In your 20s, you want to avoid the following: 

• Chasing dopamine
• Eating crap food
• Thinking you’re out of time
• Ditching financial literacy.
• Thinking Negatively
• Limiting yourself
• Comparing yourself to others
• Trying to do everything yourself
• Taking life too seriously
• The false thinking that you’re supposed to have figured everything out.

When I was twenty I barely knew what I wanted from life – which is okay. You want to make the most of your life. Some things help us grow while some are drawbacks.

The key is to attract other people who have the same values and interests while putting in the work. There is NO excuse that we can’t make our goals a reality.

10 things to avoid in your 20s: What not to do? 

1) Chasing dopamine

Freedom is being free from random “dopamine obligations”

Its beyond chasing pleasures simply “to have fun.” What we don’t realize is you can utilize your dopamine to good use in building things.

A lot of successful people have admitted redirecting their game addiction and bingeing to life, business and healthy relationships. This is how Tiktok and several popular apps are dominating the market.

Chasing the next big thing

But don’t make the mistake of chasing the next big thing – it’s no wonder so many young people are depressed. It plays a huge effect on dopamine levels:

1. You become addicted
2. Your baseline dopamine level will decline drastically.

Recipe for depression

I’m 32 years old

My 20s were spent on sex, porn, ecstasy and cocaine.

Don’t throw away your 20s.

Get lean, Be clean, Determine your mission, Follow God.

You still have time.

— Skylar Swall (@SkylarSwall) May 5, 2022

2) Eating Crap Food

Most young people slip on everything they know about good health in college due to the high stress.

But with a little self-awareness and knowledge like this – you can learn to take back control of your body and health.

It’s may be okay to indulge every once in a while especially in social settings but a huge mistake to make “junk living” part of your lifestyle.

Eating healthy is cheap if you think long term. No need to spend money on random junks. There are little medical costs from a strong body.

When it comes to your body you’re the best sculptor you’ve got. pic.twitter.com/iHn5misnZ8

— Dan Go (@FitFounder) May 11, 2022

3) Thinking you’re out of time

A lot of people give up too early. One heart break, one job loss, one misfortune or death of a loved one and they feel the pursuit of life’s meaning and purpose is no more worth it. So they resort to daily booze and drugs.

You may lose friends, break up with loved ones, encounter failure and success – remember life will go on and you’ll be alright only if you don’t give up.

Your time fills up based on your priorities. If you want more time for something, make it a priority.⁣

Change takes time:

Building a business takes time

Getting in shape takes time

Time will pass regardless and NOT changing is harder.

4) Ditching financial literacy.

There’s hardly a feeling of balance in your 20s and you may feeling you’re earning too little or on the other side “too high” depending on your skillset and responsibilities.

What matters is how much financially educated you are – so you don’t spend it all.  Make a habit of tracking your spending and live below your means.

Your greatest asset is your financial education as money without financial intelligence is lost quickly. Spending is a great way many people know to reward themselves literally for some dopamine shots.

To allow money grow, you have to take risks & put yourself out there. Savings is only the foundation.

Don’t fall for the trap of using money to fix emotions and you’ll be fine.

5) Thinking Negatively

Gotta get rid of negative thoughts & fears. It’s never too early to start cultivating a positive mindset. Self-discipline begins with the mastery of your thoughts.

You don’t gain anything from thinking negative rather you push a lot of good people away from you. Your thoughts have so much power on your reality & how you expend your energy in life.

Dwelling on negative thoughts can create a spiral of negative events. Focus on what you want as reality.

–Pay attention to how you speak to yourself.

– Be conscious of what you say to yourself.

– If you find it’s negative – flip the script.

Everything you say to yourself can be full of strength, positivity, & healing.

Win by being more INTENTIONAL with your words & actions regardless of life circumstances.

6) Limiting yourself

A few years ago, I was dealing with so many internal blocks, limiting beliefs, zero confidence and unworthiness which led me down the path of self destruction of everything I had created for myself. ⁣

Then I realized, It all comes down to the story we tell ourselves. Taking 100% responsibility, eliminating limiting beliefs & surrounding yourself with winners is how you shift your mindset.

The point is how exactly are you holding yourself back due to limiting beliefs?

My friend recently at 22 invested over 75k on his brand through mentorship and various trainings. At such age, most young people are afraid of buying a $50 dollar course. Just for clarification – he owns a successful business that has recently done over $1million in sales.

Notwithstanding, you don’t have to spend so much on courses and trainings but how much do you believe in your own success and abilities or you’re waiting to be lucky?

Life becomes easier when you can identify limiting beliefs, eliminate or transform them to more empowering beliefs.

7) Comparing yourself

The system has made it complicated these days. You login to:

• LinkedIn – everyone is graduating with a first class or getting a new job.
• Facebook – your childhood friend has just bought a new car or travelled abroad.
• IG – someone’s flexing their bodies or new Rolex watch.
• Twitter – that 19 year old kid is flexing how much he made from his sleep last night or a celebrity your age is trending because of their recent Grammy award.

But remember, you have a whole lot of potential in you and are on a different lane to success – no need to compare yourself with others.

8) Stop trying to do everything yourself

If you truly want to achieve your goals in a shortest fastest way possible – have someone who will hold your hands who’s been there and done that, then things are bound to go smoother.

Get a mentor as soon as you can or start with mentors from various resources such as books, and various educational contents.

Join communities online and physically to help you level up and know the most recent changes.

9) Taking life too seriously

• Stop getting mad at your basic everyday life.
• Focus less on the outcomes and more on the process.
• Remember, consistency beats intensity.
• Build and not waste your life.
• Engage in your hobbies e.g. Relearn how to read for pleasure.

The key to a happier life is not to take life too seriously. 

10) Thinking you’re supposed to have figured everything out.

Is it okay to be lost in your 20s? Understand that no one has it figured out. Don’t place unnecessary stress on yourself by believing that you should have everything set in stone!

Your 20s are a time to do discover who you truly are, find the right circle to surround yourself with and pursue what you want out of life.

So don’t let any obstacles stop you. Don’t turn around and give up if you hit a brick wall. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work around it.

You need to have faith in yourself. Be brave and take risks. You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.” – Roy T. Bennett

Things to remember in your 20s: Strategies to make the most out of your 20s 

• Put in the work: Get your work done rather than just talking about it, earn your dopamine.
• Too little sleep, too much caffeine, alcohol & your stress worsens. Junk food, little movement and no sunlight your body can’t recover enough.
• Take control of your body by being intentional with what you put in your body, movement and lifestyle choices.
• Find time everyday to quiet your mind: The mind does exactly what it thinks we want it to do – the key to thinking clearly and making right decisions is calming your mind.
• Spend enough time alone that you’re comfortable doing it
• Become financially intelligent – Save, Invest and keep a budget – Once you start tracking, you stop asking “where all your money goes”
• Be present – Mindfulness is the antidote to an anxious mind.

CONCLUSION 

Build the discipline of working on your body, mind & soul every day and stop doing whatever does not add value to your life in your 20s and beyond.

Bad habits are amongst the top priority you should avoid in your 20s so you can take care of your body and mind, become financially free, set & revise your goals and spend quality time focusing on developing your skills and mindset.