This post is gets a bit deep so get your snorkels at the ready peeps!
Today I woke up with a weird feeling in my tummy. This sometimes happens, and I can't really explain why. No sudden tragedy has occurred. I hadn't had any nightmares. Christmas is coming (my favourite time of year!!) and I spent a lovely, chilled Sunday with the family shopping for furniture for the new crib followed by a big up roast. So why did I wake up with this sense of overarching emptiness?
Whilst reading Glamour mag just now, I came across an interesting article about turning 30 and it inspired me to write a blog post. I know I'm 7 sweet years away from the big 3-0, but being a job-hunting 23 year old in this recovering economy with an overcrowded jobs market and house prices higher than Bob Marley, I can defo relate!
It dawned on me that there are two possible reasons for the empty feeling this morn (besides the hunger pangs and Monday vibes, obviously)
1) The predictability of life!
By this, I mean the fact that there is a societal pressure for people to live a certain way. The status quo is to go to university, get a good job, work hard, meet the one, get a promotion, get married, buy a house and start a family.
Where's the spontaneity? Currently, I can tick off one of this long list of eight. But what if we don't conform to this list? Does this mean our life is less fulfilled? Currently I guess I'm feeling pretty unsatisfied because I am nowhere near ticking off the 'to do-list of life'. But hey, sometimes I need to remember that I am only 23...so I'm practically still in nappies, right?
2) The uncertainty of the future!
This may sound contradictory, but whilst the idea of inevitably falling into the generalised way of life and ticking off the above to-do list scares me, so does the uncertainty of it all. What if I don't reach my potential in life? What if I settle for someone for the sake of settling? What if I die tomorrow?
...We can't look into a crystal ball and see what our future looks like, and although tempting at times, I don't think I'd want to!
A few stats stood out to me in the Glamour article that made me feel a whole lot more relaxed about my current sitch:
1) 56% of readers aged 29-30 are less financially secure than they expected to be and 12% have moved back in with their parents (!!)
2) Given the choice between a promotion of the chance to travel for six months, 54% would opt for travel.
3) 90% of 29-30 year olds haven't met the right person yet
4) Only 50% of 29-30 year olds feel ready for children
So basically, for all those 20-something year olds like me who worry about the direction (or lack of) their lives are taking...I say we need to stop worrying about the future and start concentrating on the present. After all, isn't that what YOLO is all about?!
XOXO
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