24 Things Every 20-Something Should Pledge To Live By

1. Protect the hell out of your time. You are responsible to make time for what matters to you. Make sure you’re spending them just the way you want it. When you do, I promise you will be flooded with fulfillment at the end of the day.

2. Do things intentionally. It is exactly what it is. Consume, date, work, and share all you want, the key lies in doing them intentionally.

3. Pro-Social media (with detox). When we are trying to go cold turkey on social media platforms, it almost always never work. We are social animals. With that said, don’t be afraid to take a step back and reevaluate your purpose of being on social media. When you have identified your why, it will be easier to act on it. If you don’t feel inspired to update your socials or you’ve allowed a naysayer to put you down, gather your perspectives and go on a social media detox. A day, a week, a month – whichever feels the best for you. It’s hard but necessary.

4. Negative thoughts are like rats. They arrive in groups. Coined by the legendary Andrew Matthews in his book How Life Works. This has been stuck with me for many years. Whenever I catch myself thinking negative thoughts, I’d grab my imaginative wooden chopsticks, pick and throw the rats out of my head, shiver, and then go on with my life feeling lighter and happier.

5. No one really notices when you disappear from social media for a day. Everyone else is so busy living their own lives, worrying about their own sets of insecurities, checking on Yelp to find the next best place to eat. The truth is harsh but a liberating one – no one really cares where you are or what you’re doing. Now that you know, free yourself from the thoughts of others and get into the flow of doing what you enjoy! Even better, do more of the things that make you forget you even had a phone!

6. Do what you need to do. Be the person you want to be, do what that person would do, and you would get what that person would have.

7. Write your thoughts down. Seeing your thoughts inked on paper helps you gain clarity and allows you to sort them out depending on priority. If you hadn’t written them down, they’re going to stay like a tangled mess in your head. Remember your earphones that gets tangled no matter how carefully you slip it in your pocket? Play your favorite chill tunes and start writing, no matter how silly your first sentence may be.

8. The Power of one—breaking down difficult tasks into bite-sized chunks. We’re not multi-taskers. Break a huge responsibility into a task so small you can do it within the next 30 seconds. For just one week – push yourself every day. No matter how you’re feeling, no matter how stupid you think it is, or if you think this “something” is not gonna work. Paint a drawing, progress on a project, learn a new chord on your acoustic guitar. What you’ll need is physical evidence to prove that you’re actually inching forward to a place that’s critical for your growth.

9. Reading and reciting. Gather perspectives from people whose path you’ve never walked in, train yourself to not be afraid of approaching others, and treat them as equals. You’ll be surprised at the number of a-ha moments you’ll be blessed with once you start reading.

10. Compliment someone you admire. March right up to that person and let them know what you liked about them before you even gain the courage to do so. Watch them beam with humble replies.and make a new friend in the process!

11. Don’t be the mockingbird. Harper Lee apparently didn’t go on writing more books after her phenomenal success with “To Kill a Mockingbird”. Harper Lee was afraid of Harper Lee. It is exhilarating to think about where we could be, and when the high is over, all we’re left with is a big slob of self-doubt and uncertainty. Let’s not take the easiest way out. Let’s work through it.

12. Ask yourself: Is this gonna matter in a day? A month? A year? This is for when you’re feeling all kinds of unpleasant emotions. It could be self-inflicted or triggered by something as minute as your phone lagging or your food arriving late (ugh, and wrong order?!). The best practice is to simply wish them well. It is so foolproof you are most likely not going to be receiving any more negative energy from them.

13. Look at people in the eye when you apologize. This is not merely about the act of sincerity. This is about looking at your mistakes in the eye and be willing to take responsibility for them. This communicates that you’re taking your apology seriously, offers comfort to others, and most importantly, it empowers you. It also helps to learn about your apology language and openly talk about it with your friends and significant other in a calm, non-threatening manner.

14. Ask and be open to constructive criticisms. We all try to dwell on our own problems in isolation. Occasionally, we air our dirty laundries out in the form of deconstructive Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram posts. One way to challenge ourselves to get out of this rut quickly is to ask people around us for help. But first, we have to promise to listen with an open mind; to not be defensive when we asked for transparent, constructive feedback. Never change alone.

15. Your body is your text. Your broken front tooth that paints uplifting childhood memories, albeit somewhat painful; your scars.the many chances taken to make you feel alive, and your uncontrolled laughter which resembles greatly with your dad’s.

16. What’s lacking? None. No. Nothing! If you’re reading this with a roof over your head, you have one of the most basic human needs covered. You, in the material sense, are not lacking anything. Your heart is beating, you can see the words on this page, you are connected to the Internet, a mobile device, and you are probably one of the few to be blessed with an education and a full belly. There is so much to be grateful for already.

17. Cleaning is cleansing. When you’re stressed out and know you won’t be able to generate meaningful output to your work, the easiest thing is just to sit and sulk. The hardest thing to do is the same. Set your mind on autopilot. Let it wander freely as you scrub, wash, and clean. Feel more relaxed now that you get a chance to breathe and know that you’re doing something and getting it done, no matter how trivial it seems to be. It’s a small win.

18. It’s easy to buy, but….If you have problems with impulse purchases, practice making really conscious decisions before committing to a purchase. Do you need it or do you want it? Will this make your life better? The answer is usually no. Save yourself the headaches, your time spent shopping mindlessly, and the pain of clearing your wardrobe.

19. Don’t feel stupid for not liking what everyone else pretends to love. Quoted by Emma Watson.one of the ladies in the showbiz that has her feet planted firmly on the ground. I will leave it as it is and let it percolate for a moment.

20. Live within your means, and you’ll always have enough. Are you constantly feeding on what looked good on the outside (read: what people would envy)? Is your inner-self slowly wilting from the lack of care, water, and attention? Watch yourself change gradually as you start investing time and money into what you need to learn, gathering your thoughts, and getting to know yourself at your core. I know it sounds silly, but it works!

21. When you start taking care of your inner self, the outer part takes care of itself. When you take care of your simplest responsibility, only then people would trust you with greater responsibilities. If your thoughts and emotions are well controlled by you, only then you’ll present yourself to others like a well-oiled machine

22. Love people, use things. Because the other way round just doesn’t work.

23. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. In reality, you’re always faced with two choices: to sulk or to swallow. Never take no for an answer. Work harder rejection after rejection. You’ll get there, I promise.

24. Be the pilot of your life. And lastly, don’t be afraid to fly high.