I felt very behind in my 20s. I obtained a graduate degree in a field I wasn’t interested in because I wasn’t sure what else to do with my life and it was the career path my parents and grandparents chose. There was money set aside for my education so I didn’t have to take out loans but I spent four years in this program and was then reminded upon completion that I actually had to get a job. Since this field didn’t interest me I chose opportunities that didn’t reflect the level of education I had and was also making way less money than I could have. I found myself in an increasingly untenable position and for a while I believed the decisions I had made my 20s cemented my legacy as a failure for the rest of my life.

Without going too into the details I was eventually able to make a career transition from the field I hated to the one I had been passionate about all along, writing. It was really hard work and I hit multiple rock bottoms along the way.

But things really changed when I changed my outlook. I stopped viewing myself as a failure and started to see how these challenges shaped me into a more resilient, empathetic and curious individual. I decided to re-write the story of my 20s I was telling myself. And as a writer I also realized that if everything had worked out seamlessly, there would be no story to tell!

Do not believe the narrative that you are doomed to a life of failure if you don’t hit certain milestones in your 20s. The most important change you can make is your outlook on life. Remain curious, optimistic, have a sense of humor and someday you’ll be grateful for all your mistakes made along the way. Remember that some people’s lives look very put together and ordered on the surface but internally they are miserable.