How 20s can be the best adventure of your life

This is how one can make sure 20–30 is the time to find his / her purpose and live a happy life thereafter

Photo by Matthew Ball on Unsplash

I turned 30 last year. Let me rethink the knowledge and wisdom of now and go back 10 years (age 20) to stand beside younger me and tell him what he would have done differently in this era.

Why differently — To be closer to freedom and purpose and a happier me in life. To save 10 years of your life (just like in a snake-ladder) and take a leap with some wisdom just after 20 which others might or will realize sooner or later in life.

Why at 20 — This is the time when we will come out of our outdated (just like your smartphones now get outdated every year and you change it. Same for making GFs and BFs) system based education into the real world, thinking of our high end degrees like IITs, NITs and later on IIMs and Ivy leagues of the world to become engineers, doctors, lawyers, managers etc, just to realize later that these 20 years of your life actually interfered with your learning, growth and happiness. Post 20 is the time to really start your education/learning and finding your tribe for lasting happiness (which I will talk below)

What went wrong — Every human is different and you must know that. No two individuals are same and so their interests, likes, dislikes, passions and purpose. Our soul lasts for freedom and the ultimate freedom is to find out why you were here on earth and go for it. Experience “total immersion” to create lasting memories. Our education system through which everybody passes creates machines and not the unique you. In these 20 years you lose “you” by going through a system that is disengaging and disempowering. And then you spend your life as if life was meant to be like this. Our parents and grandparents spent that kind of lives and gave us a notion that this is how life should be. Get a degree, job, marry, raise a kid and then die. I don’t think so. Even animals do that. We humans are destined for greatness and happiness till we die. Why settle for less?

What can be done — This is the time (20–30) you must explore what all life has to offer. It was not easy in industrial age but now in this connected information age, opportunities for exploration are limitless. Explore your interests, passions, learning opportunities, take risks and grow. Keep an open mind and upskill yourself. Lose your identity of being an engineer, doctor, lawyer etc. Find your tribe based on your similar interests and belief systems and that is where you will thrive. This is where we share the latest practices, learn and grow with each other. Find the similar YOUs. And then you will experience “total immersion” and “timelessness”. Life will become a play rather than a struggle.

How — Keep writing down your experiences, interests, skills till 30. Then filter out few and go ahead to choose your career / business. Before that consider these 10 points to not settle early and be bored to death later :-

1. Upskill (which Indian Education system didn’t do for you) — Learning Courses which you are passionate about in this global information age on EDX, Udemy etc. Learn about internet, coding, health, fitness, psychology, music, or more core subjects such as crypto, AI etc. Many people learn based on their interests and then go on to create their own businesses out of them and attain financial freedom. Maintain a yearly sheet to check your skill level. The more you skill yourself the more your net worth. So decide!
2. Become a “Freelancer” and test your skills to use and at the same time earn money from anywhere to feed yourself.
3. Take up Fellowships (learning liberal arts etc) or Volunteering Activities across the world on varied fields.
4. Join “AIESEC” to hone your leadership skills. Join “Toastmasters” to hone your communication skills.
5. Find your own tribe — That is where you will thrive. This is where you will share the latest practices, learn and grow with each other based on your interests, beliefs and passions. Examples :

• Take a look at entrepreneur — Elliott Bisnow (http://www.elliottbisnow.com/) — He found people of similar likes & Interests, similar Belief system and created a company out of it.
• If you are a programmer go to www.topcoder.com where you can learn coding from each other for free. Point is you have a tribe for practically anything. If you are a coder or you want to get high on marijuana. Do you think I am kidding?
• Check this http://webehigh.org/ that supports international travellers to get safe base to buy marijuana all over the world.

Imagine, what if you can get access to 100 crore plus websites that are on the internet now. Opps! 40% of the internet traffic is porn so you must ignore that. Life must go in parallel :)

Make google your best friend for learning and solving your problems. There is a whole world outside and then there is a whole world on the internet. Unfortunately for humans experiences google won’t help. Look for dating apps like Tinder :)

6. Build your habits — Like I said, build habits in the first 30 years of your life and then let those habits build you. Very Powerful. Do it from 28–30 only not earlier. As early 20s is for experimenting with everything.

7. Read Books and watch english series to hone your English Skills and you will become utterly powerful. Be it any book or series you like. I didn’t read or see “Harry Potter” and “Friends” yet so was considered a lunatic but doesn’t matter what you go through.

8. Join an early stage startup and work for less money focusing on learning rather than money or maybe start your own company. It is easy nowadays.

9. Travel — This is very important to get a broader view of the world and become interesting rather than dull and boring. And travel more whether in India or Abroad.

10. Make deep connections with people and make friends for life. Help them along the way. Later you won’t have friends but only colleagues.

Risk — Some below :-

1. Lose a fancy title of being a manager, lawyer, doctor, engineer etc at an early age. But to understand we are like a pebble of sand in this big desert called universe. Titles don’t matter nowadays.
2. May not have that much money that your friends have. But I am sure you will have much more knowledge and wisdom than they have and a better direction in life.
3. May have to fight with your close ones to convince them. But it is worth it if required.
4. May not get the status in society at an early age. But later this is inevitable.
5. May be not comfortable at many times and have feeling of self doubt. But trust me, go for it.
6. Your parents may find it difficult to search for your partner in your 20s but anyways “who wants to get married early”. Find you own like minded partner in this journey!

Tell me in one line the procedure to follow -

“Self learning — —Find your Tribe — — Enjoy Deep Experiences”

What is your aim — Making you a much better you at 30. Rather than at age 30 you crying to get out of office stressed and frustrated and rush home or maybe pub for drinks, I am looking for a day in your life similar to what happens at “Disneyland”. Do you know what happens there. Kids cry at the end of the day and parents have to drag them to home. They enjoy fun and exciting moments at disneyland during the day and do not want to go home. Those are the moments of “deep immersion”. That is where you create lasting memories.

We all want to die with memories rather than loads of money in our bank account. Right? Think about it and create your extraordinary life.

Enjoy your 20s as you won’t have this much free time later in your life with added responsibilities. Live, Laugh, Enjoy and try out everything to understand what is good or bad for you! Remember life is a marathon and not a sprint! So live your time and the earlier you start the earlier you gain freedom in life! Godspeed!