For Everyone Who’s Twenty, Ambitious, and Lost
Hear this: don’t trust yourself.
We’ve all heard the phrase, “trust yourself.”
It’s popular. It feels good. It’s even true.
As my dad likes to say, “We’re the ultimate experts of ourselves.” Nobody can tell you what life you should live, what to eat for breakfast, whom to date, and where to work.
Yet…
When you’re young, trusting yourself is a double-edged sword.
Yes, it’s important to “follow your bliss” and all of that. But if there’s anything you lack in your twenties, it’s experience. (Also, wit, knowledge, and perspective.)
Choices that seem right at first glance (e.g., go travel the world with a backpack) might actually be stupid choices. Dreams that seem yours (e.g., become a multi-millionaire by 30) might not be such. Beliefs that seem right (e.g., all men should be financially successful) might be short-sighted.
As Stephen Colbert once noticed, “If we all had followed our first dreams, the world would be teeming with cowboys and princesses…”
The good thing about dreams is that they change. And so do we.
