“Yolo!”
– Battle-cry of a future garbageman
Three bad ideas for men in their 20’s
Being in your twenties is rough. You’re kind of an adult but you have no idea what you’re doing. More established people won’t take you seriously and you really don’t have the life experience to do anything profound.
Lots of people use this as an excuse to screw around and make poor choices. “If no one will take me seriously I just won’t try!” Or they try to excuse all their stupid behavior. “I didn’t know I’m not supposed to do that, I’m young!”
Both of these are dumb. If you’re old enough to vote, fight in a war, and drink a beer you’re old enough to make life choices.
Rather than wasting your time with a generic post about “10 things to do when you’re 20,” I’m going to tell you what to avoid. Today’s post is about three bad ideas for men in their 20’s. Don’t do anything on this list and you’ll be okay.
Here we go:
1. Knocking a girl up
I know half a dozen dudes who have all contracted the old 18-year virus.
Chasing girls might be a roaring good time, but it has some serious downsides. Men need to remember that there are girls out there who would love to have your kid, so that they can take your money.
I’m from Iowa and this happens pretty frequently. Some guy gets good at throwing a football or solving math problems and his girlfriend suddenly forgets how her birth control worked.
Spend a couple bucks on some Okamoto 0.02 condoms and protect your future.
2. Backpacking world adventure
I sometimes hang out with this girl who works at a local hostel. One day I went to visit her at work. I went in expecting the hostel residents to be some worldly travelers with a lot of knowledge and interesting stories about cultural experiences.
Instead I was greeted by a bunch of people in their mid-twenties who still behaved like college freshmen. They jumped from country to country getting drunk and acting stupid.
There’s nothing wrong with seeing the world and traveling. However, you should find a way to monetize your trips. Freelance writing, Internet marketing, or a drop shipping business could all pay your way. This keeps you from turning 30 and realizing that you have no plans for a future.
Being a 40 year-old man who still sleeps in a bunk bed at the hostel isn’t something you want.
If you want to travel start a business and move someplace for several months. I live on the West Coast and spend most of my time in one major city. While I might not get to go out and do tourist stuff, I’m able to make money and support myself off actual endeavors.
3. Not investing in yourself
During the summer I ran into a guy I’d known from school. He was only two or three years older than me but looked horrible. If I didn’t know him I would have sworn he was 35.
After college this guy got a mediocre job and then never did anything outside of work. He abandoned the gym and library in favor of his television set.
A lot, if I had to venture a guess I’d say around 90%, of guys fall into this trap. They finish school, get a job, and then never work towards something else.
Even if you have a job or are on the right track, you still need to innovate. Read some books, exercise, learn a new skill. If you aren’t on top of the ball you’re always in danger of becoming obsolete.
There are plenty of average men who end up out of work when the newest technological innovation steals their job. If you aren’t keeping up with the times, or developing your own income stream, you’ll face a lot of problems down the road.
Closing thoughts
Poor choices can stick with you until the day you die.
Racking up a ton of debt to go get drunk at various hostels in Europe, having illegitimate kids, and stagnating all come with a hefty price tag. Each of these will cause immense amounts of stress and hardship throughout your 30’s and 40’s.
The time and money that could have been spent building a business, buying a rental property, or investing in a company is now being wasted.
Your 20’s aren’t some nonstop party without consequence. You need to plan ahead and lay the foundations for an awesome future.