El Que No Sigue Consejo, No Llega a Viejo - A Guide To Surviving Your 20's

Am I ever going to figure myself out? Where did all my friends go? How do I meet new people? There’s so many things that this decade brings along that we are totally unprepared for. Don’t worry, take a deep breath and read on. At Flechada we list a few things that might help you survive this uncertain decade:

1.     First of all, even though it may look like it, no one has their life figured out in their 20’s no matter what their social media says.

2.     On that note, stop measuring your self-esteem with how many “likes” you have on your Instagram pics or your Facebook statuses. Don’t give your self-loathing an excuse to come out by constantly checking for people’s approval of your lifestyle.

3.      The most dreadful feeling after a fun night out with your friends will result in a balance-check of shame the next morning. Followed by a face palm. You’ll be skimping and feeding on ramen noodles to make up for it. Being this frugal will help you learn a lesson.

4.     This decade will bring many downfalls and failures. Remain strong and remember this is a time of experimenting, learning about who we are , and figuring out as much as we can about life and at the same time prepare for the future; it’s a lot for one person but you will make it through.

5.     Jealousy and envy are useless and consume too much of your time and energy. Instead channel it into something productive that will help you get ahead.

6.     Your biggest challenge, believe it or not, will be loving yourself. During these uncertain times, the relationship you have with yourself will matter more than anything.

7.     At least once, you’ll betray your beliefs and you will feel ashamed. You will continue to put yourself in situations that bring no good. The shame spiral will go away as we learn what are true convictions are.

8.     Every relationship means something, even the ones that went bad. On that note, staying involved in destructive relationships is useless in your 20s. There’s no sense in being with someone you can’t picture yourself happy with.

9.     The reason why you’re not making any new friends is because you’re being to passive , safe and comfortable. It’s only as hard to make friends as it is to put yourself out there, if you’re feeling lonely it’s time to bust out of that apartment.

10.   Know that eventually you will outgrow some friends, but for the precious few who survive the decade, don’t let go. Be cautious and learn the difference between a friend and someone who is poison. Get rid of the latter.

11.  Don’t forget that the most important thing is to advocate for yourself in both your work and life because no one is going to care more about you than yourself. You should put your health and emotions as a priority. (It just gets harder to get you teen body back)

12.  If you’re not currently where you aspire to be what matters is that you are actively trying to achieve what you want. Keep a list of your goals and work had to achieve them, don’t let anything leave you feeling defeated.

13.  Love as much as you possibly can and don’t be scared of being vulnerable. Bad experiences can’t close your heart off for good. 

14.  Take advice from your friends and family. Advice is recycled experience, the good and the bad combines to make a better outcome for you. Respect the friends and family who care for you. Specially your parents (mark this your priority if you gave your parents hell as you grew up)

15.   Enjoy and appreciate your youth. Were the new generation so it’s our time now. We can have our cake and eat it too right? With discipline, hard work and passion you won’t have to ever second-guess yourself.