Welcome to the 20’s club…
Welcome to the 20’s club! A space focusing on navigating the 20’s, adulting, and all that it encompasses. Because sometimes your 20’s can feel overwhelming, and with it can come an expectation to suddenly have your life neatly worked out… even if that expectation only comes from within!
Whether it’s trying to figure out what you want to do with your life, navigating relationships, moving cities, resettling, uprooting, and everything in-between. Your 20’s are exciting and full of possibilities whether you feel that now or not.
So if you’re in your late teens; 17’s, 18’s, 19’s, then welcome! You’ll be entering your 20’s soon, so take this as some advice, encouragement, support… A digital diary to simply remind you that you don’t have to have it all worked out, and you’re definitely not alone!
Or maybe you’re in your 30’s +, we need you! We need your advice, we need what you’ve learned along the way. We need your encouragement, your voice, your thoughts and wisdom. So I guess the 20’s club is less about age and more about acknowledging the fact that sometimes the 20’s can be hard (relatable), and we need one another; we need community, we need advice, we need to know that we’re not alone as we journey through life. So whatever stage of life you’re at, I’m glad you’re here and I’m glad you’re part of this space.
I’m passionate about hearing people’s stories, hearing their words, advice, and life lessons. I think in a world so digitally ‘connected’ we can so often feel alone in our struggles, hurdles, or vulnerabilities. I love that this space is collective, it’s an opportunity to encourage one another with our words, and maybe often it’s as simple as saying; ‘you’re not alone… I’ve been there too.’
So starting this series off, here’s a couple of thoughts I’ve learnt along the way as I’ve navigated my 20’s:
Keep a kind heart. Choosing to remain ‘gentle’ is not weakness, it’s an act of courage; especially in the face of opposition. Be loving, be gracious, and be quick to not let bitterness occupy space in your heart.
Choose the way of surrender. Learn that you can plan the details of your life but if you are actively pursuing a relationship with God you need to remember that His plan is better than yours. Be open for God to take you to where He wants you to go, and when your ‘plan’ takes a different turn because God is directing you, embrace that! He has the ultimate best for you, trust Him even if you don’t understand at present.
Stop comparing. Sounds simple, isn’t always in reality. Stop looking at ‘what they have’ and you don’t. Who ‘they are’ and who you’re not. Where ‘they are in life’ and where you aren’t ‘there’ yet. Celebrate other people’s changing seasons, be an encourager, you’ll find this heart stance probably leaves you encouraged too.
Choose your friends wisely. Pursue friendships that encourage you, care for you, love you, and be that friend too! Friendships in your 20’s will change, come and go, some will be seasonal, others will be forever. Be grateful for those who are in your life ‘today’.
Be faithful with what is in your hands and in your heart. Do everything to the best of your ability and steward the ‘unseen’ moments well, and tend to those dreams in your heart; remain in a place of hope.
Don’t dwell in a place of disappointment. Rise up, try again, keep going, and rest in the fact that God is ordaining and directing your steps.
Make people feel valued. Send them a message to let them know that you’re thinking of them. Love people well, be intentional, be compassionate, live your life not just for you, but for others’ too.
Be committed to growing and be you without the pressures of the world enclosing in on your space. Don’t be worried about the timing of your life. The best thing you can do now is let God shape your heart, remind you who you are, and let His words (the bible) be the ones that shape your soul. I have found this above all else integral to life and navigating my 20’s! God’s Word has been my bedrock and my foundation, and for that I am so grateful.
And lastly, what feels final isn’t forever. There’s always a change in season, a new day, a light to breakthrough. There will be beautiful moments, and there will be hard moments, and there will be days that feel difficult, and days that are full of joy; life can be a bit like that, and that’s okay. So be fully present where you are now, embrace the 20’s, and remind yourself that you’re not the only one going through that challenge, that circumstance, that season; there are so many good things ahead for you, I really do believe that for you personally.
Ella x