PIECING TOGETHER YOUR UNIQUE PUZZLE
Do you know one of the easiest ways to lose your individuality? It’s to stop investing yourself into experiences and moments that are so crucial in your 20s. It’s time to start building out your puzzle set.
I get that it can sometimes feel like there is so much going on that it is hard to pick any direction to go in, but you don’t progress anywhere by staying in one place.
This brings me to an important point: saying yes to new opportunities and experiences is essential for personal growth. Were you invited to play pickleball with a group of coworkers after work today? Say yes. What about that social media friend you’ve been chatting with but have yet to meet up with? Say yes (to yourself) and extend an invitation to do something with them. Have you been wanting to get out of your comfort zone and start posting on TikTok? SAY YES! These are moments vital for developing skills, building social connections, and reducing stress. Being in our 20s is the time to take risks; no one is expecting us to have it all figured out right now. It is so much easier to bounce back if we fail now than if we wait until we are older.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but REALLY think about it. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? I don’t mean in a literal sense like going to work, school, or handling responsibilities. I mean, what makes you wake up and say, “I am SO looking forward to doing this today”? Understanding what excites you is the first step to igniting that spark and moving forward. (I am starting to feel like the 2015 Shia Labeouf “Just Do It” meme right about now lol.)
I’ll put myself on the spot and give some examples. There is nothing that can get me out of bed faster than leaving the house to go thrifting. I love scrolling through Pinterest to get my creative battery charged (which doesn’t take long). With what then feels like FOMO, I’ll beeline to the nearest Goodwill or second-hand shop, and I could spend hours scouring for the next great piece for my wardrobe. I don’t know if it is the high of getting something for a bargain or the feeling that I scored an exclusive piece that feels unique to me, but it’s a love language of mine now. To finalize this hypothetical perfect day, I would get the thrifted clothes in the laundry cycle and get cozy with a great psycho-thriller book on my Kindle.
Reflecting on these personal joys, I like to think of us as starting as a singular puzzle piece when we are born. As we grow and experience moments, that puzzle piece gets more pieces added to it. If you can visualize it, what would your puzzle image look like now at the age you are? Is it one of those 500-piece puzzles where you have so many things you identify yourself with? Is it a smaller 20-piece puzzle, slowly growing as you try to get out of your comfort zone? I realized that my puzzle was borderline pathetic after graduating college. I had the most mundane interests that were considered basic. What was it that made me stand out? I wasn’t sure. I would really feel the insecurity settle in when I would be asked about what I was up to and things about myself. I came to realize then that, wow, I would be considered one of the most boring people ever from an outside perspective. I would even bore myself.
Moving down to Georgia and starting completely over has seriously forced me to have some alone time. It has pushed me to pass the time by trying new things that I may have overlooked in the past. Over the past year, I feel that my puzzle pieces have been rapidly growing, and I couldn’t be more in awe of the picture it is painting of myself. This wouldn’t have happened without saying yes to new things and getting out of my comfort zone.
If there is one thing you take away from this, ask yourself, “What does my puzzle look like right now?”
“Nothing will ruin your twenties more than thinking you should have your life together already”
