future

The last few weeks have been spent, exploring topics such as: my future, dating, and wellness. We discussed the good, the bad, and the ugly; while exploring the biggest challenges that us 20 somethings currently face.

As some of you may remember, my first blog post called “It’s a Set Up” was about being told how great your 20s will be, only to realize that when you get there, it was a total set up.

Instead of focusing on feeling like my current life has been a “set up”, within the last few months I have really been taking steps towards “setting it all up” when it comes to making the rest of my 20s a success. For example, my days as a student are practically over and my goal is to become a young working professional. So I have really tried recently to make this goal a success by looking and acting the part.

Lushwana looking and acting like a young working professional. Source: Lushwana Anderson-Stewart

Here is my guide on how to set up your 20s for success:

Speak your goals into existence: If you say what you want out loud enough times, odds are either your actions will start to align or that good energy your putting out into the atmosphere will come back to work in your favour one day.
Believe in yourself: Believing in yourself is the #1 foundation to success. If you don’t believe in yourself first, then who else will?
Explore & Be Optimistic: As mentioned countless times before, your 20s is a time of trying experience new without any hesitant. Open up your mind to new learning to foster your growth and success

If you only takeaway one thing from this post, my hopes are that you will remember that everything you experience in your 20s, whether good or bad, is actually setting you up to build and improve the rest of your life. So be sure to welcome all of these experiences with open arms.

I’ve really had an amazing time on this journey with all of you thus far. I will be taking a little break from blogging to jumpstart my professional career but I hope to be back very soon to continue this journey of figuring out the rest of our 20s together. Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts and experiences unapologetically and for giving me a sense of relief, that I am not alone.

“Twenty is for you. Twenty is for growth.
Your 20s are for the pursuit of a tomorrow that is better than today”

~Judge Lynn

Until next time.

~Miss Twenty Something

What are some ways that you set up your 20s for success? What are some topics you would like to see me write on in the future? Please leave a message in the comment section below.

As soon as I reached twenty years old, I hated going to family functions. Why you may ask? Because there was no doubt in my mind that I would be asked by at least three relatives what my future life plans were. The pressure was on, to not only make myself look good but to make my single mom, who raised me for 18 years alone, look good as well. You can be assured that my mom was on the sidelines, like a proud cheerleader parent giving me a thumbs up and a smile when I was answering well.

Photo of Lushwana and her mom. Source: Lushwana

My typical response would look like:

-Finish my undergraduate degree by 22 years old
-Attend and finish Osgoode Law School by 26 years old
-Meet the love of my life and get married by 28 years old
-Start having a family by 30 years old

Twenty years old, has been a very confusing time for me. Am I a girl, a woman…or something in between? This is a question that constantly runs through my mind. Sometimes my parents still treat me like I’m their “little girl” yet I am expected to be a “woman” …to know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life.

Left: Lushwana as a baby. Right: Lushwana at 20 years old. Source: Lushwana

I mean let’s be real…women definitely get the shitty end of the stick. They are expected to build their career more quickly than men because they need to get married and start having children while they are still “young”. But what is considered “young”? And why do we have to put a time limit on the things we would like accomplish?

Finally, I got fed up and stopped answering the “what are your future plans?” question with a scripted answer. My new response became: “I have goals…not a five-year or even ten-year plan!”.

I have goals of travelling the world with my family and friends, of meeting someone who I can spend the rest of life with, and yes maybe even have a family.

But will that all happen? And if so, when will it happen? Who’s to know? But at the end of the day I am content with not knowing EXACTLY what my future looks like. Isn’t that the fun in it anyways?

~Miss Twenty Something

How does the question: “What are your future goals?” make you feel? Let me know in the comments below.

Miss Twenty Something

Setting It All Up

I have goals…not a five year plan!