There’s a reason people call 21 "twenty-fun." This is one of those years that has the potential to beat all others. All you need are some great friends, a spirit hungry for adventure, and this list of 21 crucial things to fill your year with.
1. Get carded as often as possible.
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There’s pretty much no better feeling than when you’re finally 21 and you can order drinks with no fear of being turned down.
2. Tell people what you want with #NoRagrets.
This year is no longer the year to hold in your thoughts out of fear that you don’t deserve what you want. Decide on your dreams (life, career, whatever) and shout them from the rooftops.
3. Find your “Go to Hell” outfit.
You know the one – that outfit you feel so good in that you could tell literally anyone to “go to hell” without blinking an eye. Yep. Buy it. Own it. Kill it.
4. Experience more than normal.
Look at life through someone else’s eyes, visit another country, practice empathy. There’s more to life than black and white. Just experience a little more than your normal. You’ll be a better person for it.
5. Kill the LinkedIn game.
It’s cool to be professional AF.
6. Go on a few dates.
With your significant other, mom, dad, best friends, that stranger you’ve been crushing on, yourself.
7. Learn how to be comfortable with uncomfortable.
Not everything is going to be your cup of tea and not everyone is going to be exactly like you. Learn to appreciate everyone’s differences and your days will get a little brighter.
8. Find a quality genre of music and stick with it.
Top 40 is cool and all, but there are so many genres out there so don’t be afraid to grow your musical palette.
9. Treat yo-damn-self.
To a nice meal out. To those new shoes. To that second Starbucks. To that big piece of cake. To that crazy concert. Self-love is important, too.
10. Strike up conversations with as many strangers as you can.
You never know who you could meet if you just take a second to talk to the person in line in front of you or walking the same way as you. This is the age to form good networking habits.
11. Explain why your license isn’t flipped the ‘right’ way.
Yes, you’re really 21. You just haven’t gotten your new flipped ID yet.
12. Make your forever friends.
What’s life without your forever friends?
13. Gym so hard.
Hit up the gym and eat some spinach every once in a while. It’s good for ya.
14. Buy your parents drinks.
Imagine how funny (or scaring) it’ll be hearing your dad tell the hot bartender some of his ‘high-quality’ dad jokes.
15. Splurge a little money.
Like I said before, treat yo-damn-self.
16. Save a little money.
But, treat yo-damn-self within reason. Your future self will thank you.
17. Always give a solid tip at restaurants.
A nice tip can go a long way… and I mean the monetary kind.
18. Perfect your Insta game.
Juno? Ludwig? Valencia? Choose your favorite filter and throw it over everything. Whether it be your #foodie lunch or your beach pics, find your ~aesthetic~ and stick with it.
19. Make sure your jerk radar is properly calibrated.
This will get you so far in life and save you so much wasted time.
20. Cross a few things off your bucket list.
If you don’t have a bucket list, now’s the time to make one and start checking things off one-by-one. You’ll never realize how much you’ve really done until you see a big list with a bunch of marks through it.
21. Live. A lot.
Okay, so maybe 9+10 is not 21 (#RIPVine), but this is a huge year for you. This might be your last big birthday before the big 5-0 so make sure you’re always living every moment to the fullest.
