Top 10 Things You Should Do in Your 20s to be More Successful

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You start by building a foundation that will give you the insight, experiences, skills and knowledge you need to become who you’re meant to be.

Your 20’s are your defining decades. This is the time in your life when you get the opportunity and independence to do whatever you want with your life. It can be fun and exciting, but it can also be challenging.

What are the 10 Things You Should Do in Your 20s?

1. Discover your passions.

2. Spend time with friends and family

3. Be open to different paths.

4. Push outside your comfort zone.

5. Travel lots -- and sometimes alone.

6. Set good habits now.

7. Learn to manage your money.

8. Don't compare yourself to others.

9. Get enough sleep

10. Chase your dream job.

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List of 10 Things You Should Do in Your 20’s

1. Discover your passions.

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Your 20s are a time to discover who you are and what you care about. This is when you should be embracing big, audacious ideas and dreams, and using your passions to energize you and propel you forward.

What motivates you? What areas do you feel driven to pursue? This is the decade of your life when you should sink your teeth into projects and work that you care about. Find your purpose and pursue your dreams. You may discover that your ambitions and goals change course over time. But you have to start somewhere. Start big.

2. Spend time with friends and family

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Harvard happiness expert Daniel Gilbert identified this as one of the biggest sources of happiness in our lives. Relationships are worth more than you think (approximately an extra $131,232 a year.) Not feeling socially connected can make you stupider and kill you. Loneliness can lead to heart attack, stroke and diabetes.

The longest-lived people on the planet all place a strong emphasis on social engagement and good relationships are more important to a long life than even exercise. Friends are key to improving your life. Share good news and enthusiastically respond when others share good news with you to improve your relationships. Want to instantly be happier? Do something kind for them.

3. Be open to different paths.

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Your 20s are an important time in which to run experiments and figure out what’s important to you, and where your talents and interests intersect. It’s a time to figure out what you’re really good at. To do this, you need to be flexible and open to trying new things out.

You may think you’re cut out to pursue a particular career path, but when it comes down to it, it may not be the job for you. Or maybe you find that your ideas and personality simply mesh better with another area.

Sometimes life throws us for a loop, and we have to think on our feet and allow ourselves to find a new, and possibly even more exciting, path forward. Embrace change and make it your own. Be open to new opportunities and trying out new things.

4. Push outside your comfort zone.

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Your 20s are a decade where you should be taking risks and leaping at opportunities. Yes, finding that reliable job with an established company seems like the responsible thing to do, and sticking close to home and living near family and friends feels safe and secure. But these options will keep you firmly rooted in your comfort zone.

Don’t allow yourself to become entrenched, but be willing to try things that scare you a little and push you beyond your limits. Being willing to take risks can pay off tremendously. Opportunities can bring financial rewards, but more importantly, embracing change can give you valuable experience and insight. Spend your 20s seeking new experiences and being open to doing things differently.

5. Travel lots - and sometimes alone.

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Find the courage to travel, and sometimes even travel alone. There is nothing more exciting and life changing that discovering an incredible place you didn't expect to find. Pack your suitcase, catch a plane and explore a foreign country. With any luck, you'll see some new beautiful places and meet some interesting people, and get a bit more in touch with yourself while doing it.

6. Set good habits now.

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Many people think their 20s are a time to live free from restraints and worries because the consequences of poor behavior still seem so far away. But this is also the decade when it’s crucial to start setting good habits that will support you in creating a healthy, happy, successful life, long into the future.

Start setting good habits now, such as healthy eating (including adding something green to your diet on a regular basis) and exercising regularly (you may find breaking a sweat gives you a natural high). Avoid adopting bad habits like smoking or drinking in excess. And don’t underestimate the importance of getting enough sleep, because an eight-hour snooze every night will give you the energy to help you accomplish all your goals and feel amazing while you do it.

7. Learn to manage your money.

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Your 20s are filled with making big life choices. Will you go to college? What career path will you pursue? But there’s one crucial life choice often overlooked by young adults, and that’s money management. How you handle your money and the decisions you make regarding your finances will affect you now and for decades to come.

For example, a low credit score can keep you from goals such as buying property and attaining business loans. And debt and financial problems can lead to debilitating stress and prevent you from taking opportunities.

Learn to set a budget and control your spending. Set financial goals for yourself, such as how much you’ll put into savings and retirement funds. Doing all this will help you build credit and financial stability, which are foundational to your future success.

8. Don't compare yourself to others.

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"Don't compare yourself to others," writes Redditor hstrygeek1. "In the social media age, it is tempting to beat yourself up if your friends are getting married, having kids, and living a life of luxury. We each live our own lives. The only thing you're going to do is hurt yourself.

Indeed, research suggests that comparing yourself to others is pretty pointless. That's because, from the outside, people can seem a lot happier and less troubled than they really are.

9. Get enough sleep

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You can’t cheat yourself on sleep and not have it affect you. Being tired actually makes it harder to be happy. Lack of sleep = more likely to get sick. “Sleeping on it” does improve decision making. Lack of sleep can make you more likely to behave unethically. There is such a thing as beauty sleep.

Naps are great too. Naps increase alertness and performance on the job, enhance learning ability and purge negative emotions while enhancing positive ones. Here’s how to improve your naps.

10. Chase your dream job.

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Don't become complacent during your 20s and instead put yourself and challenge yourself. You should persist, move around and be as creative as possible in your career. Now is your opportunity to mess up a few times, work in a job you hate, get back up and then find your dream job. You will be glad you worked hard for it and you will be proud of yourself for trying!

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