20 Things I’ve Learned in my 20s

I’ve been twenty five for a little while now, and I’m awaiting the day I hit my quarter life crisis. I thought it would be when I went to Disneyland with my friends to celebrate my birthday, but then COVID hit.

To be honest, I’m not sure I’m going to have a quarter life crisis. Of course I’m tempting fate by writing that. So far my twenties have been pretty decent. Actually, they’ve been pretty fucking good.

Of course there have been ups and downs, what’s life without them, but I’ve learnt a lot from the downs.

Here are 20 things I’ve learned in my twenties.

How to do a tax return
How to drive (not that I’ve done it since I passed my test five years ago!)
The benefits and pleasures of travelling alone
Dentistry is important. Floss people!
How to eat proper meals and not just snack
My alcohol limit.
What public transport to avoid, and when
How to love myself for myself
How to make paella (my parents will dispute this!) and Thai Green Curry
The gift of the gab – don’t ask, don’t get!
What Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can do for your mind
How to cope with change
The hardships of losing someone, in more ways than one
How to be selfish
The truth behind the cliche of: you can do anything you put your mind too
How to deal with rejection in a positive way (at least career-wise)
The art of being candid – there’s a reason my parents call me ‘Tell-it-as-it-is-Pilcher’
That teaching is a form of learning
Confidence in my abilities and the knowledge that I have to blow my own trumpet
The importance of never giving up

A mix of heavy and light life lessons, but all important lessons for me in my twenties. I’m only halfway through this era. As my brother would say I’m officially mid-twenties and can no longer say ‘early’ twenties.

Have you learned 20 things in yours 20s? Let me know in the comments below what life lessons have been or were the most important to you in that era of your life.