2015 has been a year of reflection. Reflecting, musing and sometimes even surprising myself at how I've changed and the journey I've taken.
When I was 21, the world seemed limitless, infinite, my oyster, yet also terrifying and unknown. Every decision seemed to hold immense power over my future, whether in career, love or life in general.
Over the years, I've made some good decisions and some that didn't work out the way I wanted them to. I wonder at how things have changed and stayed the same after 6 years. I wondered what piece of advice I would have told my 21 year-old self. I wondered what others would have said to themselves.
And so, I asked myself and my friends. The common theme we found?
1. Listen to yourself.
2. Do what you want to do, take those risks!
Don't take our word for it though. Here's what was shared.
(None of them knew what the others had said so each piece of advice comes independent of others, based on their own life experience,)
Phyl, 27: "Embrace that side of you that's a bit of a free spirit, ignore those who tell you to stick to what's known. So what if life in that traditional big corporation is not for you? The best thing you can do for your career and life is to follow your heart and trust your instincts about what makes you happy."
S, 32: "Don't listen to what anybody tells you. The people you think know something, don't know anything. We're all just making it up as we go along."
Siying, 27: "Lose control and make mistakes. Don't mitigate risks to construct the perfect world in your head. Dare to break your own heart."
C, 29: "Be more assertive. Love yourself more because no one will love you more than yourself and do what you want because you are only young once."
SL, 37: "Enjoy your youth to the fullest. Do what you want to do. Travel and see the world before commitment starts to weigh you down."
MY, 29: "Save more, read more, travel more."
C, 27: "Fuck school, don't chase paper, don't do internships. Instead, travel more, do part-time jobs in bars and cafes and at media events and everything. Don't get involved with boys/be in a relationship either. Now that I'm older and am so entrenched in the corporate rat race, I wish I didn't spend my early 20s trying to get ahead and my hands in."
CW, 27: "Meet more people when I'm young and try harder to keep the right ones as friends. It's harder to make friends when you're older."
ML, 29: "Don't spend on a lavish 21st birthday celebration."
R, 29: "Spend some time figuring out what you want to do with your life and start realising it early."
What would you tell your 21 year-old self? Have you been following your own advice?
When I was 21, the world seemed limitless, infinite, my oyster, yet also terrifying and unknown. Every decision seemed to hold immense power over my future, whether in career, love or life in general.
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| Snapshots from my 21st birthday party. Young, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed. |
Over the years, I've made some good decisions and some that didn't work out the way I wanted them to. I wonder at how things have changed and stayed the same after 6 years. I wondered what piece of advice I would have told my 21 year-old self. I wondered what others would have said to themselves.
And so, I asked myself and my friends. The common theme we found?
1. Listen to yourself.
2. Do what you want to do, take those risks!
Don't take our word for it though. Here's what was shared.
(None of them knew what the others had said so each piece of advice comes independent of others, based on their own life experience,)
S, 32: "Don't listen to what anybody tells you. The people you think know something, don't know anything. We're all just making it up as we go along."
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| From dutchessroz.com |
C, 29: "Be more assertive. Love yourself more because no one will love you more than yourself and do what you want because you are only young once."
SL, 37: "Enjoy your youth to the fullest. Do what you want to do. Travel and see the world before commitment starts to weigh you down."
MY, 29: "Save more, read more, travel more."
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| Print by UrsulaSaysHello |
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| By Philip Tseng, available on iam8bit |
CW, 27: "Meet more people when I'm young and try harder to keep the right ones as friends. It's harder to make friends when you're older."
ML, 29: "Don't spend on a lavish 21st birthday celebration."
R, 29: "Spend some time figuring out what you want to do with your life and start realising it early."
What would you tell your 21 year-old self? Have you been following your own advice?
