out a way to fit two different goals and futures into one plan.

But marriage is also the most comforting thing that has ever happened to me. It feels like I'll never be alone to face the world. If I succeed, it's in part because of him, and if I fail, I'll have him to curl into and drown out the world. So my advice? Make sure you are ready to dive in completely before even considering marriage.

4) There are no clear pointers to your next destination.

You know how in school, your whole life revolves around schedules for everything? Sign in before this date, or pass this before that time, or holidays start tomorrow for two weeks. Well, after college that little bubble of schedules we have, it disappears. No one's gonna tell you how long to work for this job, or when to do this plan. It's like gambling, really. If I take this other job, what if I get promoted in this current one soon? Should I start this plan now, or after this other plan that just came up? Should I spend my money on this deal or that deal? Only you can determine what you will do next.

5) If you fail, get up and try again.

Failures suck, and it's not like getting a D kind of suck. No one at school never told me this but failing something in your life will make you feel like you've failed yourself. It makes you anxious, it makes everything muddy and confusing, and you won't know how to get back up again. Suddenly you don't want to do anything anymore for fear for failing again. But there's a silver lining, and it won't come to you, you have to find it. If you get a D on your report card they say it's on your record permanently, but fortunately, life doesn't grade that way (Yay! one point for life). You can clear everything and start from scratch. Or recheck your tracks and see where you failed. I'm not trying to sound over-optimistic and sappy, because it will take more hard work, more planning, more decisions. But trust me, if you stay put and wallow in your failures, you'll go nowhere, and that's the suckiest part of all.

So my sweeties out there, what did you wish you knew in your 20's? And for my 20's to be or just starting out, did this help a little? I hope I didn't freak you out...hehehehe...

Outfit post will be coming really soon, see you for now! - Che