10 Stupid Beliefs I’m Thankful I Got Out Of My System Before I Turned 25
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By Kim Quindlen
1. The belief that everybody figures out their career in their twenties.
I thought I needed to have everything figured out by twenty-five or even — “God forbid” — thirty. What I didn’t realize is that you don’t have a career in your twenties, you have a job that pays the bills. Your twenties are not for sitting on your ass and pretending to find yourself, but they are about trying out a lot of different things in order to continue navigating the path that will lead you to your life’s calling. The definition of a career itself is: “An occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life.” So chill out, friends. You have to be alive for a whole lot longer before you need to determine your career and announce it on Facebook.
2. The belief that everybody else’s life is way cooler than mine, according to social media.
Instagram is hella fun. But it’s also completely full of shit. Yours is full of shit. Mine is full of shit. Kylie’s is full of shit. Everybody, now!
3. The belief that it’s more important to have a lot of friendships than it is to have a few meaningful ones.
I grew up right around the time you could literally quantify your friends publicly through outlets like MySpace and Facebook. So naturally I thought ‘as many friends as possible’ was the end goal. But as I’ve grown up and encountered failure, challenges, and dark moments, it’s clear that true, genuine soulmates are the people you want by your side in those times, not your infinite number of ‘friends.’
4. The belief that romantic love solves everything.
It doesn’t. I’ve been in love with an amazing person for three years and life is still complicated, hard, exhausting, and scary. Being in love doesn’t solve your problems and it’s not a finish line that brings you to peace and fulfillment. All it means is that you have a partner by your side who will support you through the limitless failures, losses, questions, and fears you will continue to experience throughout life.
5. The belief that being a good friend means remaining friends with someone, “no matter what.”
I’ve finally realized that “no matter what”…
