I'm in my 20s and life has a funny way of teaching you things nobody warned you about. Here's what I've learned, and trust me, I wish someone had been this honest earlier.
People leave. And it's okay. Friends you thought would be there forever? Gone. That person who promised they'd never leave? Left. Relationships end, people change, and sometimes there's no closure. No dramatic goodbye. Just silence. You'll learn to be okay with it because you have no choice.
Money matters. A lot. Anyone who says money can't buy happiness hasn't paid rent late or watched opportunities slip away because their bank account said no. Money might not buy happiness, but it buys freedom, security, and options. And that matters more than we admit.
Time doesn't heal everything. People lie when they say time heals all wounds. Some scars stay. Some betrayals you remember till you die. Some failures haunt you at 3 AM. Time just teaches you to live with the pain, not erase.
Your mental health won't fix itself. Nobody's coming to save you. Not your friends, not that person you're waiting to text back. Your mental health is YOUR responsibility. Get therapy. Talk to someone. Do whatever it takes because carrying that weight alone will destroy you slowly.
Start saving. Now. I know, I know, we're supposed to "live in the moment" and "enjoy our youth." But future you will thank present you for not spending everything on things that don't matter. Invest. Save. Build something for yourself because life gets expensive real quick.
But here's the thing: Family shows up. Not always perfectly, but they do. And failures? They sting like hell but teach you more than success ever will.
Life's unfair, messy, and sometimes cruel. But you adapt. You survive. You learn dark humor helps. And somehow, you keep going.
That's the real bitter truth, life knocks you down repeatedly, but you get back up anyway.
If you have any suggestions let me know...