Hellos! :)

If you follow my Instagram you will know that I took a pretty (well deserved, earned) long holiday to celebrate my 25th birthday, where I traveled to Spain and France to go see some friends and experience an entirely new life altogether.

It was practically a whole new world for me since I have never been outside Asia before, let alone go on a holiday without family. And if I were to describe the trip in two (or four) words, it would be eye-opening and life-changing- for all the right reasons.

And my holiday piece is coming up very soon, I promise!

But for this week, I wanted to celebrate my 25 years by sharing my 2 cents on how it feels like to be 25 with little cookie bits I have learned about life so far.

So here are some tea time thoughts for all those living the 20 something life:

1.      If you have no idea about what you are going to do next, breathe, and then sort it out. As much as I have been telling people it's ohkay to feel as confused as you do, and you aren’t the only one experiencing this- the truth that it is time to actively go seek clarity. Living in a state of confusion is ohkay and acceptable for the first few years of your 20s, but if you still don’t know where you are headed now then stop waiting around and go write your next chapter.

2.      Your metabolism may be slowing, but it’s not yet dead. Yet. Experiencing weight gain is natural, but it’s high time you start doing something about it to stop it from dying on you. Now is the time to bring it up to speed! Go go go!

3.      It is ohkay to be selfish sometimes and take time out for yourself. But if you start getting a little too self-absorbed with no basic awareness of how it is affecting the people around you, then you seriously need a reality check before all your friends and family start counting less on you.

4.      Make new friends but treasure/ value/ cherish your old friends. Mid 20s is an age where you can be too busy to make new friends, or you may even forget how to. But you must never leave your old friends hanging. Never ever.

5.      Your 20s will test your work and life balancing skills like never before. It will squeeze everything out of you but you must persevere. There will be times when family takes charge, there will be times when friends deserve priority.

6.      And no matter what you do it will never be enough. Just admit it, apologize and let it pass. There will be a time where it will be impossible to make both parties happy and it will take a whole lot of compromise for any of it to work. Trust me.

7.      What you do with your life now will not make or break your future. Got the wrong job? Change it. Need a change of career? Do it. This does not set a tone of how your coming years will look like. Don’t worry.

8.      Take time in making decisions. Impulsiveness was fun to a certain age but things are going to get super real if you take rash decisions. Sleep on it if you have to.

9.      There is a possibility you will still make mistakes. There is no age of achieving unlimited wisdom where you will never make mistakes. Admit it, learn from it and move on. Dwelling on them will just aggravate yourself.

10.  No one understands love, or women for that matter and never will. If you think you are still bad at relationships, then you have your whole life to figure it out. There shouldn’t be a constant need of wanting someone to make you feel complete.

11.  Be happy with yourself.

12.  Not happy? Improve yourself.

13.  Change your perception about things.

14.  Be independent emotionally. You can’t live your whole life depending on someone else to make you feel a certain way. Your emotional sanity and happiness should be solely dependent on you with no one to blame.

15.  Work hard. Push yourself. These are the years where you have the energy and mental space to really see how far you can go, learn new things and experience better moments.

16.  It’s never too early to do anything. Save for a house, learn how to file your taxes, plan for a future, bungee jump or write a book. Don’t think about saving an experience for later on in your life. Experience it now.

17.  Save money. Oh my gosh, save money now. Just because you are young, you can’t let yourself go thinking ‘I have my whole life to be a corporate slave’. Why should I waste my time and energy and not live my best life? Which may be true. But it’s better to be secure and happy than broke and repenting.

18.  Try to understand your parents and give them credit when it’s due. They may get unreasonable at times, but they will do things no other person in the world will do for you. Appreciate them, value them, and cut them some slack. They put up with you for your whole life, they deserve it.

19.  Speak your mind when it’s the right time. It’s good, to be frank, it’s good to be straightforward. But when dealing with older/other people it can be considered rude. So before you get mistaken, share personal opinions but at the right time. Your turn will come.

20.  Travel. Save money and travel. See the world, alone if you have to. It will bring your soul clarity in ways you can’t imagine.

21.  Karma exists and it is a real thing. You are young. Be careful.

22.  Network. But genuinely. Don’t make fake friends to get somewhere and don’t burn bridges with people you can’t stand. Not yet. You may never know what the future holds. Life is very funny like that.

23.  Watch, read and listen to as many materials as you can. They not only entertain and educate you, but then unknowingly give you a perception of life in unimaginable ways. You will be pleasantly surprised.

24.  Don’t just ‘spend’ time with people. Invest time with them. Something as simple as sitting with your family while they are watching TV counts for the company even when nothing is being said. Or meeting a bunch of friends when it’s the last thing you want to do. Do things for them. Value relationships. People may forget you, but they will never forget how you made them feel. The world is a big place and as much as it feels good to be with yourself, pay attention to your loved ones.

25.  Always be grateful. For everything. It’s your way of telling the universe- more of this please!

I hope you enjoyed that little something.

Everything I have mentioned above are my personal learnings in my 25 years of existence. I may be right for some of you and I may be wrong to others.

But whatever the case may be, your 20s are by far the most eventful years of your life because you get to learn so much about yourself and teach yourself what kind of person you want to be towards the world. It’s as magical as it is scary. But whatever it may be, it is wonderful. 

Also a big thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday and meant it. You guys are seriously the best.

And yes, I did release my very first book as a birthday gift to myself on my 25th birthday. Its called How to Adult: The Quick Young Adult Career Survival Guide, and is available FOR FREE. So what are you waiting for? Go live your best life!

May you turn wiser every year,

Niki :)