ten wishes before 25.
Ohhhh the 20s. The time in your life when you are probably graduating college, you might think you know everything, then you figure out you don’t know anything. I feel like most of these points are things that maybe we all do, I just wish I had done better at them / learned them / hadn’t over complicated them before I turned 25. <3
SPEND TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY.
You don’t know when they’re going to be gone. If you don’t have a family you enjoy spending time with, spend more time with people who love you and love you well. Make a game night with your family. Make time to take your parents on a date night. They’ve spent their lives treating you, treat them. Never forget to say I love you to them.
MEET NEW PEOPLE.
Don’t be afraid to go play pickleball with people you don’t know!!! And if you don’t like playing pickleball, go anyways because there are probably other people there that don’t really want to play either :). Post grad is especially hard, so make an effort to meet people. If you’re in college, go to all the functions and don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to someone new. Everyone’s afraid until they’re not! Choose to be different and make an impression.
READ YOUR BIBLE MORE (!!!) THAN YOU ALREADY ARE.
I’m the first person to admit that I don’t read my Bible every day (something I am working on) - so here I am to say, prioritize your time with the Lord. This is a hot take, but I am so over “quiet times.” It doesn’t have to look the same every day. Right now for me, it’s literally reading the verse of the day each morning and worshiping in my car on the way to work. Your life is going to look different with each passing season. Prioritize time with the Lord, and I promise the Holy Spirit will meet you exactly where you need to be met. Trust that He is holding your hand through each moment. I promise your day/mood will be 10x better when you choose to spend time with Him.
POST GRAD IS HARD.
I was never told this as I was preparing to finish college at Auburn. Wow. Post grad is hard. And so sweet. Prepare yourself now - friendships will look different. You may lose touch with friends that you were close with in college. That’s okay. You might spend multiple nights by yourself post grad. That’s okay. You might have plans with friends 3 weekends in a row, then not again for 3 months. That’s okay. Allow yourself to find your pace because it will change.
YOU PROBABLY WON’T GET YOUR DREAM JOB RIGHT OFF THE BAT.
I am preaching to the choir. I thought I was going to work at my dream job right out of college - I quite literally applied 5 times to 5 different positions at the same company. I got rejected all 5 times. All of that to say, don’t get offended. I promise, everyone’s gotten rejected from their dream job. I’m so thankful for that rejection now looking back because I have gotten to do things - like travel, like work for my best friend, like spend more time with family. Keep applying. If the Lord’s placed a certain dream on your heart, it’s on your heart for a reason. Trust ! The ! Process !
GO ON LATE NIGHT DRIVES.
My favorite thing in college was to pile in a car with my best friends and go drive around, blaring music too loud, sticking our heads out the sunroof, laughing the whole way. I thought that would stop after college. We’re adults right? We are, and you still need to let your inner kid run free. Don’t stop doing what you love and what makes you happy. For me, that’s a late night drive. Let’s go on one together??
PRIORITIZE YOUR HEALTH.
Your body WILL change in your 20s. Prioritize going on walks. Listen to podcasts to help motivate you. If you need a friend to walk with, I’ll go with you. Go to a Lagree class (at TrueForm Fitness with me), go to a HIIT workout, drink more water, eat well, stretch. Do the things! Your 65 year old self will thank you!
YOUR LIFE WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE THEIRS.
Don’t cheat yourself out of what the Lord has created for you and in you. Don’t compare. Easier said than done, but be proud of who you are. Make yourself better. Make your dream a reality. Go on dates (when you’re ready…another blog for later). Go get a drink with a friend. Your life will pass you by if you keep thinking it’s supposed to look like theirs. And — just because their life might “look better” to you, doesn’t mean the Lord doesn’t have you exactly where He needs you to be.
CELEBRATE OTHERS.
Your time for what you are celebrating them in right now…will eventually come. Or maybe it won’t. Or maybe it will look really different than their celebration. All of that is okay. Celebrate others well. Make others feel seen. Buy the big balloons, buy them a cake, get them flowers for fun, write them a handwritten note (my favorite). It’s so much fun to be a good friend. You’ll receive the joy just as much as they will — probably even more than they do.
MAKE OTHERS FEEL SEEN. KNOWN. LOVED.
Remember your worth first (Psalm 139:14). Remember Who is holding your heart. When you know Who’s holding your heart, it’s easy to make others feel seen, known and loved. I know that being a good friend can sometimes be hard. Life is hard. And still, we all want to feel seen, known and loved. Make others feel the same way. We need a little more love in the world.
love you best.
ellie.