Even though I experienced and explored many things in my twenties, there are things I didn’t get a chance to accomplish. When I retired, I began to notice I never explored my options. I was always on the go and determined to accomplish the goal I had set in my mind to accomplish. I moved really fast because I always focused on the bigger picture. Having big goals isn’t a bad thing, but looking over the little things can cause you not to enjoy your journey.

Expand your horizon…..

This is an important thing to start doing while you’re young because it helps to enhance your knowledge about the world and the things within.

Educate yourself.

This doesn’t mean you have to go to college, but I am referring to reading, traveling, and teaching yourself new skills. What are ways you can educate yourself?

• Work on your vocabulary.
• Read a variety of books.
• Educate yourself on the world around you.
• Make connections.

Expand your horizon.

• Learn a new language.
• Visit new places as much as you can.
• Be open-minded and be willing to learn new things.

Develop good habits.

• Always ask questions.
• Set goals.
• Devote time to education.
• Always learn.

Exercise your brain.

• Work on puzzles.
• Do artistic activities.
• Do math.
• Write stories or poetry.

Develop your people skills.

• Learn how to listen carefully to others opinions about controversial things or things they know that you don’t.
• Be nice to people.

Develop a routine to stay fit and healthy….

It is always important to be fit and healthy. No, you’re not going to always be or feel fit and healthy, but you can train your body to be. This is an important step to begin in your twenties because as you get older you become busy; which may force you to eat whatever, whenever. If you are like me, you don’t turn down food. If you get your body into a routine in your twenties, most likely you will result back to the same routine consistently.

• Go to the gym or go for a run at least three to four times a week.
• Drink eight glasses of water a day. This takes discipline, but if you carry a gallon with you to work, you’ll have a better chance of accomplishing this goal.
• I’m not the healthiest person when it comes to food intake, but I do eat a piece of fruit and a vegetable throughout the day.
• GO TO SLEEP! We live in a society of #teamnosleep. However, you need your rest. It doesn’t matter if you have small dreams or big dreams, you can’t accomplish them if you are restless. Get some rest.
• Laugh more. It’s important to surround yourself with positive, motivating and inspiring people. Get a mentor. Watch funny movies. Go to a comedy club. Laugh at your mistakes, instead of feeling bad for yourself. LIVE and have FUN! No matter how tough things get, if you focus on the good of the situation, you’ll have a positive day. How you spend the first few minutes of your morning, will determine your mood for the rest day.

Explore your options with a purpose…..

This is a step I missed. I am the type of person that always has her mind on the prize. I overlooked the little things in my twenties. This can be in the form of womanhood, manhood, career, family, relationships, and a place to call home. I didn’t have time to “wait.” Throughout my career, I had to make quick decisions. I didn’t want to at times, but I had no other choice.

Decide what type of person you want to be.

We can’t change our temperament, and we develop our characteristics, but who we are on the inside doesn’t always show on the outside. Why is this? As a child, we don’t choose our parents, our environment, our family, and the things we are exposed to. When you become an adult, you move away, start a new life, and mature into the person you would like to be. Here are ways you can mature into the new YOU.

Learn from your mistakes. FAILURE IS GOOD. If you want to learn something in life, allow yourself to fail. We can only learn what to do and what not to do by experiencing things. Don’t allow fear to stop you from living. Life isn’t perfect, but you can live and be happy despite things not going as planned.

Do the opposite of what you’re used to. Many people never become successful because they never change. Change is good. To be great at what you love to do, you must force yourself to grow up.

Change what inspires you. What we read, listen to, watch on television, talk about and who we hang around affects us in many ways we aren’t aware of.

Focus on your mentality. To do this, change your focus.

Learn from others’ mistakes. Other peoples’ mistakes can be a great example of what not to do. We all make mistakes, but the goal is to do right and do our best.

What is instilled in you, is what becomes your subconscious; which affects your mind. Your mind controls your behavior and emotions. It’s a never-ending cycle, which you can control with discipline and determination.

Make a career choice based on passion and purpose, not money.

We need money to pay bills, eat, and take care of ourselves. We need money for almost everything. The cost of living has gone up over the last five years. Everything I have mentioned in this post may cost you money, but you never want to lock yourself in a position because of the money. You want to enjoy your career. How do you know if you are making a decision based on passion and purpose?

• You enjoy what you do. Every day isn’t going to be rainbows and butterflies, but if you love your job despite this, that’s always a good sign.
• You begin setting goals to move up in the company.
• You inspire people to follow in your footsteps.
• Overtime or working excessive hours isn’t a problem.
• You don’t accept the job based on salary.
• You shouldn’t try to impress, you do your best.

Not everyone is in your corner and it sucks.

The biggest lesson in life that could make or break us is having to accept who cares, loves, and accepts us for we are, the choices we make, and where we are in our lives. Many people are so hurt by the betrayal, that they give up on their dreams. The lesson here is it’s not you, it’s them. When you decide to make a change that is an inconvenience to others, they may hate you, betray you, threaten you or harm you. This occurs when the person is jealous, are afraid to go for their dreams, mad because they can’t reach their goals, upset with you because they can’t do what you are doing, or THEY DON’T LIKE THE ATTENTION YOU ARE RECEIVING BECAUSE OF WHAT YOU DO. To have haters is a good thing. How can you overcome this?

• Forgive. Forgiveness is the key to a happy life. You shouldn’t dwell on someone not liking you because of the decisions you make for yourself. If someone gets upset when you do a good thing, most likely they were never in your corner from the beginning,
• Move forward through your pain. This is easier said than done, but if you want to be successful, you can’t keep looking backward. Keep your eyes forward. Focus on now. Be present.
• Mostly, people don’t know what they are doing. They are reacting. Why do you think there is so much regret. It’s not until later on when they realize that what they did or said affected you. This occurs when it’s done to them, and they feel the pain. If they apologize for their wrongdoing, accept it and move on.