20 reasons to love your 20s

“Your 20’s are your ‘selfish’ years. It’s a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker with shit, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground.”
— Kyoko Escamilla

1. You're not a teenager any more - celebrate the fact you're old enough to know better and still young enough not to care.

2. It's never been more socially acceptable to be single - the stigma that used to be attached to being single in your 20s is long gone: hooray!

3. Your parents still want to help you - whether you're living at home, or still going back at weekends to get your washing done, your parents are still keen to keep you as their 'little baby' so take full advantage of this.

4. Your body is at its best in your 20s - everything is perky, nothing sags, your hair still grows, and your muscles want to work.  Take advantage of it, decorate it how you want and flaunt it while you still can!

5. You have plenty of time for test driving - it sometimes takes a lot of flings to find out what you do and don't want.  These flings are, in a lot of ways, what a test drive is to the car buying process.  If you don't like the way something drives, performs, or behaves it helps eliminate those details which put the car in the running in the first place. 

6. The world is your oyster - you're old enough to explore the world and know what you're doing, but young enough to appreciate everything that is out there in the way it was intended.

7. Being 30 is the new 20 - your 20s are a practice run for adulthood; if you make a mistake there's still time to learn from it.

8. Relationships require too much emotional investment, with very little return - be selfish with everything: yourself, your time, and your love.  Don't settle for anything less than what you deserve.

9. You don't have wrinkles - this means more money to spend on clothes and going out and less money to spend on anti-wrinkle cream.

10. Your metabolism is the best it is going to be - make the most of being able to spend all night drinking, eating a pizza on the way home, then spending the next day scoffing McDonald's and carbs.

11. You're still learning - whether it's how spicy you like your curries or what you want to do with the rest of your life, there's plenty of time to figure it all out.  

12. Don't be afraid to take risks - it's better to make wrong choices than to forever wonder 'what if?'

13. Everything is on your terms - this is daunting but liberating.  It's a time to make your own choices and your own decisions.  They may not be the right ones to everyone else, but they'll be the right ones for you.

14. There's no rush to grow up - life expectancy is forever increasing, we should make the most of being in ours 20s and not wish our lives away.  Why should we be in a rush to get that boring, grown up, adult life where all we do is work?  Because once we get there, we will be stuck there for a very long time, wishing we could be back in our 20s to do things differently.

15. Make a mark - this is your time to shine!  By the time we are 30, there will be some hot, new 20-something on the scene making their mark on the world.  Make sure yours is strong enough to stand the test of time.

16. Love yourself - when you settle down, get married, and have kids, you will find it hard to find time for yourself.  Spend your 20s loving yourself, appreciating yourself, and being completely selfish with your time and your feelings because, soon enough, you'll have to be putting other people first.

17. There's always the possibility for greatness and embarrassment - chances are, if you're not willing to be embarrassed then you're not going to be great.  Your 20s are about rolling with the punches and making the best out of bad situations.

18. The grass isn't greener on the other side and if it is, that is only because of all the manure that has been dropped on it - in other words, don't always head for what looks like the better option, because it took an awful lot of shit to make it that great.  

19. It's good to fail - your 20s are the time to make mistakes and learn from them later.  How do you know what not to do until you've done it?

20. As Carrie Bradshaw said: 'The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one your have with yourself.  So enjoy yourself, that's what your 20s are for.  Your 30s are to learn the lessons.  Your 40s are to pay for the drinks.'