5 Rules of Thumb to Extract the Most Out of Your Twenties

I remember the first time I held a pen. Felt grown up! It was a feeling I always wanted to have whenever I saw someone writing with a pen. Little did I know that the process of writing would become so gruesome. First, it was tough to part ways with my dear eraser. Second, I didn’t get my grip right. I felt very sorry for the letters that got out from the shaky nib. But do you know what came to my rescue? TIME!

Yes, time! I just kept practising and practising, and soon I forgot about my ‘dear’ eraser and had crafted quite a few fancy grips too. A lesson I learned that day- No matter how big the problem, just give it some time and put in the hours- only to forget it when I turned twenty.

The twenties is a period when we usually have a lot of time. The sad part, the time is always ticking. The onus is on us to either be ignorant and just let each second pass or be chivalrous and give a good send off to the last second. Fortunately, I got my wake up call and remembered this lesson. I straightforwardly applied it to my routine. I did go a step further, hoping to dig more such lessons that could help me give some meaning to my life. You know what, I did find something!

Now, if I had found a formula on how to live life happily and successfully, I would, for sure, share it with you. Unfortunately, there is none. We all have to figure out our purpose for ourselves. But, what if I told you that there are some rules which can help shape your life and give some meaning to it. I have been practising these rules for a while, and the result is not bad at all. I believe the twenties is generally the best time to adhere to these rules and make it part of your unconscious self. Hence, 5 Rules of thumb to extract the most out of your twenties.

Before we begin with the rules, a short note on motivation-

We often try clinging to a motivational burst, but then we fall back to our comfy and friendly slump, waiting for the next inspirational moment to come by. Not anymore! From now, if there is anything you want to cling to, make sure it is these rules. Take this as an opportunity to start something new. Pick any rule and get habituated to it. Make it part of your routine consciously until you start doing it unconsciously. And then, move on to conquer the next rule with confidence.

Presenting to you the Five Rules of Thumb:

Rule 1- Look For More Identity Capital: Explore, Explore, and Explore!

“Identity capital is the investments we make in ourselves. It is what we bring to the adult marketplace, it is the currency we use to metaphorically purchase jobs, relationships, and other things we want.” - Meg Jay (The Defining Decade)

More capital you have, the more stories you can tell. The twenties is the best period to explore and be adventurous. All work and no exploration mindset would lead to a rigid and conventional outlook. So, take full advantage of the opportunities and collect as many experiences as you can.

Make yourself sell big at that adult marketplace!

Rule 2- Welcome The Unexpected

"Introduce randomness to your life." - Edward De Bono, Lateral Thinker

Start saying yes to anything and everything (with slight caution, obviously). You’ll see the magic unfold. Saying yes means you will do something new or meet someone new, and that’s it. It will do the trick. It is often the uneasiness associated with each ‘Yes’ that makes us ponder over it so much. Instead, just say yes and then think whatever you want to.

It’s time to break the pattern!

Rule 3- Correct Your Inputs

This rule is a definite eye-opener. What do you do if your room gets dirty? You clean it. If it gets dirty more often? You clean it more frequently, right? But all that you’re doing is changing the output (the cleaning routine). What if you clean your habits- Keep things where they belong, make your bed just after you wake up, and many more like these. Doesn’t it sound clean already? Well, this is the magic of this rule. Mostly, we find ourselves changing our results, but the results have never been the issue. What we need to change is the process that causes those results. A process with solid inputs will always lead to desired outputs (outputs you wouldn’t expect!).

A case for you to solve now- You want to become fit and healthy (What should be your inputs? Hint: The process is to be consistent)

Fix the input and the output will fix themselves!

Rule 4- Develop People Skills

“Candidate with better people skills wins every time because she will be able to hire people smarter than she is and she will be able to lead them well.” (Some book I read a long time back)

Collecting rich experiences is one thing and being able to communicate them is totally another. If you are not good at people skills right now, it doesn’t mean you never will be. Work on your people skills and build a solid network of strong and weak ties. It is often these weak ties, people we hardly know that change our lives for the better. The confidence you will get from working on such a skill can be translated to so many forums. The sky's the limit!

“Those who can tell a good story about who they are and what they want leap over those who can’t.” (Once again Meg Jay, The Defining Decade)

Rule 5- Give It Some Time

“Standardise before optimise” - James Clear (Atomic Habits)

I am a big fan of the law of compounding and the magic of time. We all must have heard the story of the Chinese Bamboo (Go and check if you haven’t). It is always the years of hard work and persistent efforts that bring out the returns in the long run. At first, things may look frustrating and even annoying, but they always pay off if you stick to them. Be consistent and let time do the rest of the work. Don’t start by aiming high. Start small and standardise it to perfection. Once it is part of your system, only then begin optimising it. Don’t let the best be the enemy of the good. Just put in the hours to do anything you always want to do, and you’ll find yourself on the brighter side of things.

Whatever you feed time, it just magnifies.

What better time than your twenties to be practising these rules!

And if this doesn't get to you, I am sure Meg Jay's The Defining Decade will!