Why Having a Quarter-Life Crisis IS a Good Thing

Time: 2 minutes
May 10, 2018

Fed up with the dating scene? Unsure about your career? Should you try to find your passion? How about getting your own place? And what’s the deal with all these friends getting engaged?

If it sounds familiar, welcome to your mid-twenties! You are SO not alone. Some call it a quarter life crisis but is crisis really the right way to describe it?

Why you're not alone

It might not seem that way when you’re deep in it, but a quarter life is healthy. Embracing it for and the opportunities that come with it can be liberating but for that to happen, you need an open mind…and a sense of humour.

Our early twenties are often dominated by a need to please the family, to keep up with friends and ultimately, to try to fit in what we think society expects from us.

Use it to your advantage

A quarter-life crisis is an opportunity to question and explore what we believe, what we stand for and what matters to us. It’s the time to figure out whether the path or career we have chosen to follow still serves us. It’s the time where many of us realise that the pursuit of external validation doesn’t necessarily lead to feeling happy, or perhaps most importantly, worthy.

We need to recognise that adopting a flexible approach and embracing change is not a sign of failure, or evidence of a lack of commitment. To the contrary, it shows that we are starting to know ourselves well enough to have the courage to pursue different avenues…betting on ourselves.

Keep betting on yourself

Will betting on yourself guarantee success? Nope. But are there any guarantees in life? Going to university didn’t guarantee a job at the end of it and yet, universities are not going out of fashion any time soon. My point with this is that regardless of the path you choose, it is not meant to be a perfect one. Mistakes and failures are inevitable. The key is to get into the habit of looking to learn from each one and use that as invaluable intel to do things differently the next time around…to do better.

So go on, have that quarter life crisis!


For more on the topic, check out my podcast interview "How to feel good enough" with Bryan Teare.

You might also find "How to Set Goals with Soul" useful.

 

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