I saw a talk on TED last week that really got me thinking. What are you doing with your life? The talk focused on how our twenties are seen as a 'throw-away' decade. This is because these days (most of us) don't get married, make big career choices, have families - until we are in our thirties.
However, the psychologist giving the talk said this is really dangerous because the decisions we make in our twenties effect our thirties. We need to make sure we are making choices that are mindful of our future-selves and not leaving 'decisions for a future day'.
I personally don't feel like I wasted my twenties - not because I got married in at 25 but because I think I learnt a lot. I think I've used those lessons to get me where I am today. Sure, if I could go back I'd tell my twenty year old self a few things.
I'd go straight to university after school because now I know what I'd like to have studied, I would have known where I could meet Tom 3-4 years earlier, I wouldn't have dated the (very) wrong person for years. I could have travelled more. But I know all those things have got me to where I am today, with the head I have on my shoulders. So I'm not sorry about any of it.
I essentially agree with the talk that we shouldn't see a whole decade of our lives as a time to just throw-away. Decisions we make in those 10 years can have ripple effects throughout the rest of our lives. Each day is precious so thinking, i'll deal with it when i'm 30 seems really 'wasteful'.
What do you think? Do you see twenty-somethings 'wasting' this precious decade? Are you? What would you tell your twenty-year old self?
*P.s. this photo of me as a baby really doesn't have much to do with this post... just imagine it has a deep meaning about life decisions and all that stuff ;)