I find it quite amusing that in the world today, your 20s allegedly act as a guided map for the rest of your life. We take courses to prepare us to enter the workforce at the ripe age of twenty-two, and are expected to have five-year plans, even ten-year plans, written out and ready to go for anyone who might, no, definitely will, ask “What are you wanting to do after college?”
But, how in the world are we supposed to know these things without ever really having experienced the world around us? How can we know exactly what we want to do with our entirety of time on this earth at an age where we should be encouraged to move, to grow, to change?
In my opinion, much of this pressure comes from the rise of internet and media use, as well as comparison to others our age. Seeing peers and friends receive job offers straight out of college and listening to academic professionals and adults advise you to get ahead in any way that you can does reiterate that feeling of panic, of being “grown up,” the second you step off a college campus.
Think back to the days of past generations. Internships and work experiences might have piqued the interest of some very eager young ones, but employment was still common regardless of previous career knowledge. If the individual held a sort of degree, or showed some ability in that sector, a job could be attained. Early twenties were spent backpacking, moving to new cities, working part-time while saving to purchase a car or home, or simply pursuing a passion that might not correlate in the slightest to your previous degree.
And back then, nobody blinked an eye.
I remember telling my mom I wanted to study abroad for an entire academic year, and she was not very pleased at the beginning. I think that she felt I would fall “off track” or “behind” compared to the rest of my peers. It can be discouraging to feel as though your passion for knowledge and adventure is not necessarily rewarded in the system that society now fosters. However, contrary to what some might think or say, I have genuinely learned more in the last six months of my life than I ever have in a college classroom.
There is only so much one can learn about the world without going out into it. Skills such as communication, confidence, responsibility, self-reliance, independence, creativity, resilience, and more that go beyond any sort of list are all taught through immersing oneself in a new culture, or putting oneself in a situation where you must learn to quite literally survive. I have lost passports, forgotten wallets, taken the wrong trains, missed flights, navigated foreign countries with a paper map (this probably shouldn’t be considered a challenge now and days, but here we are!), walked the complete wrong direction to monuments, stayed in some questionable hostels, lost money, spoken broken versions of languages, and I somehow lived to tell the tale- and to love telling it! Moreover, these experiences have opened my eyes to where I personally place my values in a world that can frown upon a more laissez-faire approach.
I could not count on two hands how many times I have changed my mind about most plans I have made in the last couple of years regarding what I anticipated my life to look like. However, the one word that comes to mind when I look for reasoning is authenticity. I do not mean to speak for the entire population of twenty-somethings in this world, but I can guarantee that there are a good few who’s inner hopes and dreams do not consist of a nine to five job as a young adult.
And that’s okay.
I think that we forget we only do have one life to live, and oftentimes feel as though going with the next “step” is not an option but a requirement. But in that, we lose liberty and freedom to pursue the type of life that we crave. In seeing a diverse number of cultures, I’ve come to realize that the happier bunches were those who pursued what they genuinely cared about. Those who, upon talking to them for even a few minutes, had a glimmer in their eyes when chatting about their days. That is what I wish to get out of my one life here. To be able to tell others about things that I have done or seen for nobody’s expectations or belief systems, but because they were experiences that I felt called to participate in. I desire more than anything to be authentic to my being, because it is merely a waste of time to deny your given talents, hobbies, or longings when they feel so natural and can be so rewarding.
One of my dad’s favorite books to read to us growing up was “The Hobbit” by J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien, in that novel, puts together a phrase of words that I could not agree with more. “The world isn't in your books and maps,” he says, “It's out there.”
My hope is that, if you are reading this in your twenties and do not know what your life plan is for the next year, let alone for the next five, you feel encouraged in knowing nothing is off the table. No vision for your one life is too unattainable, too crazy, too impractical, or too impossible. Listen to your own personal voice and ask yourself what you authentically wish to do and see, to hear, and to feel.
You may not be the wealthiest human in monetary value, but you will be indescribably wealthy in other areas of life. To foster relationships with people from every corner of the world, to taste a new type of food with a local chef, to swim in a new body of water, to feel the hot sun on your skin in a new place, to watch as people fall in love or as an elderly couple dine at their local venue, this is what makes you rich.
If you truly desired, you could pick up and move across the world in the blink of an eye. And the best part about it all?
It does not end your world, or your life, to make a drastic choice that seemingly goes against the norm. It kick-starts it.
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