Ten Things to Do or Learn in Your Twenties

As a twentysomething in today’s world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with expectations of what you should do and who you should be.  Luckily for you, you don’t have to listen to society’s boring, outdated notions of what you should become.  Alternatively: luckily for you, you don’t have to listen to society’s hypersexualized, shallow notions of what you should become.  There’s a better path.  Your twenties should be about developing yourself and finding fulfilling activities that improve you as a person and make you more interesting.  All you have to do is follow this list and you’ll be a competent, respected, desirable, self-actualized young adult.  These expectations and standards are the right ones.  So without further ado, here are ten things to do or learn in your twenties.

1.  Learn how to make your own coffee or tea

Sometimes store-bought beverages just aren’t good enough.  Oh, those stores have built multimillion-dollar businesses selling those drinks?  Who cares.  Learning to brew your own will impress all your friends and it’s oddly fulfilling.

2.  Take a roadtrip

In the aftermath of the worst recession since the 1930s, I can’t think of anything more prudent to do with your money than to explore America on four wheels.  The best investment you can make is in yourself.

3.  Learn to play an instrument

This is a very worthwhile thing to do, because it’s fulfilling for everyone and it’s the kind of thing hip twentysomethings do in movies, so obviously it makes sense to do it in real life.  Also, it’s so easy that it’s just another bullet point on your unstoppable journey towards success and actualization.

I Love Loving Things

I know Chase’s post on coolness was satire, but it really made me think about why an aloof sense of disinterest is the stereotypical “cool guy” stance on life. How is it that not caring has somehow become the norm or even could be considered better than being passionate or investing in your interests?

How to Be Cool

The secret to being cool is not caring about anything too much.  This is so when something doesn’t go how you want it to, you’re protected.  It slides right off.  People will look at your stoic visage in the face of potential disappointment and think, “wow, that’s cool.”  The thing you want to resemble most closely, when faced with a tough situation, is a highly polished rock.

In addition to detachment in the face of calamity, you can’t get too excited about things.  You can’t care when things go well.  If all it takes to make you happy is something interesting, you’re not being cool.  It’s very important to squash your desire to enjoy the little things in life.