So recently I haven't been feeling much like myself: I've been making questionable (to say the least) decisions, drinking way more than usual, freaking out about work and sporadically being stressed/confused about my future, all while feeling guilty for having such a great time in Korea. This, of course, is magnified by the fact that I keep reading lists like " 20 mistakes you will make in your 20's" and shaking my head disapprovingly as I tick every single item off of that list. Which got me thinking- why is this? I suppose 26 is the age where you are beyond your college days, starting a career, but also young enough to not really care much if you drink that extra tequila that the shady guy in the "Duff Beer" costume bought for you. This seems to be the general consensus of many of my friends of the same age. As a result I have compiled a list of things you will do when you're 26 (specific to the people I know and love and commit shenanary with).
26 Things you will do when you're 26: Korea Edition
1) Hopefully travel somewhere just because you can! Traveling for the sake of travel is an amazing feeling.
2) Wake up with the worst hangover of your life.
3) Wake up questioning how in the world you aren't hungover and chalk it up to it being "God's way of saying you were too awesome last night to deal with such f**kery"
4) Be attracted to people younger than you and maybe even some twice your age
5) Alternate between thinking you rock at your job and then question how you were even hired.
6) Make meaningful friendships with people that are based on much more than the fact that you make great beer pong partners (although that is a definite plus).
7) Attend some networking events and pat yourself on the back for successfully passing yourself off as a responsible adult who contributes to society.
8) Either remain way too guarded or date people who are not suitable or even compatible with you.
9) Consistently question what you are doing with your life, spend time feeling a bit of inner turmoil, mull it over and then decide you are simply "being awesome."
10) Realize how much you have changed since you were 22, but not be sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.
11) Make ridiculous purchases and spend money that you don't really have.
12) Hook up with people you would have never considered when you knew your "type"
13) Stress about money and your lack thereof, all while pissing it away in the wind and at the pub.
14) Discover things you never knew you were passionate about.
15) Be forced to defend the things you believe in, without even realizing you believed in them so strongly.
16) Have way too many feelings that you have no justification for.
17) Put off making decisions that are more important than "should I go to Hongdae or Itaewon?"
18) Spend a considerable amount of time worrying about how people think of you, before deciding you don't particularly care and unlike when you were 20, this time you mean it.
19) Take some risks that pay off...and a few that don't.
20) Consistently claim you need to "re-evaluate" your life choices with no intention of actually doing so.
21) Realize how important your family are, particularly after being away for so long.
22) Attempt to effectively balance your personal and professional life with minimal stress and effort.
23) Fall in love with a new fad, hobby or diet weekly.
24) Tick off a considerable amount of that bucket list you made when you were twenty one.
25) Begin focusing on your strengths, instead of the weaknesses you used to obsess over.
26) Have the best year of your life!
Here's a little love for my folks punching the clock!
