100 Lessons For Your 20s
119: Build your foundation.
Welcome reader! Considering we have managed to pass 30k followers on Twitter and once again ended up in the #1 spot on the leaderboard… Thank you! It would be only fair to do another lifestyle post. Since one of our recent tweets has gotten over 400k views on this same topic… Why not do a whole post around it? We are bringing you 100 lessons for those in their 20s.
Before going forward…
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Lessons For YOUR Twenties - Building Fundamentals
Additional reading on the topic:
Taking those first twenty from Twitter for those who don’t have profiles on there. In no particular order…
1. Everything in life compounds. Attending a random conference might seem useless at first. The same as going to the gym every other day. It is not. Quite the opposite. Everything counts and applies across all areas of your life. The only way to win the long-term game is by relying on compounding principles.
2. If you want to win big, you have to bet on yourself.
3. There is one main reason why you want a career: you will never go broke if you do it smart. It is impossible. No matter how mediocre or poor a performer you are. This is a big benefit that doesn’t get enough attention.
4. Knowing how to communicate clearly to the masses puts you on top. Extra points if you can adapt to different social circles and adapt accordingly.
5. Life starts once you are out of survival mode (when you don’t have to worry about bills, putting food on the table…). Once that is behind you… Only then will you be able to think about ROI activities and mindset work.
6. Don’t keep up with the Joneses. They are broke.
7. Never allow yourself to become someone who can only talk about work. Read books, watch documentaries, enjoy music, travel, and experience things others around you do not. The more you can talk about multiple things, the more people will be interested in what you have to say.
8. 27 is going to be the weirdest year of your life. Trust us on this.
9. Mental health is something that not many will possess in 2030+. Learn to protect it at all costs and understand what helps you stay calm. This is something that not many people talk about. Yet.
10. The only real escape and freedom comes from running your own biz. The sooner you start, the better…
11. The environment around you is everything. One of your goals should be to attach value to everything that enters your reality. From the basic pen you use to the art on your wall. It has to have a certain meaning or a reason for being in your life.
12. What you can or can’t do is 100% in your mind. Sounds stupid until it is not.
13. The people you associate with have a direct impact on who you become as a result of hanging out with them. Who you spend your time with is who you become.
14. You can tell how serious someone is by the questions they ask.
15. The less desperate you are about something, the more you have of it (money, love, luck). The faster you run towards it, the faster it will run away from you.
16. Learn the basics of social skills, marketing, and sales, and there is a good chance of never going broke. These skills are present in all areas of your life. From getting the job, promotion, to starting your side business or being part of a social group you can count on.
17. Physiognomy is real. You can tell a lot about characters from their faces. There are patterns that, once you catch, you won’t be able to unsee. Predictable behaviors that everyone shares. The same trait appears. You will be surprised once you start paying close attention.
18. When you find life-changing material, make sure to save it. Sounds stupid until you don’t lose access to it. Better yet, start building your digital library.
19. The biggest problem with 9to5 is not that you have to follow orders from less competent people. The biggest problem is that it kills the childlike curiosity inside you (some people lose it in school). Why is it important? It is one of those life forces that drives you forward.
20. There is a good chance that any advice given before 2000 will be largely irrelevant in the next few years. There is a new world out there, and one we used to know is long gone. Human nature doesn’t change. But everything else does.
21. How you approach the smallest problems that seem completely irrelevant at first… Turns into how you approach the big ones that play a big role in your life. Pay attention and don’t half-ass anything. Either do it properly or don’t start at all.
22. If you are one of the lucky ones and not even 20 reading this post. You want to go the career route and build a name for yourself? Get the best internship possible. Big logo. If done right, it will set you up for life, and there is a good chance you will never have to worry about getting a job because of your big logo on the CV. Wish this was a joke… It is not.
23. Contrary to what most like to think. 20s are largely about finding the balance of being good at multiple things at once. Studying. Working. Building a side business. Social life. Falling in love. Traveling. Going on side quests. Do you see the problem here if you are ONLY operating on the extremes? You are limiting yourself.
24. There is a good chance that in your late 20s, you will start to realize who the people you are spending your time around are. It might be the best thing that has ever happened to you at that point. Or the worst one… Because you know it is not the same people who had that fire in their eyes. Most likely it will be a painful period.
25. A big advantage of your 20s is that everyone is giving you so much space and opportunities so that in 2 years you can live a completely different life from your previous one. This won’t happen later in life. Something you can treat as a get out of jail free card.
26. If you ever feel that you are going through the learning phase and spending all your waking hours learning. We have to disappoint you. For those who want to play a game at a high level. It never stops. You just get used to it.
27. There are two things you should relentlessly pursue, and something you have to remember for the rest of the list:
What relaxes and puts you in the present moment
What inspires you and provides you with energy
None of this is fixed. It will change throughout the years. But knowing who you are... You should have answers to both.
28. Luck can be engineered in your favor. Learn to play the opportunity game, increase luck surface area, and stop calling yourself unlucky. Because you are already lucky. Just not aware of it.
29. Under any circumstances, you should not envy or be jealous of the people around you who win. It is one of those unwritten rules of life that if you don't understand, it will stop you from reaching your true potential. Learn to be happy for others. Let them win. Because sooner or later, you will be the one winning.
30. Don’t be afraid to spend money to get into the social circles that not everyone can get into. It is the easiest way to surround yourself with people who share your interests and want more out of life.
31. As you get older, you will realize the importance of the right connections and knowing the right people. One of your goals in your 20s should be to learn how to keep those connections going for the years and what it takes. A few of the RIGHT winners in your life, and you are pretty much covered in multiple areas of your life.
32. Find a mentor. Position yourself as coachable and someone who gets stuff done. Sooner or later, you will be rewarded with someone who will open your eyes and show you a solution.
33. Call your parents often… Do it now and ask them how they are. They gave you everything, and this is the least you can do for them.
34. Learn to bet on trends and watch how your prediction unfolds. This is the best way to get better at this. The result will have a direct carryover to multiple areas of your life. If you know something is about to happen, it means you have an advantage over those who don’t.
35. Disqualify people around you. Remove useless "friendships" and losers. Make it your habit to reflect on who is around you. If you don't remove those, they ultimately shape you into something you should not become in the first place. It is hard, but over time, it is worth it.
36. Worry less about materialism and possessions (what you own) and, at the same time, worry more about your mental health and mindset. One of those things that doesn’t make much sense until it does. Give it some time.
37. Part of your free time should be spent learning more about humans, emotions, what moves people, pattern recognition, psychology, physiognomy, and how the environment dictates everything around you. Pay attention, there are patterns.
38. Learn how to ask questions. If someone can be found on Google in less than 30 seconds, it is not worth asking. If you have to explain yourself with a paragraph, you are not doing the right job with your question.
39. Ask yourself often: what will change in the next 10 years?
40. Writing things down and making it part of your daily routine will change your life. It will make you better at communicating. Your thoughts will become clearer, and it will be easier to bring them to reality. Low-effort, high ROI activity.
41. What you want to learn ASAP is how to sell yourself. Your story. Your accomplishments. Your background. The moment you know how to sell yourself is the moment you will never have to worry about whether you will make it or not.
42. Learn to meditate and discover what meditation means for you. For some, it is taking a long, warm shower, while for others it is being in a room with dim lights, looking at the wall. You need to find out what works best for you. It is hard, but it will be worth it.
No idea where to start?
20 minutes of your time
Lights off (or dim lights)
Look into one place with open eyes
Let your thoughts run free
This might change your life.
43. Buying material stuff will only make you happy for _____ amount of days, weeks or months. There should be a realization that it is just another item you possess. It won’t make you happy or change your life.
44. Multitasking is a cope. You will be 10x better at doing things by doing and focusing on one task at a time.
45. 1.000 true fans is everything you need to read to have a complete shift in perspective and something that will push you to the level you never thought possible.
46. The healthiest way to look at your career is as a golden ticket to start your own business. It will teach you to treat people with respect, not to take things personally (it is just a business), and to worry about yourself… While giving you enough space and funding to start something of your own.
47. Never take your health for granted. Don't cheap out on the bloodwork, ultrasounds, or whatever else will give you a clear sign of where you stand. By your late 20s this concept should be more than clear. Learn to take care of yourself. No one else will.
48. If you are completely lost in terms of what you should do. Follow the money. Once you have enough money and can make money from everything (or at least feel like that). Follow your passion. Finding the balance is not easy. But it makes all the difference. Nothing is worse than doing something you hate and not making money from it, and vice versa.
49. One way to ALWAYS have an advantage over others is to analyze what everyone around you is doing wrong or what feels illogical to you. By doing this, you position yourself to challenge common beliefs and see things for what they are. It is one of those unfair advantages.
50. If you are going to college, make sure you have a plan for why you are there. Clear one. Partying? Meeting interesting people and creating connections? Preparing yourself for a corporate career? You need a clear answer. Your best move? Surround yourself with winners and create those long-lasting relationships. You will be surprised how important they are.
51. 60 hour workweeks will be the easiest to pull off in your 20s. Do what you want with this information.
52. Woo-woo stuff is real. Not meaning you should go on schizo rants and deep dives. But just being aware of how the world operates and that not everything is fully explained should always be on your mind. Even Bill agrees with our schizo rant from the other day.
53. Start imagining your ideal future as soon as possible. Visualize the reality you want. Do you see yourself living in a penthouse in the city center or somewhere remote on a farm? What about family? What about the clothes you wear? What about the people you surround yourself with? The reason this is important is that all those thoughts will end up creating the version you want to become. You need all those answers to make them a reality.
54. Learning to let go of your ego and accept what you are good at and what you are not good at is a big one.
55. Money should not be your #1 priority. Neither does more money equal something magical that will happen to your life. Once you pass a certain income, the game shifts and how you approach things. Money is essential. But it is not magic.
56. Learn to give without expecting anything in return. Magically, you will be rewarded with more than you ever had before.
57. Next time you fail… Remember that no one cares about you or even notices that you have failed.
58. There is a good chance you will have a mid-twenties crisis somewhere between 25 - 29. Brace yourself. It is just a period when you have enough references to know what you want. But not enough experience to pull it off. Don’t give in… It will pass.
59. When it comes to hobbies. Try as many things as possible. Golf, tennis, padel, sailing, painting, creating music, surfing, writing, and playing instruments. It is important because it will give you one more thing to talk about. Not to mention the passion and fulfillment you will get from it.
60. Learn about personal finance. How debt works, what interest rates are, how to invest, and how to build an emergency fund. All the boring stuff has a massive improvement in the quality of life. Risk management is important.
61. Work on figuring out how your gut and your bullshit detector work together.
62. Life on autopilot leads you to misery. Never allow yourself to offload your opinions, thoughts, and actions onto others. Or give in to things without thinking them first. Stop pleasing others and be true to yourself and WHO YOU are.
63. Learn to stay grounded. Considering you are reading this and on the right side of the internet. There is a good chance that by your late 20s, you will be in a favorable position. Winning. This is where you will start to see things through the different lenses. Opportunities will be endless, and the urge to fulfill your compulsive needs will grow. Pay attention and act accordingly.
64. It only takes limited knowledge of basic macro trends to know where things are heading. No matter how irrelevant or relevant they are to your life. You have to be in the loop with what’s happening in the world. 5min scroll through the Financial Times or any other alternative should be more than enough.
65. To run a successful business, you need a bigger reason than money. You hate working with people who are less competent than you are? Can’t stand slow? Predictable work? Feeling you can do it better? Those are the real reasons you want to run a business. Money is just a byproduct.
66. Action (execution) is the only way you will solve problems in your life. This is something you need to figure out in your 20s… Otherwise you are in for the maximum pain.
67. The only way to get something is by asking. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you want.
68. Fear is a killer of dreams. Remind yourself daily.
69. Before making any big decision in life. Ask yourself: am I doing this for myself or to gain validation from those around me? This will tell you everything you need to know.
70. Which category do you fall into? Sprinters or grinders. Are you someone who works better in shorter blocks with more focused work, or are you someone who can do it for hours and deliver with the same consistency? Figure this out, and your approach to work will change.
71. The more fun you are having, the quicker time goes:
Until the age of 20 your time passes slowly.
20-25 your time starts to pass slightly faster
25-30 is when most get hit with the reality that time passes fast
30+ time is flying by you
72. Work on figuring out how to enjoy the small stuff. Boring ones. Such as making a coffee or reading a book while playing music in the background. Those that you actually do every day but take for granted. This is one of those lifestyle hacks that dramatically improves the quality of life.
73. Bruteforce without a purpose or clear vision will get you so far.
74. Instead of going out to dinner with your friends. You should be going for breakfast. They set the tone for the rest of the day. Aristocratic pick in comparison. Give this a try and you will be surprised…
75. The things you will end up enjoying most in life are often the ones you struggled to start at first.
76. The ONLY goal you should have when hanging around other people is to make them feel good. Being positive and charming puts you instantly in the top 20%. It also ensures that you will be invited back.
77. Most of your daily hours should be spent thinking about what you want and how to make the most of your situation. Not by pleasing others and doing things for them instead of yourself. There is positive and negative selfishness. This is categorized as positive.
78. Never underestimate the power of the place where you live. The city you live in has a direct impact on your success and how you perceive things. During your 20s, you should spend a solid chunk thinking about what your ideal scenario (based on what you are doing) would look like.
79. Saying the wrong thing but being confident will get you further than saying the right thing but being shy about it or not positioning yourself accordingly.
80. Study people who are more successful than you and have achieved the things you find impressive. Want to go further? Study people who are more successful than you are and who fit your personality type. It will be much easier for you to relate to them and notice the mistakes they have made.
81. Never fall for the prestige trap. You are better off being no one and having complete control of everything you do. But part of the prestige game (or fame, even worse) is following what others assume you should be doing.
82. Go out at least once per week. Make sure you take the time off you need and spend it with the people you care about. If you are not practicing this, there is a good chance you will become boring to others.
83. Optimizing your life so that you can do all of your daily activities by walking is going to be one of the highest ROI things you have ever done.
84. The secret to winning? There is none. Just never give up.
85. Basic order of the finances and how you should approach it. W2 Income (career) > Side Business > Investing.
86. Spontaneity is a key to fulfilled 20s. Don't let yourself skip those side quests. As you get older, the chances of those opportunities appearing will decrease. Everyone can hop into the car and drive to the next state when they know no one is waiting for them at home.
87. Avoid casino culture at all costs. It is everywhere around you.
88. At one point during your 20s, you will realize that you have zero idea how the world works or how deep it goes. Nothing to worry about. That feeling will never go away.
89. If you are regularly going out and sleeping around… Use protection. There are many horror stories about those who didn’t do it.
90. Sleep is important, and there is a good chance you are not getting enough of it. Aim for at least 7 hours per day, and you will notice massive improvements in your ability to think and perform.
91. It takes less than 6 months to turn your life around in the 20s, since you have less weight to carry. Use this time to your advantage. If you notice something that is not working in your favor. Change it.
92. The moment you start thinking about buying your own piece of the land and building your castle is the moment you are done with your 20s. Write this down. It will happen.
93. Try to become an expert in at least one topic (area) so that you're confident enough to discuss it for hours. It doesn’t matter which one, as long as you are passionate about it. What you will realize is that the knowledge you gain will help you connect other topics and develop big ideas. Not necessarily something that you might use in your 20s. But something you will use down the road once you find yourself in the right company.
94. Focus is the only way to transfer energy into creation.
95. Remember the above.
96. Travel. Not too much. Not too little. Enough that you have seen the world and know what you like and what you won’t. It is important and the only way to update your POV on the quality of life.
97. Pinching pennies and becoming cheap won't get you anywhere. Quite the opposite, it will pull people away from you and make you miserable. The solution is always to make more money.
98. Try your best you can to stay away from alcohol and drugs. The line between this is the best night of my life / worst night of my life is a ridiculous thing. Serious.
99. Read books. Not sure where to start? Here.
100. Life is a marathon. Your 20s are a period of unlimited opportunities, high energy, and intelligent risk-taking. It will allow you to set up a base. One that for each decade of your life will allow you to have an easier life and require less effort from your side. Keep this in mind.
Disclaimer: None of this is to be legal or financial advice of any kind.
I bet that this post has saved / will save someone`s life, quite literally the best gem a 20yo could ask for, brilliant work is the least i can say.
What an eye-opening read. I'm beyond grateful that I stumbled upon this article.
I'm 23 and I'm deeply aware that I'm holding a steering wheel of my 20s with millions of opportunities in front of me. It's exciting but even scary sometimes, to realize every single decision I make will completely change where I end up in life. Because of that, my inner devil often whispers and tries to lure me towards the safer but hopelessly boring path.
But after reading this piece, taking time to sit with each lesson, I feel a real shift. I still want to chose the path that inspires me to dive into, the one that lets me build the life I genuinely desire.