I had tons of fun in my twenties. I traveled, tried new things, lived in different places, explored different cultures and had fun. Learning was a big part of my twenties and boy, did I learn. I started a business at age seventeen, while in high school, that I successfully managed during my twenties. It gave me the opportunity to travel and make a lot of money, but it also taught me a lot of things, like how to deal with different people, setting goals, and having a balanced life. Most twenty-year-olds, don’t run a business. They go to college and shortly after; they start a career. Either journey is fine, but living life to the fullest while you’re young is the most important part. Here are a few things to do in your twenties.

Spend money, but save a little…

When you are young and having fun, you don’t think about your future as much. You want to party, be with friends, and live your best life. Your twenties are when you spend money on unnecessary things, such as partying, expensive clothes and shoes, jewelry you’ll never wear, other people, junk food and other unhealthy things, tattoos and piercings, and crazy experiences. That’s what you are supposed to do. Your goal is to do as much as possible and have as much fun as you can. However, try your best to save money each year before thirty because your mindset is different near or at thirty. Your goals may change, along with your career. Based on recent research, we switch careers at least twelve to fifteen times in a lifetime, many of those times being in our twenties and thirties. Most of those changes require us to go back to school and/or move to another city. Having money in your savings can help with these unexpected changes.

How do you save money? Many twenty-year-olds don’t make a lot of money. There are many millennials who want to know how they can make more money now to prepare for their thirties:

Work more than one job:

• While working a 9-5 job, work a part-time job.

Don’t spend more than you make:

• Create a budget and if you don’t have extra money to go out with your friends or splurge on something new, DON’T.

Put a small percentage of your paycheck into a CD, your savings or invest it:

• Open a CD with your bank and set it up for you to put in $20 -$50 dollars per check. You could also invest a small portion of your earnings in a small business or idea that has the potential to grow. The easiest and common way to save money is putting a few bucks into your savings account and not spending it unless you have to.

Invest in a business or opportunity:

• If you have the means to, start a business on the side that could bring in extra income. This is only a good idea if you have a back-up plan and back up cash just in case things fall through.

Pay off debt as you go:

We accumulate the most debt in our twenties. We are never completely debt free, but we can have good debt. We go to school, travel, spend money we don’t have, open credit cards and don’t save our money. The key to being debt free is to pay off your debt now, so when you reach thirty you can have more freedom to do more and not stress about owing money.

Don’t settle…

In modern day, buying a house and owning a car in your twenties is a big deal. Your friends get married and have children and it’s amazing to witness. If you reach a certain level of success before age thirty, you are considered a god. However, settling too early can cause you to miss opportunities and experiences in your twenties. Your twenties are a time when you are getting to know your true self, so exploring different things will help you decide the life you want to live and the person you want to be.

How do you know if you’ve settled?

You haven’t been anywhere other than your hometown.

• The worst thing for your future is not leaving your environment. This doesn’t mean you have to move but travel and explore other cities and countries. This will help you become smarter and give you the ability to adjust to any environment.

You’ve worked the same job, but haven’t exceeded to another level.

• If you haven’t been promoted or given a raise and you’ve been there over five years, change jobs.
• You should also pay attention to how you feel when you go to work and when you are not there. How are your emotions towards your everyday hustle? If you are unhappy or dissatisfied, you should do something that makes you happy. When you are off work, do you have time for friends and family? Do you have time for extracurricular activities? Do you have time for yourself?

You don’t have any hobbies.

• One way to strengthen the brain and become smarter is having a hobby. Taking yourself away from everyday things mentally is healthy. Having a hobby outside of your career can help. If you don’t have time for a hobby, try something new once a month. Expand your horizon. It’s healthy.

You aren’t happy with your life or who you are.

• If you wake up stressed, feeling down, or lacking confidence, then you may be unhappy. Feeling unhappy and being depressed is a little different. If you are feeling depressed or suicidal, seek help now. A lot of this has to do with what you do before going to sleep. How did you spend the last two hours of your day before falling asleep?

• Another thing that affects our happiness is who we surround ourselves with. Some friends and family members can be harmful to us. Even though we love them and care about them, if they are making you feel bad about your decisions or who you are as a person, then it’s best to leave them alone.

• How you feel about yourself is important. It affects your career, your social life, and the ability to succeed. If you don’t feel good about how you look or who you are, make a change now. I’m not saying you should have plastic surgery or be fake, but looking and feeling how you want to be is important. If you don’t like how you look, change your hair or change how you dress. If you don’t like who you are, work on self-care and mature and grow as a person. IF YOU ARE FEELING BAD ABOUT YOURSELF BECAUSE OF OTHER PEOPLE, THEN CHANGE YOUR CIRCLE. You should also change what you are influenced by, such as social media and television. If it doesn’t make you feel good, get rid of it.

Allow yourself to fail…

Failure is a blessing. Those who haven’t failed, haven’t tried anything new. Don’t be that person. If you won’t go after your goals and dreams because you are afraid to fail, then you’ve already failed. Failure makes you stronger and prepares you for the next level. If you allow yourself to go through hard times, you will eventually learn how to handle anything that comes your way. This particular skill is called resilience. Having resilience is important if you want to work on an executive level in any profession.

How do you know if you have succeeded in failing?

• You were fired or let go, but instead of giving up, you found another job or began another career.
• You’ve lost money or didn’t make enough, but you managed.
• You made a mistake but didn’t let the guilt or embarrassment stop you from growing. Learn how to let go and move on.
• You asked for forgiveness. If you’ve hurt someone, ask for forgiveness. If they so no or refuse to let it go, don’t worry. You’ve done your part.
• You dropped out of school but made a living.
• You were in relationships that didn’t work out, but it didn’t stop you from dating and getting to know other people.
• You had a bad childhood, but have a successful life and career. Just because things were bad at the beginning, doesn’t mean that’ll always be that way. Choose better.
• You don’t have to depend on your parents to make tough decisions. There is nothing wrong with asking your parents for help, but there are many people who flaunt they are independent and doing things on their own, but their parents are really doing it. Don’t be that person. Learn how to make good decisions and do things without depending on others.