5 Things you need to do in your 20’s
Your 20’s can set you up for the rest of your life. Doing the right things in your 20’s will make everything massively easier going forward. When you do the right things in your 20’s, and you put in the work to get ahead, the rest of life becomes a lot more fun.
It’s not that your 20’s are all about suffering. Life isn’t about hating yourself now, loving yourself later. Chances are that you’ll live a long life, but it’s always possible you don’t. So while you should invest your time wisely in your 20’s, you also should enjoy yourself.
And that’s the fun part about this age range. You can grind at work then work a side business, get in amazing shape, and find some time in the cracks to see the world. While living this way is not sustainable for a man in his later 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, your 20’s are different.
You can afford to not afford much. You don’t need money or status to have a good time or to get a beautiful woman. With enough creativity, good times are abound. And with good fitness and enough raw, young bull energy, you can get the women your own age that the older guys claim all just want “money and trips”. What they forget to say is they want a stud their own age and not some grey haired dick. To the older gentlemen – calm down, it’s a joke fellas.
Work hard and Grow in your 20’s
But jokes aside, your 20’s is a great time to work hard and grow as a man.
What you don’t want to do is waste your 20’s doing something you hate and never getting ahead. Yes, you might have to eat shit for a while. But you need to be working towards greatness. Sure, you can always change gears at 35 or 40 and get your life together then. While it’s possible, it’s dramatically harder to do so. Most people get stuck in their ways by the time they’re 30. If you’re an older gentleman on here than not all hope is lost. It’s never too late to get back on track. And with a few years of retention and work, you can always build your life back up.
For the younger brothers, don’t make the mistakes most older men have made. Instead, look at the older men who are winning in life. If you analyze what they did, you’re going to find the vast majority did these 5 things.
1. Create a Vision
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Are you a family man with 3 or 4 kids? Some men want to spread their seed and enjoy the fruits (and labor) of fatherhood.
Or maybe you want to be single, no kids, and have flexibility in how you choose to live.
Some of you may want to own a business in your local area, or have a smaller portable business that gives you more freedom.
There’s no right or wrong answers. It’s your life and can choose how to live it.
Don’t let others choose your life
But too many men don’t have a vision for their life. So they get sucked into what other people want or with some ideal they’re not aligned with. Your exact vision can change, we don’t always want the same things in 10 years or 20 years. The point isn’t that you need to prophecy exactly what you want. Rather create a vision that’s a general idea of a great future for yourself.
Imagine an ideal life in 10 years, 20 years, and 30 years down the line. Of course this can change and there are always differences. However, by having a vision, you’ll be able to work towards something. And while specific goals or your specific ideal life may be different (maybe you end up in a different geographical location, maybe you have different hobbies, etc.), the major goals of having financial freedom, fulfillment, and quality relationships will likely all be the same.
2. Find work you enjoy
This is the game changer.
When you do good work, work you believe in, and work you enjoy, your life is blessed. Because let’s face it – your work is your life. The vast majority of your waking hours will be spent working. So it might as well be done doing something that you enjoy.
Finding work you enjoy is the path to living a meaningful and also fun life. It’s really that simple.
Most men chase satisfaction through short term pleasures, and therefore never get it. They do work they hate, and then chase women, drugs, or food as an escape. While the love of a woman or good food is a part of life, it shouldn’t be your escape.
If you have no idea what you want to do, then your 20’s is the perfect time to experiment. If you can find work you enjoy in your 20’s, then you will have a fulfilling life. The misconception is that you need to love every second of it. That’s simply not true for anything. Even if you find work you enjoy, there will be small parts you don’t like. For examples, I love writing these articles and doing the videos. But I hate editing and doing work on the SEO. However, I still enjoy the vast majority of the time I spend on RD and I believe in what I’m doing.
Professional fighters may love fighting, but many hate doing interviews, press, or cutting weight. Journalists may love interviewing people, but might not like having to learn the new technology when it comes out, or they may not like interviewing a certain person.
Don’t worry about the perfect job or business. When you’re in your 20’s just focus on finding good work that you enjoy. This is the path to financial freedom, fulfillment, and a life worth living.
3. Stay out of debt
Speaking of financial freedom, debt is a killer of dreams. One of the best things you can do in your 20’s is live like a minimalist and stay out of debt. If you’re in debt then work your ass to get out of it. There are tons of people who dig themselves into a deep whole and it takes them 15 or 20 years to get out of.
Avoid student loans and credit card debt in your 20’s
Student debt and credit card debt being the main two ones to avoid. I still recommend not getting into a big car payment or mortgage, but these are more understandable. If you’re getting a mortgage that’s very easy for you to pay, and you’re getting a tax write off, then this can actually be a great investment.
But by and large, it’s best to avoid debt at all costs. By simply not spending what you can’t afford, you’re going to place yourself in a position where others don’t have leverage over you. This makes leaving a job you don’t like, starting a business, or taking over calculated risks much easier to do.
4. Travel
Your 20’s doesn’t have to be all work and no play. It’s the time to get ahead, no doubt. However, while you’re living like a minimalist for the most part, and staying out off debt, it’s good to balance your discipline with a bit of travel.
No, don’t go into debt to travel. However once you get your money right, maybe in your mid to late 20’s, traveling to new cities or countries is an invaluable experience. While you can do this at any age, traveling in your 20’s in a totally different experience than traveling as an older man. In your 20’s you can travel for cheap by going to hostels, getting crappy layovers, and doing whatever you can for free or close to it. A lot of my best travel experiences were ones I did on a budget.
At the time of this article we’re in the lockdown, so traveling isn’t possible for most of us. That’s fine – stay on your grind, stack your money, and when things do open up, plan a trip somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.
Seeing new cultures and seeing how people live in different parts of the world is an experience that will give you a deeper appreciation for life. And when you can do things like travel in your 20’s, you’re going to open up your mind to new ways of thinking at an early stage in your life.
5. Become a Physical Specimen – Lift and (Learn how to) Fight
Every man should be in shape and take care of his health. And many men will claim that a man’s prime in his 30’s or 40’s. From a societal perspective this could very well be true.
But make no mistake about it – from a pure primal view – your 20’s are the physical prime of your life.
If you want to see the limits of your physical shape and athletic abilities, your 20’s are the time to do it. Lift weights and train in martial arts – boxing, muay thai, bjj, wrestling, or combine it all and do mma. Try one of these practical arts where you actually fight against a resisting opponent. Learning how to fight in your 20’s is one of the best things you can do. You can pick up the techniques faster, and you can recover from the grueling sessions. Knowing you can defend yourself and those in your circle will give a calm, yet powerful sense of assurance.
Learn, Explore, and set yourself up for Success in your 20’s
There’s a lot you can do in your 20’s. The major decisions you make now can make life a lot easier or harder for you. The seeds you plant now will yield fruit in the years to come. If you avoid debt, find work you love, and stay focused, you’re going to have a blessed life.
Your 20’s are a special time where you can push the physical and mental limits. Avoid the pitfalls of chasing short term pleasures and making that the reason for your existence. You can still make time for fun, but be wise with what you choose to pursue. How you spend your time is how you invest into your life, and the things you do in your 20’s, good or bad, will multiply in the years to come.
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