Rasheeq Islam

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Your major mid-life crisis

One of the biggest problems with people who transition to 20s and then 30s is acceptance.

As you get older you have to accept a lot of things. Instead of wishing that they were like in the past or like something else. We all make this same mistake. We are all wishful thinkers.

Example for your 20s

1. It's hard for you to accept life is getting serious.

2. It's hard for you to accept that some friends will stay, others will leave and it will get harder to make long-term friends.

3. It's hard for you to accept the pace at which life is changing.

These are just a few. But in a nutshell, most of your 20s might pass by you reminiscing your high school phase and trying to cling to that previous image of you that has already changed but not been accepted. While your social media image changes multiple times, internally you are still that hopeful high school-going kid.

Example for your 30s

1. It's hard for you to accept you are 30. You want your 20s back.

2. It's hard for you to accept that some people are doing better than you, some people are married and have kids while you are still figuring it out.

3. It's hard for you to accept that things aren't the way you thought they would be.

These are just a few. But in a nutshell, most of your 30s pass by you as you figure out what went wrong in your 20s, why your 30s aren't the way you thought it would be and where did that kid come from.

The solution for a lot of these questions is acceptance. You need to accept the fact that you are getting older, accept the fact that the pace of life is changing, and accept the fact that you are a different person now.

But acceptance doesn't need to be sad and gloomy.

Acceptance is the start of new opportunities. Acceptance is the start of a new you. The quicker you accept this version of yourself, the quicker you go towards the next version.

But as you go through this phase please don't let peer pressure help you take these decisions. Our society glorifies early success and lavish lifestyles. You see Forbes 30 under 30 lists but you never see Forbes over 60 lists. ( I saw this written somewhere but I forgot where)

You have a lot more time to figure out things. You can go at your own pace. Be happy for those who are figuring out life early but don't let that be a standard that you need to follow. You can set your own standards.