What are your 20s for? Being single in your 20s is one of the best times of life. What your 20s are for is for you to discover your strengths, weaknesses, interests, and develop skills that will prepare you for your future. Along your journey, you will encounter people who will take you away from focusing on yourself and wasting your time. Your 20s are your most productive years. Don’t waste them. Here are the 20 most important things to focus on in your 20s.

What Your 20s Are For

Your 20s are a time for you to learn about yourself. Most people do not take the time to learn about themselves. As a consequence of not learning about themselves, many people discover they have wasted their 20s. Your 20s are your most productive years. They are the years to learn your likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and to work to develop hard skills that will make you valuable when you apply for jobs. These will help you to increase your chances of being successful.

Hard skills are more vital for you to learn in your 20s than going to college. College mainly teaches you soft skills. You do not learn valuable skills that you need for real life from college. College does not lead to job or career success. Work experience and hard skills are critical to your overall success in life. Soft skills complement hard skills but won’t help you get a job. Today, you can access the entire world through your phone and computer. You can learn about anything you want at your fingertips.

Your 20s are a time for you to go on a journey of self-discovery. You must know yourself first before you can properly start to plan for your future. Many people will encourage you to do things that will misdirect you. You will encounter people who will prevent you from learning about yourself. Learn about yourself first. Stop caring what people think about you once you know who you are, from your strengths to your weaknesses.

Single In Your 20s

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Discover your passions, strengths, weaknesses, a problem to solve, and learn hard skills in your 20s.” via=”no”]

Being single in your 20s is a time for you to discover what you are passionate about, your strengths, weaknesses, and a problem you want to solve. Your 20s are also a time to develop social skills to improve your relationships with people in your life. Your 20s are a time to work on your personal health. Your 20s are a time to learn about money to set yourself up financially for your future. The worst thing that you can do is get into debt: credit cards, student debt, and loans. Most importantly, your 20s are a time for you to focus on yourself so that you can work on your relationships, health, and money.

Focus On Yourself

It would help if you began by starting to focus on yourself. In your 20s, you will experience peer pressure to do things you may not want to do. The most important thing you can learn during your 20s is to discover what you are passionate about, your strengths, and then a problem that you want to work to solve. It will take you some time to figure out what those are, but those should be the main focus in your 20s. You can then work to hone the skills to find a job or to work your way up in a career.

Many people will get in your way instead of helping you discover your passions and strengths in life. Some people may do it with good intentions, while others are toxic people. No matter the reason someone may get in your way, don’t be afraid to cut out people from your life who distract and take away your time to get better to know yourself.

College will likely be a waste of your time and money. Find a problem that you want to fix in the world after you know your strengths and what you are passionate about in your life. You can only find out what you are passionate about, what your strengths are, and the problem that you want to fix by starting to focus on yourself. Once you answer those three things, you have found your life purpose. Then, the most important thing you can do is find ways to make money from and monetize your passions, strengths, and find solutions to the problem you want to fix. While money isn’t everything, you do need it to survive.

Money

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Use your 20s to learn how to make and manage money, then work to build wealth over your time.” via=”no”]

Money is required to live in society. Money is not evil. The sooner you learn about money you can start to build up wealth the faster you will be able to set yourself up for your future. To do that, you must first get a job, start to save money, then you can begin to invest money to make your money work for you.

For single men, the best decision you can make in your 20s is to be as productive as possible by working and building income streams. Being productive will help you increase your net worth, build wealth, and give you more opportunities in your life. Your 20s are your defining decade.

Job

In your 20s, work to make money by getting an entry-level job to start. If you can get an entry-level job before your 20s, even better. Most entry-level jobs are an opportunity for you to learn basic skills like interacting with people, counting money, and sales skills to help This is an excellent way to get experience while also learning about human psychology. Your sales skills will help you later down the road later on in your career as well. Start to make money as soon as you can so that you can start to save and invest money. You want to make your money work for you as quickly as possible so that you don’t always have to work for money.

Related Article: 30 Reasons For the Great Resignation

Savings

When you begin to make money, you will want to put part of your paycheck into a savings account. Your savings account is money that you want to accumulate so that you can use it for things in the future. It will also help you to set yourself up for your future. According to Forbes, 63% of Americans don’t have enough savings to cover a $500 emergency. Your savings account is where you immediately put the money you don’t plan to use. A savings account is the first step to slowly building your net worth.

Investing

Once you have a good amount of money in your savings account, you can start to invest. There are different ways to invest your money, but the most popular way is to invest in the stock market. In the stock market, there are different types of stocks that you can buy. According to The Motley Fool, there are nineteen different types of stocks available in the stock market:

Common stock
Preferred stock
Large-cap stocks
Mid-cap stocks
Small-cap stocks
Domestic stock
International stocks
Growth stocks
Value stocks
IPO stocks
Dividend stocks
Non-dividend stocks
Income stocks
Cyclical stocks
Non-cyclical stocks
Safe stocks
ESG stocks
Blue-chip stocks
Penny stocks

You can research these different stock types to figure out the strategy that makes sense for you. Some stocks will pay you to hold them while others will not. The stocks that pay you are value and dividend stocks. This will help you to start to build a passive income.

Learn About Money

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Money is a valuable tool. Learn how to manage it, protect it, and build wealth. The education system does not teach you how to do this life skill.” via=”no”]

According to How Money Works, there are seven money milestones: financial education, proper protection, emergency fund, debt management, cash flow, building wealth, and protecting wealth once you have it. Financial education is not taught in schools. As you start to make money, you will want to put a percentage away into a savings account to be an emergency fund. You will also want to pay off any debt you may have to start building wealth. Once you build wealth, whatever it may look like to you, you then want to learn how to protect your wealth.

Start to learn how money works. Learn how the financial system operates. This will require you to learn about the Federal Reserve, the Stock Market, and other institutions that make up the financial system. If you understand how the financial system works and how it affects your money, you will be ahead of most people.

Business

After you have built up enough starting capital from your savings and investments, you can consider starting your own business. This is the way how you truly build wealth. It will require taking more risks and making a range of skills that an employee does not often use at a regular job. The good news is that you don’t need to start a brick-and-mortar business. You can create an online business for less. There is also no need to hire full-time employees with an online business when freelancers are available today.

If you are entrepreneurial and are willing to take a risk, starting your own online business is an option. It requires more responsibility from you, but once you can create a product or have a service, your business will begin to make money. Online businesses are a great option today because they allow you to work from anywhere in the world. Digital products also cost less to make compared to physical products that traditional businesses sell.

Health

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Personal health teaches you self-discipline you can apply to other areas of your life.” via=”no”]

Your personal health is essential. When you focus on living a healthy lifestyle in a society that pushes junk food, fast food, soda, and an unhealthy lifestyle, you will feel and look better. The main components of personal health are drinking water, diet, vitamins, exercise, working out, and getting enough sleep.

Drink Water

You can drink more water. It is recommended that you drink 64 ounces of water a day. According to Healthline, there are many health benefits that you get from drinking water. The three primary health benefits of drinking water are that it helps improve your physical performance, prevents hangovers, and helps with weight loss. If you are exercising or going to the gym regularly, drinking enough water during and after your workouts can help you lose weight. Stay hydrated throughout your day.

Diet

A diet can help you to reach your health goals. Whether it is losing weight or gaining muscle, a proper diet can help you. Some popular diets are the Mediterranean Diet, Paleo Diet, Vegan Diet, Vegetarian Diet, and Carnivore Diet. Dieting and working out teach you self-discipline. Self-discipline will help you in all areas of your life. If you learn self-discipline in your 20s, you will be ahead of your peers.

Vitamins and Supplements

Vitamins and supplements are an essential part of health. You want to get enough vitamins either from your food or the vitamins that you take each day. The Cleveland Clinic recommends that you take Vitamin A, B, C, D, E, K, Calcium, Iron, and Zinc. You can add supplements to your diet, depending on your health goals. Supplements can help you lose weight, build muscle mass, or assist you with other dietary goals.

Exercise

Exercise will help you to feel better. According to Mayo Clinic, there are seven benefits of exercise. The benefits of exercise include controlling weight, controlling health conditions and diseases, improving your mood, boosting your energy, improving the quality of your sleep, improve your sex life, and exercise is also a social activity. No matter what goals you are working towards in your life for your health, exercise can improve your health.

Work Out

Make a point to work out a few times a week. You can work to become leaner or gain muscle when you go to the gym. It is up to you to determine what the goal is that you want to reach. According to Dr. Axe, eleven health benefits come from exercise. Exercise helps to boost your happiness, reduce the risk of heart disease, and to work out teaches you self-discipline to learn to set and achieve goals.

Sleep

Sleep is critical to your health. Without enough sleep, you cannot properly function. Sleep’s three key benefits are that it helps your heart, mental, and executive function. Sleep helps your heart health. According to a study called Sleep Deprivation Deteriorates Heart Rate Variability and Photoplethysmography, lack of sleep is associated with:

High blood pressure (Hypertension)
Heart disease, over time
Worse heart function

According to the Sleep Foundation, sleep can help with your mental health. Sleep can help to reduce depression and thoughts of suicide. Some ways to improve your sleep include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and better sleep habits.

Relationships

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Focus on relationships that help you to learn about yourself and avoid being friends with superficial people.” via=”no”]

Relationships are important. Focus on your relationships with people in your life. Save yourself time and focus on your relationships with other people in your life, such as friends and family. You don’t need to date or marry to live a meaningful life. Since you are still working on getting to know yourself and your self-development in your 20s, dating should not be on your mind. This is especially true for single me. Work on yourself first. Focus on yourself first.

Know Yourself

This goes back to Socrates, who famously stated that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” He famously said, “Know yourself.” You need to know yourself first. If you do not know yourself, you will let other people pressure you to do things you don’t want to do. Get to know yourself as soon as possible by knowing your values, strengths, weaknesses, interests, abilities, and discover your life purpose. When you know yourself, you can better surround yourself with like-minded friends.

Friends

You may have a few close friends in your life. You can work to improve your social skills by spending time with friends in your 20s. While you want to be social, you don’t want to be overly social. Hang out and spend time with friends to develop social skills like conversation, reading non-verbals, and body language. Your closest friends will likely have similar interests and values as you do.

Friends can be an external distraction. Friends can prevent you from reaching your goals. Friends can inhibit you from getting to know yourself. If you have toxic people in your life, don’t hesitate to stop interacting with them. They have negative energy, have a lifestyle you don’ want, or discourage you rather than encourage you. Toxic friends will prevent you from reaching your full potential.

You will encounter superficial friends. These shallow friends care more about their physical appearance and who they are seen hanging out with. Superficial people’s conversations are empty because they can’t go deep on topics or issues. If you are a serious person and know yourself, superficial people are not enjoyable to be around. Shallow people take away the time you would rather spend elsewhere by being productive.

You don’t need to go out with your friends all the time or go to your favorite bar or restaurant each week to watch a sports game. Only spend time with friends who challenge you. Surround yourself with friends who have similar goals as you do. Iron sharpens iron. Surround yourself with like-minded people who share similar values as you do.

Family

Family is also important, but the same about friends can also apply to family. Family can also be an external distraction. Family can also be toxic. Dealing with these family members can be more challenging since you are related. Family is not perfect, and everyone has issues they must deal with when it comes to family. Family can also help provide your support and help you learn about yourself. However, as with friends, while family can sometimes be helpful, you know yourself best at the end of the day, so you must focus on yourself.

Community

The community where you spend your time also plays a role in your development. In your 20s, you can work to find a community of people with who you can discuss ideas, learn about the world, and can help you to know yourself better. You want to try to interact with as many different people in different settings so that you can ask questions. Be open to learning from other people. This will help you to better know yourself.

Solo Travel

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Traveling provides you with life experiences that your peers may lack while developing your self-confidence.” via=”no”]

Solo travel is on the rise. According to HRnews, the Google search term “solo travel” was up 761.15% in 2021. You will not be the only one solo traveling since solo travel has become popular.

Travel is a great way to learn about the world and yourself. Travelling can help you to boost your confidence, broaden your horizons, know yourself, make memories, and give you real-life education. Those are five of the most critical things you want to focus on in your 20s. Go on a trip to see the world or the state next to you.

Local

You don’t need to plan a solo travel trip overseas. You can start small by exploring your local area. Go to a new restaurant. Visit a town or city near to you. Go to events in your area where the local community gets together, like a local fair. You will become more familiar with your local area when you explore it more on your own.

States

You can then travel to states, or countries (in Europe), to learn about different cultures. Cultures vary from state to state in the United States. This is especially true of the four major areas that the United States is broken up into for time: Pacific, Mountain, Central, and Eastern. If you are in Europe, you can travel to another country near you. Explore more of the country and continent you live in by traveling to states or nearby countries.

International

Is there a country you have always wanted to visit? Plan a trip. According to World Trips, there are eleven steps to planning an international trip:

Decide if you need a travel agent
Pick a travel destination(s)
Build your budget
Set your preliminary dates
Settle your travel documents (i.e., passport and visa)
Check the country’s required shots and immunizations
Decide on your accommodations
Figure out your transportation
Research your destination(s)
Figure out any last-minute logistics
Start packing for your trip

You will also want to learn the basics of the country language you plan to visit. This will help you better communicate with people and get the things you want or need during your trip. Duolingo is an excellent option for learning a language you want to learn the basics of for your trip.

Make Yourself Valuable

Key Point: [bctt tweet=”Hard skills are vital for you to learn because they are what will get you a job. Work to make yourself valuable.” via=”no”]

Make yourself valuable to employers and other people in your life. The best way to become valuable is to learn a skill that is in demand and people need. Examples of practical skills include the trades, setting up and managing websites, and being able to run and operate a business. You want to figure out what hard skills you can develop in your 20s to make yourself. These skills are what will make you money. You then want to make yourself an expert in that skill.

Make Yourself An Expert

Self-education is the best education. Once you can develop a skillset and make yourself an expert, you can differentiate yourself from other people in your age group. Most of your peers will likely go to college, where they won’t develop real-life practical skills. In contrast, if you learned skills on the job or by learning things yourself, you have honed practice skills. Master these skills and make yourself an expert.

Master Your Niche

Once you have become an expert with your skills, you can become a master in your niche. Always work to hone and perfect those skills. As a master in your place, people will look up to and want to get advice from you. If you have set up a business, you can charge for coaching or sell courses to help people to learn from you about your topic.

Conclusion

These are twenty things that you can work to develop in your twenties. The bottom line is that you want to make yourself valuable, develop hard skills, and focus on yourself. Relationships with your friends, family, and community will help to learn who you are. Your personal health and learning to follow a diet and go to the gym will help you develop self-discipline. As you start to make money in your 20s, learn how to manage and invest your money so that you don’t always have to work for your money, but your money can work for you.

Views expressed in this article are the author’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect the views of Secure Single. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. It is not investment or financial advice. James Bollen is the author of Thriving Solo: How to Flourish and Live Your Perfect Life (Without A Soulmate). Now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon. Subscribe to Secure Single’s Substack for free!

What Your 20s Are For: 20 Most Important Things To Focus On In Your 20s