I just recently turned 24 and even though it's not technically a milestone birthday, I am definitely sensing some changes - physically, mentally and emotionally. These are the 24 things that happen when you turn 24:
1. Your skin is changing.
Repeated sun exposure over the years really takes a toll on your skin, and right around now is when you start to realize it. My natural skin color used to be ivory white and now it's permanently an olive shade.
2. You're more conscious of taking care of yourself.
Because you notice your skin changing, you're more motivated to take better care of yourself. I recently asked someone in their mid-30s how they still look like they're 25 and his answer was sunscreen. If you're going to be in the sun for more than 15 minutes, you best be sun-screening.
3. You realize that if you don't start eating well and exercising, it'll be too late.
I've always been on the heavier side of "average" but year after year, I tell myself I'll eventually start eating better and getting in shape. Once you hit 24, you realize you have a couple more years before you can continue to transform your body by changing your eating habits.
4. You see daily engagements on Facebook.
You've grown accustomed to opening the Facebook app on your phone and seeing engagement rings and lovey-dovey hashtags. Most of the people you went to high school with are in the process of settling down.
5. You notice lines on your forehead.
These may not necessarily be wrinkles, but indicators of 24 years of furrowing your brow. I like to think of these lines as reminders to relax and not tense up so much. But you may be considering Botox within a few years...
6. You possess and exude confidence.
Confidence is a sign of maturity. Throughout your early 20s, you really learn how to acquire it and emit it. You may look back at your 18-year-old self and question why confidence was so hard for you to have, because now it's embedded in who you are.
7. You want to come home before you even go out.
OK, you're not middle aged yet, but there are definitely some nights when you're already fantasizing about coming home to lie on your couch and watch Netflix before you've even left for the bar.
8. You're accepting of your flaws.
Right about now, you've gotten to know yourself so well that you can identify your flaws, why you have them and hopefully, what you're doing to work on them. You know you'll never be perfect, but accepting your flaws is the first step to becoming a better version of you.
9. You realize that the demeanor you have now may be your demeanor forever.
When I was younger, I used to be a little wilder and crazier. I've since mellowed out and I have a very positive attitude, calm presence, and a chill vibe. Once you hit this age, the behavioral traits you have are probably the ones you're stuck with.
10. 30 feels closer than 20.
You probably feel like you are more easily able to connect with people who are older than you, rather than 21-year-olds. You're still technically in your early 20s, but 30 is a number that's looming over your head. You've only got six more years of your 20s left, live it up!
11. You start anticipating your high school reunion.
Within a few years, you'll be getting that Facebook message from a former classmate saying they're starting to get the 10-year reunion together... scary.
12. You choose your battles more wisely.
By now, you know what's important to you and you know what's worth debating or arguing over and what's not. You let issues go easily, not because you're too lazy to fight for them, but because you appreciate peace and harmony (And you don't need another reason for more pesky forehead lines).
13. The pressure is on to jump-start your career and be successful.
You may not be exactly where you want to be in your career by now, but in this day and age, who is? Hopefully, you're getting closer every day, but you realize you have a long road ahead of you. You may feel pressure coming from your parents, but the only pressure you should feel is from yourself to work harder to be the best you, and success will follow.
14. You realize you have different priorities than your parents' generation.
Our parents' generation placed more importance on marriage and family and the millennial generation is more concerned with their education and careers. The one thing we have in common with them is that we want stability - just a different kind.
15. It becomes apparent that the next person you date may well become your spouse.
I've already accepted that I am not one of those people who marries and has kids at a young age, but I also realize that anybody I seriously date from here on out, could potentially be the person I spend the rest of my life with.
16. You wish you hadn't spent so much time wondering about this age.
When I was a kid, I always imagined what it'd be like to be a teenager. Then when I was a teenager, I was looking forward to being college-aged. Then when I was college-aged, I was curious about what it'd be like to be 24. I really wish I hadn't spent so much time worrying about what the next phase of my life would be like and just live in the moment.
17. You have to constantly remind yourself that you're still young.
When you're around people younger than you, you may feel like a wise old mantis speaking to young grasshoppers, but in reality, you're still young and have a lot to learn! You should take a step back and realize that you're never going to be this young again, so enjoy your youth.
18. You start to question whether you've already 'glo'd up' or if you're still waiting for it to happen.
Did you peak in high school? College? Is it yet to come? You wonder what you'll think of the pictures of yourself from this age. You may think you're fat now, but maybe in a few years you'll look back and admire how skinny you were at this time.
19. It gets harder to not compare yourself to people.
You may have confidence in yourself, but being a millennial, it's hard not to compare yourself to people your age and worry that they're doing better than you are. Success comes to everyone at different times. It may not be your moment just yet, but it will come.
20. You'd rather socialize at a bar than dance at a club.
You do your dancing during Zumba, so when you go out, you'd rather talk to people around your age and see what they're up to. Not only is socializing a great way to network, but other than your friends from college and work, going out is the way adults make friends (and not by grinding on each other.)
21. You realize how precious time is and don't want to waste any of it, so you choose what you do with your time very carefully.
As a result of this, you're more selective of who you date and who you choose to spend your time with. You don't want to look back at your 20s and realize you spent all your free time with someone who won't matter in your 30s.
22. By now, you have at least three good friends and everyone else is just passing through.
Most young adults have a few best friends, simply because they're too busy to keep up with more than two or three. This is a good thing because it means that you're working hard. Just remember to play hard too and make memorable moments with as many people as you can, even if they are just acquaintances in the long run.
23. You start to pay attention to how old people are around you to compare how you'll look at that age.
This is another way you probably compare yourself, even though it's totally irrational. Everyone looks different and everyone ages differently. But the reality of impending physical aging starts to weigh on you and you look at others to try to get the gist of what that will look like for you.
24. You realize if you don't start something now, you may never get around to it.
If you have been planning on writing a book for the past three years, but don't have one single sentence written yet, you may never find the motivation to do it. Start today. Stop waiting. People make excuses for why they can't start something yet, but it's all bullshit. You have all the tools you need, just do it.
