Find what you love - musings on life after college

A letter to my younger self, and anybody else crossing the chasm of young adulthood.

I won't sugarcoat it, your 20s will be terrifying.

Suddenly you're faced with a mountain of new responsibility that you somehow eluded until the moment you crossed that invisible threshold into adulthood. You're presented with what feels like one life-altering decision after another with little feedback as to whether you made the right call or not. Luckily, I have some good news:

Your 20s will be the best time of your life.

You're blessed with endless opportunity and possibility. You have the freedom to make bold choices and shake things up: move to that new city, ask that girl out, reinvent yourself, work on that side project, work on that dream project. The world is at your fingertips! … right?

And yet at the end of your day, as you slip into bed you'll find yourself wondering: "Am I getting closer to the life I truly want?" Perhaps followed by "What sort of life do I truly want in the first place?" That then may or may not lead into further spiraling.

And that's ok. In fact, it's the best question you could be asking.

The truth is, your 20s should look like a mosaic of experiences, defined by both agency and uncertainty. Everything seems possible, but nothing is clear yet. The key is in recognizing this, and just doing things anyways. It's the only way to find clarity and get closer to your answer.

So what does that mean? Well, don't be afraid to take the leap — whatever the leap looks like for you.

And if you start hearing a voice in your head doubting the path you've chosen, listen! It just might save you from wasting your most precious resource, especially if you happen to catch yourself mapping out some convoluted path to your end goal.

"Well I wanna go from point A to point B, but I think it's highest +EV to first go through point K, because that'll provide relevant experience and leverage that I need to reach point M, which after a couple years will set me up financially to more comfortably make the leap to point B".

As long as you avoid being this person, you can basically do no wrong. The important thing is to venture down as many paths as you need until you find the one that's right for you.

The best part about life is that you get to choose your own game.

‍Make sure you choose it wisely.

Best,
Alex