Abi's World

Turning 26 next week has got me thinking, so I thought I’d do what I do best and write.

Those who are 25 or above will definitely be nodding along to most of this article. They may even throw their fist in the air, shouting “yes that’s me!” And to those that aren’t 25 yet; be prepared…

25 thoughts that every average 25 year old has:

“How am I 25 already? Where did the time go?”

“This is not how I imagined my life would be at 25”

“I totally understand my parents now. They were right all along”

“I thought being halfway through my 20s would feel a lot different”

“How am I an adult?”

“I’m broke”

“Adulting is hard”

“You know how as a child I wished I could grow up? I take it all back!”

“I want to be back in high school again”

“I want to be back in uni again”

“I wish I was a child again”

“Am I doing this right?”

“I guess working out and eating well isn’t as bad as I thought”

“OMG I’m almost 30!”

“I’m an actual adult…welp!”

“How am I 25?!”

“I seriously need to start getting my life together”

“I’m a quarter of a century old”

“I’m OLD”

“But I’m still young right?”

“25 year olds used to seem so grown up!”

“This is not what I expected”

“I’ve learnt a lot over the last few years”

“My 20s are almost over!!”

“Seriously, how did this happen?!”

Big names who hadn’t achieved their dreams by 25:

Jenna Fischer – AKA Pam from The Office – lived in a tiny apartment, and slept on a mattress on the floor, whilst trying to make it as an actress, until she was in her late twenties. She landed her breakthrough role on The Office just a few months before her 30th birthday.

Another star from The Office who didn’t achieve his acting dreams until later in his life is Steve Carrell. The now-famous actor had many tiny acting gigs, which just about paid for his bills and groceries, throughout his 20s and 30s. He finally made it big at the age of 43, when he was cast as Michael Scott in The Office. He recalls going to his high school reunion a couple of months before The Office aired, and how his old classmates felt sorry for him as he was a struggling actor. Well, I’m sure they’ve changed their tune now.

Vera Wang didn’t start designing wedding dresses until she was 40 years old. Look at her now. P.S. she is in her 70s but still looks like she’s 40 (bonus!).

Colonel Sanders, the man behind the world’s most famous fried chicken chain, KFC, had a hard time holding down a job. As a result, he had many different jobs, including a fireman and an insurance salesman. He even practiced law! But nothing seemed to work out for him. That is until he found his true calling. Sanders began selling fried chicken in his roadside restaurant in the 1930s. He perfected his secret fried chicken recipe, and in 1952, the first KFC franchise was opened when Sanders was 62 years old. The rest is history.

Before J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books – the biggest-selling book series in history – she struggled with depression, abuse, a bad divorce and single motherhood. She certainly wasn’t where she wanted to be in her late-20s. During this tough time, Rowling began writing Harry Potter. The first book of the series was published in 1997 when she was 32 and kickstarted her amazing career.

Oprah Winfrey was a news anchor in her 20s, but she was fired from the job for being “too emotional” when covering stories. Instead of taking this negatively, and changing who she was, she used it to create her own show. The Oprah Winfrey Show was born when Oprah was 32 years old. This show is still one of the most popular talk shows to ever exist, and paved the way for many talk shows today.

Walt Disney had to wait years before his dreams came true. At 25, he was told that no one would ever like Mickey Mouse. By his early 30s, he had been laid off (made redundant), had ideas stolen, and lived in poverty. He was even fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas”. He faced several bankruptcies with his earlier businesses but never gave up. And through his perseverance the iconic Disney franchise was created. Can you even imagine life without Disney? No, thank you!

The list goes on and on. The point is, I’m sure all these people had some of those thoughts run through their head when they hit 25, but they never gave up. And neither should you.

Positive facts:

Not being where you want to be at 25 means you know where you want to go. Start now. Choose your passion and purpose over your 9-5 and job title. Better now than being in your 40s and wishing you’d taken the leap earlier.

It’s okay not to be in your ideal career, be married, have kids or whatever you thought your life would include at 25. It’s not a race or a competition. It’s your life and it’s going at the right pace.

You’re 25. Not 30. Just 25. Stop saying “I’m almost 30!” 5 years is a long time to do a lot of things.

It’s never to late to change your life.

There are lessons to be learnt in every mistake.

25 really isn’t that old…in fact, they say 30 is the new 20 ;).

So, make a list and tick it off.

Begin your new adventure today.

I hope it leads you somewhere beyond your wildest dreams.

With Love, Abi X