20's By Lauren Gayle


Over and over again, I have read this statement, stopped, thought about it and read it again. Can I relate to this? Can you relate to this? Yes, I certainly can relate to this!

Where did we learn that we had it all together in our 20’s? Our teenage years were the years of looking forward to our 20’s, how exciting they’re going to be, all the things were going to do and the freedom we will have to do them but when you get there, the plan somewhat changes…. A sudden responsibility is thrust upon us, not by anyone else but by ourselves.

I can’t speak for everyone, we’re all individuals but I set myself a large amount of goals when I entered “Adulthood”, some more serious than others and some more realistic than others but I felt like I needed to set them in order to feel like an official adult.  But it wasn’t long before I found myself comparing myself to others in my age group, “all my friends are married and having babies, so should I be” but in reality the way someone else’s life has mapped out may not have even been their plan! And that’s where the constant pressure to achieve goals can become somewhat overwhelming and some of us are guilty of spending our 20’s feeling like we haven’t achieved things that are deemed as ‘normal’ for a 20 something year old. It can indeed be a very frustrating period when you don’t know where you’re going, what you’re doing, etc. but one thing I am learning is to not let it consume me.

I've learned so much about myself over the past 6 years of being in my 20’s and I don’t want to feel like I am depriving myself of really enjoying certain elements of them to the max because I need to “have it all together”. Now don’t get me wrong, I have achieved some of my goals and have had a blast these past few years with some fond memories BUT there has always been that fear of failure. In no way am I saying it’s wrong to set yourself goals at all but don’t be disappointed if things don’t go according to plan, I too am learning that IT’S OK!


The truth is your 20’s are the years for exploring, discovering yourself and learning from your discoveries, enjoy them and don’t regret them… it’s never too late!

Contributor: Lauren Gayle

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