20 Things I’ve Learned In My 20’s

As a man in his 20’s things can be confusing. I have compiled a list of 20 things that I have learned while being in my 20’s. Save yourself wasted time and read this.

When you are in your 20’s you finally have the independence you have been looking for since High School. You are either going straight into the workforce, military, or college.

At this point in your development you are finally seeing how the world works, yet there is something missing. You are bombarded with different paths and ways of doing things daily.

Right when you feel like you have everything figured out you come to the realization of another truth. You scratch your head over which path you should take because the last thing you want is to become a loser who hasn’t achieved anything.

I am still young like you. I still have doubts occasionally. I have a long way until I develop myself to the extent I desire.

All though I am not some omniscient god I am qualified to give you 20 things that I’ve learned in my 20’s. I invite you to sit down and learn. Make your 20’s easier by applying what I’ve learned.

20 Things That I’ve Learned In My 20’s

1) Don’t go to college unless you have a certain field you are going into.

I have seen too many people go to college just because that is what everyone else does. These people will go for degrees in Art or in Astronomy. Unless you are going to be an Astronomer or teach Art then why waste your time getting those degrees?

If you have a certain thing you wish to do such as blogging, building online businesses, or freelancing you can find internships where you can learn actionable knowledge.

2) Stay away from unnecessary debt if you can help it.

I understand you wish to build your credit score. If you want to do that look for a student credit card. When I got out of High School I had a credit score of 0. I had no bills at the time so I decided to go with a credit card with Capital One.

Make sure to create a savings account and save 10-30% from every check. Believe me it will come in handy.

3) Get in Shape

In your early 20’s you are growing quickly and at the age of 25 you will be in your prime. As young men we want to take advantage of multiple things: Our time advantage, we can take harder hits, and this is the time that we set up our bodies for the future.

4) Do not take out a large loan to buy a car.

I understand that you want a new car that is fancier than your current one but don’t do it. Save up your money and buy a car in cash for 1-4k. I am still paying off my car loan. I needed a car within a few days so I researched what type of car would be a good buy.

Once I found the car I made a down payment of $1,600 in cold hard cash. Since I still owe over $9k it has prevented me from going overseas as I have planned. Instead of moving right now I have to take 4 months to save up the money to be able to pay half or all of the car loan before moving.

5) Travel, Travel, and Travel. 

Take advantage of being young with little responsibility. Travel to other cities in your country. Travel to another country such as England. By seeing whole new cultures you will gain a better understanding of how the world works. You will make more connections which you might gain value from.

6) Make money over opinions. 

You have probably heard the famous saying, “Money rules the world”. It’s true. I have had times in my life where finances were tight. The type of tight where you have to scrounge around the kitchen to find food.

Luckily since then I have gained a better Mindset and actionable knowledge that allows me to pay my bills, fund business ventures, and have money for play.

Making money is about focus. Is your focus on making money? If so don’t take opinions, make money.

7) Don’t spend your days smoking weed.

Now that you are out of High School you feel a sense of independence right? Good you should but that doesn’t mean that you can sit around smoking weed all day.

I have seen too many young people get lost in smoking weed everyday that they lose their drive to go out and build. There is nothing wrong with occasional smoking sessions, but do not make that your main priority.

8) Eat good and healthy foods. 

Yes we are young and can eat a bag of potato chips without much of a change but that doesn’t mean you should do it. As a young person you should make sure to eat healthy that way you can maximize your growth.

My recommendation for men is to eat low carb, high fat, and high protein meals. Make sure to get plenty of vitamins and minerals as well.

9) Surround yourself with driven and ambitious people.

When I first got out of High School I continued to still hang around a lot of the same people who I came up with while in school. I started noticing some of them were losers and that they were holding me back.

It was then that I decided to kick them out of my life and pick new friends. Currently I am a part of an exclusive freelancer group. Since then my life has increased in quality by 400%. Do not let your attachments to the idea of a person or their desires hold you back.

10) Stay away from cell phones with 2 year contracts unless that is what suits you. 

I have just recently got out of my contract with Verizon and switched to Virgin Mobile. While I might not have the premium service anymore it is just enough. My phone bill went from $130/month to now $45/month with no contract. If you sign a 2 year contract you will end up paying more and it will limit you to what you can do. 

Be smart and go with a non-contract phone because you will save money.

11) Learn about various subjects that interest you.

When we are young our minds are like sponges and as we age our ability to learn new things slowly decreases. There are ways to fight cognitive decline such as learning new things (most people don’t try to learn anything new once out of school).

Another popular way to fight cognitive decline is by taking Nootropics such as Alpha GPC, ALCAR, and Noopept. As you learn about new subjects you might stumble onto something that can generate you money or possibly guide you towards what you want to do with your life. Email me if you have any questions about Nootropics as I have used quite a few. See the Medical Disclaimer.

12) Limit your use of alcohol. 

You can drink but to many people get caught up and begin drinking every night. Alcohol is a toxin so you do not want to put that in your body on a regular basis. If you are a man it will lower your testosterone levels and you can say bye to gains in the gym.

Now don’t get me wrong it is completely fine to drink every once in a while. As a matter of fact I threw a get together this past Monday and I drank about 3 bottles.

13) Do not dedicate your life to a job while young (Unless this is what you will be doing for a while). 

You are young and need to take advantage of your potential. Do not let a job hold you back from bettering yourself. If you want to do an internship that will help you get to where you want to then figure out how you can work less and still pay your bills.

There are tons of ways to make money online. To find out how you can make money online you have an abundance of sites out there that can guide you. Luckily as your friend I have created an article that can get you started. In the article I created for you I laid down the basics for setting up an E-Commerce store and getting started.

14) Make as much money as you can.

The world is yours for the taking. I want you to go out and kill the game. Work your butt off and make as much money as you can. Set up businesses, work side-jobs, and stack that cash.

Make sure to relax and enjoy your money. If you aren’t busy traveling or doing something that you want to then you might as well be working.

15) Believe in yourself.

This was one of the hardest things for me when I was first out of school. I was young and new to the real world. I’d been brainwashed to ask permission, be less, and not believe in myself.

I finally came to the conclusion that I was the best at what I did and that if I didn’t accept it then I was going to let someone else take my glory. Remember that if you don’t believe in you, then who will?

16) Do not let any person walk over you. 

As a young person you will be surrounded by people who seem “superior” to you. One of my favorite things is when a person who is older than me tries to talk down to me and then expects me to just respect them since they are 10 years my senior.

I believe that you must give respect to get respect. If you show respect to someone and they disrespect you in return then put them in their place. There will be times where you will need to hold your tongue so you must use common sense. 

17) Learn to control your emotions. 

Being able to control your emotions gives you untold power. Instead of being swayed by opinions you will instead be in charge. With the way the world is right now and is going, this isn’t even something you can consider.

It is a must.

18) Keep a journal.

Yes I know you are probably thinking here he goes speaking about keeping a journal again, but I really think it is a great way to get ahead in life. You can write down your goals, create plans, or as most do and just write about your life. Go get a notebook and pen. Get to writing.

Another thing I would like to add is it has been 6 years since I wrote this article. In that 6 years, I have achieved EVERYTHING I wrote about. From the girl I wanted, to the money I have, to the lifestyle I have.

Journaling isn’t about “writing about your feelings”. Instead, it is the first step towards manifesting your dream life. Taking it from your head and putting it onto paper. Do it.

19 ) Get a girlfriend.

When you are young you have a lot of hormones racing through your body. You want to have sex. Instead of going out and trying to have one night stands I would recommend selecting a girl that will add value to your life and then to make her your girlfriend.

I have found that since having a girlfriend I am more focused as I no longer have to go out into the war zone looking for my next conquest.

Now I have a girl that looks up to me and adds value to my life. Of course I make sure to add value to her life as well because it isn’t a one-sided arrangement. In return for what she does, my girl will never work a job again and gets to travel the world.

Once again make sure to find a girl that adds value to your life. Girls can either help you in life or completely destroy you. If she begins taking too much energy to maintain and takes value from you without giving equal or more value then it is time to move on.

20) Read Calm and Collected.

I created this blog back in 2014 as a way to document the mindset shift from fat, broke, and miserable. To in shape, rich (getting there), and purposeful. It is the best “success book” you can possibly find.

2016 me with only $120 to my name.

2021 me smoking a Cuban in Qatar traveling the world during a zombie ????‍♀️ apocalypse pic.twitter.com/rKZbyUkHAD

— Dylan Madden (@Moneybaglives) July 19, 2021

Read every article from start to finish and take notes.

Always the best,

Dylan Madden