25 Things I’ve Learned in the “Real World”
I’m officially 25, which is great because I can now legally get a rental car. Don’t know why that’s the final step towards becoming a full-fledged adult, but momma we made it!
I’m also nearly 2 years into that post-grad life — the real world as they call it. It’s been full of challenges, surprises, awesome times, and difficult times. In the spirit of turning 25, here’s 25 things I’ve learned in the real world so far.
And when I say “learned,” I really mean “experienced first hand.” None of these things are anything you’ve probably not heard before. But as C.S. Lewis said, “People need to be reminded more often than instructed.”
Here’s 25 things the real world has reminded me:
1. Plans are great. But life doesn’t always go according to plan.
I’m all about making plans. I like to anticipate what’s coming next. Having a vision for where you see yourself headed is helpful in so many ways. But the thing is, you’re often wrong.
Exhibit A: Earlier this year, I got hit in the head by a golf ball and could have easily been killed. Didn’t see it coming.
Exhibit B: Right after college, my parents moved from Atlanta to Athens, GA (my college town!). Didn’t see it coming.
Exhibit C: I worked on a landscape consulting project for a 7-foot tall NBA all-star. Lol… definitely didn’t see that coming. I could keep going.
The lesson is this: Having a plan is smart, but don’t be shocked when life doesn’t go according to plan.
2. Er on the side of boldness.
I’m 100% convinced that it’s generally better to be too bold than too timid. There really is no substitute for bravery.
3. Sleep is one of your most valuable resources.
In my book Collegiate: 7 Big Ideas to Make College Awesome, my co-author Nick Salyers and I make the case that sleep should take a back seat to doing things that are awesome. In the real world, I 100% disagree with my own advice. Sleep is now one of your best tools to be productive and have the energy to make things happen.
4. Budgeting is your friend.
Dave Ramsey says, “Budgeting is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” It’s not always fun, but it’s crucial to financial stewardship.
5. Olive oil is also your friend.
If I gave out an MVP award to items in my kitchen, olive oil would win by a landslide. This baby can do it all. Chicken, sweet potatoes, eggs, popcorn, I could keep going. Olive oil is the most versatile weapon in my arsenal. 10/10 would recommend.
6. Don’t run away from new responsibilities.
No matter how much responsibility you had in college, the real world still carries more. From house maintenance to cooking to insurance to jury duty to time management to buying leaf-blowers, you have more of a life to manage in the real world. It’s challenging, but it’s also a valuable learning opportunity.
7. Awkwardness is usually the cost of clarity.
I’m great at beating around the bush rather than being up front and honest with folks. But the reality is that to be unclear is to be unkind, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Shoot people straight, even when it’s awkward. As my friend Paul likes to say, “Give people the gift of clarity.”
8. Go to the gym.
When life gets busy, this is usually one of the first things to go for me. Don’t be that guy. Go to the gym as consistently as you can. You’ll reduce stress and sleep better. I’m pretty sure this advice is 100% original. You’re welcome.
9. Have a social media fast once a week.
I’m not anti-social media whatsoever. I spend plenty of time on the IG and lately I’ve been putting more effort into the LinkedIn game. But taking a full day free of social media once per week (or even once per month) will do wonders for your productivity.
10. Start a Roth IRA.
Your 59.5 year-old future self will thank you 10x. The math behind it is nuts.
11. Do yard work.
I’m not out here tryna be that guy who wins “Yard of the Month,” but yard work is still a good thing to do and a good habit to develop. Sometimes when I cut the grass I listen to that hip hop song “Cut It.” It makes it more interesting.
12. Nothing moves unless it is shoved.
I wish awesome stuff happened on it’s own, but it usually doesn’t. 9.9 times out of 10, it takes bravery, initiative, and focus. Especially early on.
13. You need community more than ever.
Check out these words from Jon Acuff:
Your 20s are lonelier than you expect. They’re glamorized in culture as the time of your life. The truth is, when you leave college, you leave the tightest, largest concentration of people your age. You’ll have to fight for community. Seek it out. Be deliberate.
14. Some friendships are only for a season. That’s ok.
It’s physically impossible to keep up with all 500 of your friends from college, so don’t put the pressure on yourself. Having both depth and breadth is awesome, but if you have to choose, pick depth.
15. Have a mix of married and single friends.
Both singleness and marriage are good and important. Both are equally valuable callings from God. Building friendships with people who are in all seasons of relationships will help you see this more clearly.
16. Embrace the proximity principle.
The proximity principle, coined by Ken Coleman, is this: Get close to the people who are doing what you want to do. It’s simple, but powerful. Whatever it is you want to do, get close to people who are already doing it. Seek them out, pick their brain, learn from them.
17. Don’t confuse talents you don’t have with skills you need to learn.
This is one my biggest takeaways from being in the working world thus far. There’s a lot of stuff you may not have a natural bent towards, but it is essential to learn anyways.
Of course it’s important to do work you’re good at and passionate about, but all meaningful work includes learning new skills that don’t come easy at first.
18. Work is a good gift, but a terrible god.
Asking your work/job to give your life meaning and purpose is like asking your lunch to make your stomach full for an entire year. It’s simply not going to happen. God did not design work to give us ultimate fulfillment and purpose.
I always find myself returning to these words from Paul David Tripp’s book Awe:
If awesome things in creation become your god, the God who created those things will not own your awe. Horizontal awe is meant to do one thing: stimulate vertical awe.
19. Find small ways to make your more work fun.
If you’re in your 20s, you’re probably not in your dream job. Maybe you don’t even like your job. Maybe your boss is mean or all the co-workers on your floor listen to Nickelback. While you’re figuring things out, find little ways to make your days more fun.
Silly (but awesome) example: My previous job required a lot of time dedicated to customer service. So to make it more interesting, my friend and I didn’t call it “customer service” or “client success.” We called it “fixing woes.”
We called our customer service log the “woes sheet.” Just writing that made me laugh.
20. Attention management > Time management
I’d take 6 hours of quality, focused work over 8-12 hours of distracted unproductive work any day of the week. (Ideally you can achieve both.) Worry less about time and more about your mental energy and focus.
21. Have a side hustle, or at least a hobby that has nothing to do with your job.
Even if you can only devote a few hours a month to it, always stay connected to a hobby or side hustle that is uniquely different from your main job. It keeps your perspective fresh and provides an outlet to do more creative work.
22. Don’t overcomplicate things.
A friend of mine asked one of his mentors, “What advice do you have for people like me… people trying to figure out life in their 20s?” He responded, “Read your Bible.”
It’s so easy yet often so hard. We place so much focus on our jobs, bank accounts, and relationships that we miss the life-giving essentials to following Jesus.
23. Enjoy the steps in between.
I’ve noticed that in college, you think a lot about your dream job and a lot about your first job, but rarely the steps in between. Yet most of us will spend a large portion of our careers in those in-between steps. It’s awesome to have goals, but it’s equally important to enjoy the process of working towards them.
24. You’re allowed to pivot.
Sometimes you don’t really know if something is going to work out until you go try it.
You don’t know what your first job will be like until you start working. You don’t know who your new friends will be until you start meeting new people. You don’t know how much you’ll enjoy living in a new city until you move there. And it doesn’t have to be perfect the very first time. You’re allowed to change gears, to pivot.
25. God’s grace offers rest.
Your 20s are filled with battles and temptations…. The battle of comparison. The battle of frustration at work. The battle of not having clarity on life. The battle of facing a learning curve in a new job. The battle to find authentic community.
In the midst of it all, remember grace. As a follower of Jesus, remember how God sees us — not by our sin, but clothed in the righteousness and holiness of Christ.
Yes, your 20s are difficult, but they are also an invitation to let our inadequacies, insecurities, and fears be met by the only one who is capable of working all things for our good and His glory. Praise be to God.
Past Birthday Posts….
24… The Messy Middle (Turning 24)
23… 23 Things I Learned in College
22… 22 Things I’m Thankful For (… Because I’m Feeling 22)
21… 21 Things I’ve Learned in 21 Years