5 Mistakes I’m Glad I Made In My 20s
How many times have you read an essay about living life in your 20s and had those “ah-ha” moments that make you realize we are all in this together?
1. That time I landed an interview at a coveted agency. In college we spent countless hours in interview training and resume writing so in my mind, I had enough education under my belt to land this job within minutes of speaking to the hiring manager. I walk in all fancy in my suit, resume in hand, with hope in my eyes and fear in my heart. The hiring manager smiles at me awkwardly and begins the interview by saying, “I should start by telling you that you spelled my name wrong on your cover letter.” In that moment I thought I was going to die, I obviously survived but let me tell you this, I have NEVER since that day spelled anyone’s name wrong on a cover letter
2. Then there was that time I decided to go to a restaurant opening in the city solo and drank far too much to remember where I was and how to get home. I called the only friend I knew in the city and began frantically trying to describe where I was choosing land marks like a Dominos, or grocery store in the hopes that said friend would find my location. In my defense this was before the times I had an iPhone and could easily access google maps. After much back and forth my dear friend finally found me and got me home safely. Remember, alcohol equals ignorance and knowing your whereabouts is a huge safety tip.
3. That first couple of years after I graduated college and had to fend for myself to survive, I shopped the inside aisles of the grocery store and avoided the outside. If it lived in a box and didn’t expire for months and months it likely landed itself in my cart and eventually into my tummy. As a result I felt like crap, looked like crap and wasted money on crap. Vegetables and fruits are your friends and can be just as easy to consume as the bad stuff. Be kind to your body!
4. There was also that time I decided to move in with a boyfriend for convenience rather than love. When the day of the big move came I had this ugly pit of guilt in my stomach. As I looked around the apartment full of furniture and boxes I began to cry uncontrollably knowing I had made a big mistake. As you can imagine the relationship completely failed and I hurt someone pretty badly in the process. Be gentle with hearts that are not your own. Selfishness is the most unattractive of qualities.
5. And finally I also made the mistake of walking into a corporate job expecting far more than I would ever be given. I acted like a brat at times assuming I was owed specific things or should be treated a certain way. All I did was further feed the stigma of a millennial and gave my managers more power and ammo to grunt and complain about how self-involved my generation is. The lesson learned here is as a 20-something we really must learn to just “play the game” because although we don’t know everything right now, we eventually will and sweet, sweet vindication will be ours. Yes, that last line was meant to be slightly sarcastic.
It would be foolish for you to assume that I have only ever made five mistakes. In reality I have made hundreds of mistakes. The real lesson is accepting when you are wrong and making an effort to make something right. 
