I want to do better in my 20s

I have recently read a awesome blog, you may classify it as soul soup, while inspiring as it is, I would like to write down some reflections here.

Asking someone about what they are doing or what to do with their life tend to drag down the conversion, I am just one of such folks, talk movies and books to me, I would be grateful and engaged, while if you wanna discuss my ambitious in life, like the others, the light in my eyes goes out, gradually.

It is sad, it is profoundly pathetic.

Life is not a magical machine as the society telling us: drop in a college degree, a decent job- at least looks decent, a house, and out pops a happy life. NO, it is not, you are unwilling to tell people your ambitious because your direction is crippling. Life has never been easy, as we all know. We just do not speak it out or pretend things will work out by themselves as 车到山前必有路, the horrible fact is no one cares your life if you yourself do not give a damn.

Just because you are busy does not mean you know what you are doing. The question here is why are you doing this, where do you want to be and how do you schedule on getting there.

We should not gamble the ONLY one life that we have to live. The things that stops us from achieving higher: 

1. We may not take advantage of our college years. 

• Majoring in something out of convenience, with no idea what they are going to do with their education.
• in graduate school because of the uncertainty in that non-academical  environment.
• in a job with their major in, while have no real passion for that industry. And surrounded by people who are doing the same. They may have a decent salary and benefits, not too bad annual leave, which makes them reluctant to leave and take a step further.   

“There are moments when one has to choose between living one’s own life, fully, entirely, completely – or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands. You have that moment now. Choose!” – Oscar Wild

• Imagine you inherent millions dollars from an uncle that you hardly know who just passed away, how would you fill your days with, what do you want to accomplish? Chances are, the answer to above questions is what you should be doing.     

2.  You live for the future

• You expect that some event in the future will make you happy. Living for the future and thinking the future will be better after something is completed or once you’ve earned degree, grad school or promotion at work. You are missing the opportunities around you in the present because you live for the future.

“You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking how you’ll escape one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” – John Green

•  Don’t live to be happy. Be happy while living. 
• Live fully and embrace the present. You can walk your way through life thinking the future will be brighter but if you are not doing the things that matter or count today then you will never arrive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3. You are controlled by your parents, or you are controlled by the assumption that your parents are hindering you.

• Most parents just want what is safe and secure for their children, they are less interested in whether or not that makes you happy or what motivates you. You yourself should be the one conducting your own life.
• they do not want you to take risk or fail while wanting you to be economically independent so you can take care of yourself and their grandson, if there is any, They want to know that you can pay your own bills and provide for their future grandchildren.
• Sometimes the harder route is better for us, and we as adult individuals can see that, but our parents can’t see our lives in the same light.
• while you should respect the wishes and viewpoints of your parents, you don’t have to mindlessly trudge down the path they lay out for you. If you truly want to do something, you need to take control of your own life and do it. At the end of the day, it’s your life to live.
• Listen to them. Consider their advice. They’ve been around a lot longer than you, and they’ve got a lot of wisdom and good sense to share. But it’s nothing new for children to hold different values and goals than their parents, and at some point you have to learn to define your own code.

4. Your environment is holding you back.

• What you surround yourself with affects who you are and what you do. 
•  How will you ever figure out what to do in your 20s if your friends spend their time addicting to brag and show off in social networks or playing games or doing things that provide instant gratification instead of working towards their goals.
• Excessive indulgence (whether it’s drinking, partying, drug use, sex, junk eating, or whatever) can prevent you from focusing on self-discovery and improvement, and it can even become your worst enemy. 
• Being social is good, and involving yourself in the right relationships can encourage and empower you.
• surround yourself with people who have qualities you admire, who are smarter and more driven than you. Let their success rub off. Soak up their energy, and let their drive help push you to be better too. 
• If you want to get somewhere, then hang out with the people who are already there or who also want to get there. 

5. You’ve taken the wrong path.

• They think they’ll have plenty of time to get what they want, so they don’t take the appropriate steps now, and suddenly life passes them by, and they then realize it is too late to turn back.
• You could be spending most of your time climbing a ladder leaned up against the wrong wall (. Just because their's a ladder presented in front of you doesn’t mean you need to climb it. Go find the right ladder. 
• YOLO. You Only Live Once?  so why waste your time doing something you don’t even care about?

6. You stopped learning.

• What have you done? What skills do you possess? A lifelong education can also be your greatest tool—and one that’s an absolute necessity for greatness.
• Read books. Think about it this way; someone spent their entire life learning some painful lesson and is offering these golden nuggets to you for less than $10. Why wouldn’t you take that knowledge so you can learn from others!!!!!

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education” – Mark Twain

• When you’re passionate about one industry, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you learn, how hungrily you consume new knowledge. 

7. You do the same thing everyday.

• Just because you get older doesn’t mean you’ll become more successful. That’s an assumption a lot of people seem to make, whether they realize it or not, and it’s false. After you graduate, it’s completely up to you to make forward progressions in your life.
• No one is going to hand you anything, and you’re wrong if you think you automatically deserve it—after all, you probably haven’t really done anything yet.
• If you want different results tomorrow, do different things today. It will never be easier to take big risks and try new things than when you’re still young—you’re likely to have fewer commitments and obligations to hold you down. 
• If your environment is holding you back, change your environment.
• Eliminate the negative, embrace the positive, and form habits that breed success.

8. You’re not pushing yourself. 

•  Persistence is a virtue.
• Practice makes perfection!
• You’ve probably tried many things in your life, but you likely haven’t ever committed fully to one for a long period of time. When the goal you’re working on is your life’s true mission, you’ll find it hard to toss aside—the drive inside will tell you to keep going.
• When your social life begins to suffer, your cash flow gets tight, and the frustrations start piling up, don’t quit. That’s progress, and it’s not easy, but there’s a light on the other side of it. Those who can breakthrough those moments is what separates the wolves from the sheep.
• Don’t sit back in a comfortable job that will give you a 5% annual raise. You are not learning. You are not pushing yourself. You are not growing. You’re wasting your time and living a life of complacency. If you want to see change, you are going to have to take risk, put in the time and work your ass off.
• Stop wasting time filling your life with the things that billion dollar marketing companies tell you that you need, and instead build your days on getting to where you want to be.