“80% of life’s most significant events take place by age 35, making the 20s a ‘developmental sweet spot.’” ~ Meg Jay, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist specializing in adult development and the author of The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter–and How to Make the Most of Them Now
I came across this quote and it stuck out to me because, while I have eight years before thirty-five, my twenties can be absolutely defined as a developmental sweet spot. I have developed from a young, naïve, trusting girl to a confident, optimistic, smart woman. And I still have a long way to go.
In my early twenties, I had my heart broken for the first time, and the second time, and the third time. I graduated from college, moved to Baltimore to get over it, and started my career. Through my mid twenties (23 – 26) I got my feet wet in public relations, changed jobs, earned my first big promotion and made the decision to move to LA. To date in my late twenties, while I’m just entering them, I am finding my groove as a professional, opening my heart up to the possibility of a relationship and not just casual dating, and making healthy choices that will impact the rest of my life.
While I flesh out the rest of my twenties and the first five years of my thirties, I can only imagine what other significant events will take place, both good and bad. What an exciting journey we are so lucky to be on. Ten years ago, the thought of celebrating my late twenties and early thirties wouldn’t have existed. Now that I’m here, with a career, a home, a paycheck and a full heart… I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What are you most looking forward to by thirty-five?
Great article, I am almost thirty-four and I totally understand. Hopefully by the time I am thirty-five, I hopefully will have achieved some career goals I have been working on for a long time. I have shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to get to this point. There are times I feel like I am on one of those early Apollo moon missions. Many ups and downs along the way. The peaks are very high and the valleys are very low. Odds are because of my chosen profession, (I work in the movie business) its a given that it will be challenging. I have had a number of “Houston we have a problem.” moments and they have been balanced by some amazing victories. Continuing on with the analogy, I am not quite back to earth yet but hopefully I will be home soon. For those out there who are still waiting for me to return from this epic voyage, hats off to you and thank you for your words of encouragement. They have not fallen on deaf ears.
People in their thirties often tell me that the thirties are the new twenties, so what does that make us? Well, unfortunately, as if we didn’t already suffer enough in the confusing and disorienting teenage years, we have to do it all over again. The sad truth of our generation is that we often move home, and while I haven’t yet moved home, I’ve visited home enough to know the only difference between being around your parents as a teen and being around them as an adult is, as an adult, they can’t tell you to do your homework because you probably don’t have any.