Rule #21: Change is Always Possible

If you’re a twentysomething that has been fortunate enough to attend college, there’s a good chance that you may have changed your field of study or major when you were a student. Maybe you realized that your initial chosen major was too difficult, not suited to your strengths or interests, too boring or you just realized it wasn’t what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. And if you didn’t happen to change, you might be someone who might have wished they had when they had the chance.  Since it’s common for people to change majors so frequently in college these days, it’s not surprising that many of today’s twentysomethings enter the workforce, in or out of their studied profession, realize that their career path is not quite what they expected, and are looking for a change.  For any number of reasons, your career path (like your first unsuccessful major) might not be suited to who you are and where you want to be.  However, as you enter life after college and assume a number of new responsibilities, change isn’t as easy as going to a college advisor and filling out a form.  The good news is that as a relatively early life stage, Quarterlife is a great time to not only find how to guide the direction of your own path but also to make changes and take the risks that, although never easy, can be potentially life changing in abundantly positive ways.

Quarterlifers yearn for responsibility and freedom, but with that can also come the misguided belief that their life choices that are made in their twenties are hard-set and limit the ability to take chances that will affect whatever progress has already been made in your adult life.  From various pressures coming from societal norms, familial expectations, increased professional responsibilities and other sources, twentysomethings tend to feel that they have to grow up faster than they may feel ready to, and accept the responsibilities of adulthood before exploring other life options.  This leads to attitudes that it might be too late to start a new venture, get a degree or that we should be concerned about other things like starting a family, saving more money or looking for a permanent job or career.  Although these are important considerations to factor into future plans, it is just as important to reflect on how these attitudes might be holding you back from taking a chance now that you might not be able to take 5, 10 or 15 years from now when you most likely will have commitments and responsibilities that carry greater weight in your life.

When deciding what you can change in your life and how to change it, what you ultimately need is a good mix of patience, determination, strong will and courage.  Approaching change in your life means taking an inventory of what you can and cannot change at any given moment and taking those small, initial steps to get you moving on the right path.  This can be done no matter what change you want to enact in your life.  Whether it’s a major decision like pursuing a new career path, or a minor one like trying to live a healthier lifestyle; all change requires taking that first step, and slowly building the momentum to bring about the true lasting change you desire.  If you want a new career, set up a time to talk with someone who works in that field or call your college alumni office to see if there are any connections you can make.  If you want to be healthier and exercise more, take a 20 minute walk during your lunch break at work.  No matter what your circumstances are, there is never any excuse to not take that first step.  Change never comes easy, but as a Quarterlifer you are at a uniquely fortunate time of life where almost nothing is certain and just about anything that you want to achieve is in your control.  It just means having the courage to approach it with your whole heart leading you.

During our Quarterlife years, there is often a yearning to challenge oneself to explore and push as many boundaries that exist and find our deepest fulfillments and dreams.  Life, however, doesn’t always provide us with the circumstances that will allow us to pursue all of those dreams at the moment we want them.  Twentysomething life is a true balancing act between gaining your footing towards adulthood while not letting your heart get lost along the way.  No matter where you find yourself in life there will always be responsibilities to yourself and to others, which can become easy excuses not to change the circumstances that are completely in your control.  Change is always possible, and while you don’t have to drop everything to climb the highest mountain in front of you, there are no steps too big or too small that you can’t take right now that will lead you on the path to lasting fulfillment.