The pandemic taught us one important thing: never take time for granted ever again. Some of us might have lost someone dear to us this past year. We’ve never told some of these people how important they are to us. Some of us might not have lost someone but have lost opportunities. A trip to Paris we didn’t take in January 2020 because we thought we could move it to April. A dinner with friends that we didn’t attend a week before the coronavirus outbreak began. There were certainly a lot of missed opportunities and more than a year after the pandemic, here we are blaming ourselves for missing these chances.
Age isn’t just how old you feel. It’s about the tomorrow that might never come. When you are young, it’s easy to feel invincible. It’s easy to think that your tomorrows and next years are a guarantee. They are not. What’s guaranteed is the day you woke up to. You should make the most out of that.
Health
In your early to late 20s, you’re able to bounce back after a night in a bar. You go home at 4AM and still wake up four hours later to attend a class or work. You will not always feel this way. Once you’re in your 30s, you will feel an overwhelming exhaustion from working that you will feel sleep at 10PM. What travesty, right? That does not mean you have to abuse yourself and go drunk every night. It only means you have a responsibility to yourself to enjoy things while you still can.
A night of revelry is harder to survive once you’re in your 40s. So, take care of your health when you’re still young. Give yourself a break. If possible, get a massage at least once a month. If that is too much, a massage chair at home will soothe your aching muscles when they are too tired from whatever activities 20-something-year-olds do today. The older you get, the harder it will be to take care of your health.
Freedom
You will never know freedom quite like when you’re in your 20s or early 30s. By your late 30s, you either have a family or you have to think about retiring in 20 years or so. At a young age, you can pursue a passion, travel the world, refuse to settle in one place, and go where your heart takes you. It isn’t as easy to do it when you have more responsibilities.
Building your own family is great, but it comes with a lot of obligations. These obligations will tie you down. It will never be the same again. Whether you have plans to marry or have kids in the future, it’s essential to do things your way when you still can. Whenever you have the opportunity to pursue what you love, do so without hesitation.
Failure
The perfect time to fail is when you’re young. You have an opportunity to correct things. This is why it’s also the right time to be in complete control of your future. You can take risks. You can begin a business, fail, and stand up again. It is harder to take risks when you have a family or when you’re older. Your youth is the time when you can explore and get to know yourself.
Friendships
Some of the lasting friendships you will carry to your old age are born in your youth. You’ll know who your best friends are. You will find out that your childhood friends may not be the same people you thought they were. Friendships are tricky because you never know who will stay or leave.
However, in your 20s, you are more aware of what you have to do to keep your friends. This isn’t like middle school when you lost your friends because your parents decided to move. Today, you are in control of the people you keep in your life.
Dating
Finally, the days of your youth are the perfect time to experiment with dating. You will meet a lot of people, some of which will fit you like a glove while some will be your complete opposite. Young people make the mistake of wanting every boyfriend or girlfriend to be “the one.” Your younger years are the perfect time to meet people who truly can be your partner for life. Don’t fall for empty promises and open your eyes to the reality that some people will not need to stay.
There are many opportunities when you are young. Many of these will never open again so make sure to grab them when you can. Never take your youth for granted, whether it’s about your health, friendships, work, and family.
