There's so much pressure surrounding teenagers and young adults to embrace this early era of their life. So many of us have heard the phrase, "enjoy it while you can, because it's all downhill after this." Simply put, for many of the older generations, there wasn't much after high school/college life, because most immediately went to sitting in a desk from 9-5. However, for our generation, there's a lot more hope at "peaking," past the age of 22.
If high school wasn't your best friend and college isn't the adult version of Disneyland, don't stress it. Your peak will come, whether it be while you're living in New York City as a copywriter, in an apartment with your best friends or simply a summer in your late 20's, spent at the beach and in the bars. Life doesn't just automatically get insufficiently harder or boring after you get your degree, and that overall mindset is just as threatening as it is depressing.
Adulting Is Hard (But)
The idea that your young-adulthood is the, "easiest" and "most fun" decade of your life, is slightly absurd, and my 3 a.m. library breakdowns say otherwise. You have so much time left to ensure you're creating a future you love being in and while it might not happen immediately after you graduate, you're peak will happen eventually. Simply put, if your definition of happiness after graduation isn't working 9-5 in an office building, then don't make that your life. Don't let receiving your degree be the end-all-be-all to the easy-going days, because while becoming an adult is terrifying it's a door opening, not a door closed.
So, if you don't feel like you're living your best life yet, don't sweat it. There's a lot more good to life that doesn't involve football games, a bar or a frat basement.
