Congratulations. You did it. You got through twelve grueling, frustrating years of school. Now you’ll go to college and after that get your dream job. Or maybe you’ll just skip the college parties and go straight to the dream job. Point is, you’ll live happily ever after. It’s a dream come true.
PSYCHE.
What is it about us teenagers that makes us believe life is going to be perfect? As soon as that diploma is in our hand and summer begins, the next chapter in life starts. Not to be the Debbie-Downer, but there is more to do until we are financially, emotionally, and physically set for that happily ever after.
All our lives our parents have paid our expenses; from diapers to phone bills and everything inbetween. Children have relied on their parents to take care of them and help prepare them for the world. If not parents, there has always been someone to take your responsibilities on as their own: teachers, babysitters, friend’s parents, and plenty others. But after high school, it’s our turn to take our responsibilities head on.
In the next decade of your life, new responsibilities begin. In no particular order: A job, maybe two, a place to stay, maybe a roommate, maybe two, just to pay the rent, electrical bills, water bills, maintenance, appliances, furniture, computers, printers, cell phone bills, credit cards, debit cards, checks, deposits, taxes, credit scores, clothing, shoes, groceries, pets, cars, and significant others.
“The job market isn’t what it used to be. Your college degree or work history isn’t an easy ticket to success anymore. You are going to have to constantly prove yourself. Hard work is good,’’ according to Huffington Post.
Now, I’m aware we have no clue how to handle the responsibilities and hard work that comes with adulthood. And it’s not our parents faults. It’s not our teachers fault. In fact, it’s no one’s ‘fault.’
All these new obligations are things most of us have never dealt with. This is a universal truth. And even though this universal truth has been around for centuries, teenagers are still at a loss for their upcoming adventures.
“Your 20s are the ideal time to enjoy life but also to figure out just what you want yours to be about (even if that changes later on down the line) and to define yourself beyond your family, your school, or your upbringing,” according to collegestats.com
What young adults need to come to is a conclusion. A conclusion that maybe, just maybe, ages 20-29 are the test run. Yes, the 20’s are an experiment to find that happily ever after.
However, there will always be work to be done all throughout life. And there is still so much more to life after your teenage years and your 20’s.
“You will make mistakes and have failures, but you’ll learn how to learn from them and how to pick yourself back up and get on with life,” according to collegestats.com.
So take this test run seriously, but also enjoy your youth before it’s gone in the blink of an eye.
Check out the next pages to find the balance between serious and fun for your 20s.
