Why It's Okay To Be 20 And Have Nothing Figured Out | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Why It's Okay To Be 20 And Have Nothing Figured Out

It's okay to change your plans and change them often!

31
Why It's Okay To Be 20 And Have Nothing Figured Out
Google/Buzzfeed

When I was a kid, I thought that 20 seemed so old and so "adulty." It seemed like all 20-year-olds had everything figured out and knew exactly where their life was going. I couldn't wait to get there. Well, here I am, 20 years old and I realize just how wrong I was.

Graduating high school, I had my life completely planned out. I called it my "10-year plan." I was going to college as a political science and public relations double major to become a campaign manager and I would move to Washington, D.C. after graduation, get married, and start my political career. Two years later, I'm an education major, single, and nothing about my life is what my high school self had imagined.

It's pretty common to experience this complete turn around at some point. Some call it the "sophomore slump," while others just call it being a 20-year-old. But I'm here to tell you that we're not in this alone. We'll get through this and someday, we'll be able to say that everything fell into place. Maybe not the way we planned, but maybe better.

For example, let's take a look at Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. She didn't get accepted into her dream school, dropped out of NYU, became a princess and left her throne all before the age 25. Eventually, she started fashion designing for her mother's company, married Chuck Bass, and got everything she dreamed of, but this all took time. At 20, she was struggling just like us.


But she's not the only one. At age 20, J.K. Rowling hadn't even come up with the idea of Harry Potter yet, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, was flipping burgers at McDonald's, and Oprah Winfrey was fired from her news anchor job. These are all extremely successful people who didn't have it all figured out at our age. Their success took years of struggling, changing plans, and taking risks.

Our 20s are meant for making mistakes and learning from them. We still have time to change the way we want our life to turn out. Sure, we might change our major seven times and have breakdowns every day, but that's okay. Sure, all of our friends might be getting married, settling down, and finding "real jobs," but that's okay. We're okay. If you don't like your major, change it. If you don't like the relationship your in, end it. If you don't like something, fix it. The sooner you realize that the "10 year plan" you have in your head might not happen exactly the way you want, the happier you will be. Change your plans and change your mind as many times as you need to. Nothing great happens overnight. It takes time.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

12787
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

2235
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1387
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments