Things to Know at 25

11. Don’t Get Stuck

This is the thing: When you hit 28 or 30, everything begins to divide. You can see very clearly two kinds of people. On one side, people who have used their 20s to learn and grow, to find God and themselves and their dreams, people who know what works and what doesn’t, who have pushed through to become real live adults. Then there’s the other kind, who are hanging onto college, or high school even, with all their might. They’ve stayed in jobs they hate, because they’re too scared to get another one. They’ve stayed with men or women who are good but not great, because they don’t want to be lonely.  But they don’t do those things, so they live in an extended adolescence, no closer to adulthood than when they graduated.

Don’t be like that. Don’t get stuck. Move, travel, take a class, take a risk. There is a season for wildness and a season for settledness, and this is neither. This season is about becoming. Don’t lose yourself at happy hour, but don’t lose yourself on the corporate ladder either. Stop every once in a while and go out to coffee or climb in bed with your journal.

Ask yourself some good questions like: “Am I proud of the life I’m living?"

Now is your time. Walk closely with people you love and think life is a grand adventure. Don’t get stuck in the past, and don’t try to fast-forward yourself into a future you haven’t yet earned. 
Give today all the love and intensity and courage you can, and keep traveling honestly along life’s path.

Saved the best entry for last. Wow. I love the line that there is a time for wildness (college, anyone?) and a time for settledness (ha) and that now, for many of us, is neither. This is a time for becoming. Well said. Though moving out here was hard, it has been a huge opportunity for me to change, find out who I am, and what I want out of life. Not to mention, if you want a grand adventure, this is definitely the right place to be. 

I sometimes find myself getting stuck in the past or trying to look forward to the future. Although there is a lot to be said for learning from your past and planning for the future, being present--truly present--can be hard. I'm trying to use my mid-twenties to learn to enjoy the here-and-now. 

A very easy place to be present and feel in the moment
Rocky Mountain National Park