What better time than your birthday to ramble on about what life lessons you learned so far. As I enter my late twenties officially, here's 20 things I learned about life of a twenty-something-old living in San Francisco:
1) Finding a career that you love is rare, so cherish it if you have it. I love my work. That doesn't mean work becomes play; it just means work becomes meaningful.
2) Most of your friends are still figuring out what they want to do in life and that's OK. Be supportive and listen to them when they want to talk about their shitty days or when they tell you they want to quit and become a princess at Disneyland.
3) Go to lunch and happy hours with your co-workers. You are going to spend more than half your waking hours with these people, so why not get to know them and become friends.
4) It's OK to be ambitious even if you are a girl. Planning for a career and getting excited about your job is great! There is no rule that says being a leader in industry and being a woman are mutually exclusive. Get past the labels and do what you love.
5) Trust the people who have earned it. Figure out who your true friends and make them your confidants instead of blindly trusting the whole world. This will eliminate a lot of drama and back-stabbing in your life.
6) Age and mellow Friday nights are directly proportional to each other. At 22, Friday rolled around and I would be down to stand in line for an hour in heels at Bootie/DNA. Now when Friday comes, I just want to be on my couch or at a nice dinner with some good friends - both cases wearing comfy shoes.
7) Don't wear UGGs or Crocs. No matter how bad your day is, ugly shoes are not the answer. A pair of TOMS or cute booties from Seychelles will serve you better than stomping around Sutter in sequinned UGGs from college.
8) If you need to get drunk, take your best friend with you. You will need the emotional, physical and mental support when your motor skills and emotional intelligence rival that of a toddler.
9) It's OK to date the wrong people but don't make relationships out of them. If things aren't working out with someone and you already tried your best, let them go for the good of both of you.
10) Don't be afraid to be single. Learn from Taylor Swift; sometimes you need some time alone to figure out what you really want in life.
11) A weekend road-trip with your friends is the best way to unwind. If you are lucky to live in a place like California, grab your best friends and go for a trip to Napa or Big Sur or even L.A. Long car rides where you belt out '90s songs make for some great memories.
12) Travel. Before work and personal schedules need to be worked around families, pack a bag and visit a foreign country with your friends. One of my most cherished memories is wandering around London at 10:30 PM searching for a closed Chanel flagship store.
13) It's OK to dork out over things - be it TV shows, movies, electronics, volunteering, pets, fashion. It shows your personality and passion. The feigned apathy of teenagers is not that cool as an adult. The people I had the hardest time connecting with are the ones who seemed disinterested in everything.
14) Develop a passion or a hobby. Learning past college hits a stalemate unless you actively pursue it. Learn to play tennis or how to code or how to take amazing photographs of food.
15) Learn to cook. Ramen a la Microwave won't be as appetizing as it was in college. Also, Philz and a breakfast burrito everyday gets expensive and unhealthy really fast.
16) Spend time with the people who matter in your life. A dinner with your parents will make you happier than making small talk with strangers at a random party. Figure out who in your life is valuable to you and vice versa and spend some quality time with them. Parents become cool again after the age of 22.
17) Beware of the online world. People's Facebook, Instagram, and online dating profiles are just a well curated story of what they want to want the world to see. Don't get so caught up in trying to one-up someone else's online life that you miss the important things in your real one.
18) You are never too old for Disney or Harry Potter. You need to hold on to some of the things that fascinated you as a child because those things will make you just as happy as an adult. It's just a good reminder there's still a little bit of magic left in the world.
19) Express yourself. Be it in style, words, or actions - be brave enough to express yourself.
20) This one is from my favorite episode of Doctor Who - "The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don't always soften the bad things, but vice-versa, the bad things don't necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant."
