Welcome to Toddling In Your Twenties!

Introduction

Entering your twenties can feel like stepping into a whirlwind of opportunities and challenges. This decade is often marked by significant life changes, including pursuing higher education, starting a career, and forming lasting relationships. While this period can be exciting, it can also be overwhelming. So, treat this blog as a guide to help navigate our way through this storm of chaos that seems to keep unfolding before us.

Four young adults smile as they take a selfie

Have you ever heard the phrase 'Baby Adult'? Or the term 'Adulting'?

Many people say that your twenties are the best time of your life. And for some people, maybe that’s true. But for myself and I’m sure the vast majority of you, we are often made to feel like failures. Failures because, at our age, our parents were married. Had successful careers. Maybe even had bought a house. And we forget too often that life back then, even 20-30 years ago, is so different to life and the challenges we face today.

It’s no secret that there is no secret to functioning as the societal expectation of an adult. No life hack, no class you can take. It’s trial and error. And with the world changing so quickly, your parents’ ways of navigating their lives just aren’t relevant anymore. Careers are harder to break into. Love is harder to find. Mortgages are impossible to sustain.

We’re been told that your twenties are the time to have fun. Not to commit yourselves to anything. To go travelling. But wait, no, you should save money, But, make sure you enjoy your life. But you also need to think about the future! Don’t worry yourself with kids and marriage yet – you have plenty of time. But also don’t leave it too late!

I hate to break it to you, but your twenties likely aren’t the best time of your life. You may be at your prime, but your twenties are a time to fight for your place in the world. Fight for what you want. Sure, you have your entire life ahead of you, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. And unfortunately – it all starts now.

We are adults now… whatever that means. If anyone knows the actual definition, I’m all ears, because I think everyone just makes it up as they go along. My older sister tells me I’m a ‘baby adult’. I’m learning how to walk again – just in a new era of life. I have no idea how to be an adult. You’re not taught, you just guess and when you guess wrong or make a mistake, the pitfall is 100% worse simply because you are physically, but more importantly, legally, ‘an adult’. And that’s the lesson. You learn adulting by making mistakes that might cost you thousands of pounds, or friends, or a job… Anything worth having really. And that’s just supposed to be okay. Yeah, I’m not okay with it.

So follow along so we can work out this whole adulting thing together. We’ll attempt to understand, navigate, and take control. And hopefully, we can make less mistakes and take more control… and eventually, grow – from toddling, to walking in our twenties.