The Biggest Thing I've Learned in My Twenties Thus Far

A lot of doors close when you're in your twenties. It feels constant; hearing "No" in all its forms. You're not only trying to find yourself, but build a career, build a family, build relationships, and build wealth. Something is always bound to go wrong while you're building, and you just have to push through it. I have failed. Nothing dramatic, but, yes, I have failed. There are thousands of quotes about failure that I basically come across daily on social media outlets. I have ignored every single one of them. I thought they were just words, like they weren't speaking to me. It's like I thought they were only speaking to everyone else in the world BUT me. It has now hit me, though; all the times I've failed at something, I've let it pile up and define me. I've kept a tally of my failures like they were etched on me as a tattoo.

I am not my failures. I've come to the realization that all those quotes about failure, i.e. "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently" were right (I could go on and on with more quotes). Failure is not final. It's inevitable. It's a wrong turn. The only way to avoid it is to live cautiously. But you will also miss out on the chance to succeed as well.

Every time a door shuts, a new one doesn't automatically open. Sometimes you'll spend days, months, or even years stuck in that limbo land trying to unlock or pry open a new door. Sometimes that door is a trap door. Sometimes it's a door meant for someone else. Eventually you find YOUR door. Eventually you walk through the door and look back and wonder how you almost gave up.

THAT's what being in your twenties is all about. Living the exact advice you've previously ignored. The life changing realizations. Ones that leave me sitting here with tears in my eyes not because I'm sad, but excited for what's to come. Excited that I have failed, because it's bringing me closer to new opportunities. I have been taking this long, messy gravel road and though I have taken wrong turns and ended up on beaten paths, I have been able to navigate through it and find a better path. There are no signs telling you where to go, you're essentially feeling in the dark. You bump into things and hurt yourself, but that only means you're finding your way.

I can't believe I'm realizing something now that everyone else has probably already realized. But it feels good to have a wave of optimism and self realization. I want to remember this feeling. I want to share it. 

2 comments LABELS: authenticity, Currently, perspective, Things I Learned This Week