HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2013 AT 25-ISH!

Markets are extremely busy and full-packed of last minute shoppers for their media noche. Streets are occupied by people who can’t wait the evening for lighting firecrackers. Sound systems are in highest volume, playing looped of Oppa Gangnam Style and Chachacha Dabarkads songs. Each household’s chefs are busy preparing the kitchen, while children from time to time are pinching a strand of spaghetti or a small cut of cheese. Croaking voices are serenading the air while long lines of croakers are behind him, waiting their chances on the videoke. Tables are set, bottles are laid and glasses started bumping one another for a numerous sound of cheers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hours from now, 2012 will take off its hat and 2013 will meet us with thudding hello and promising year of new hopes and chances. New Year always brings this positive sensation as everyone’s looking forward to greater rewarding and life-changing opportunities. Each New Year is different in ways of waving goodbye and greeting hello, some people are facing it in the midst of their 20’s and sort of meditating on how they are going to spend the upcoming year at their 25-ish!

Being at 25, you’re old enough to know what kind of clothing you preferred, regardless of what your peers’ outfits are. You have travelled well enough to different places either it’s around the archipelago or just at every corner of the metro. You have attended several events and met various kinds of people, races and professionals. You definitely know when are the right times to be in heels or in flats, when to wear a tie or just simply be in casual attire, when to discuss a serious topics over a group sessions or when to just give way for cracking jokes and light hearted talks. 

Your life can look a lot of different ways when you’re 25: working both on your career and lovelife, they say that at 25, you’re young enough to believe that anything is possible and old enough to make that belief in reality. 

At 25 I looked on things seriously as I marked it to be the decision-point of my life. Turning 25 signified the crossing of the bridge from “exploring to know” to “exploring what I know” and “getting more to know”.  Here I listed down sort of plan about how to spend a year at 25.

01. Take the time to find the job-and-passion-in-one.

Five years ago, I set a goal to be stable in my dream job at the age of 25. Looking now at my employment record, I already got 3 past employers in a row, having one and a half year as the longest stay and four months as the shortest with various constant records of freelance jobs outside the regular works. Obviously I failed beating my own deadline. After I resigned and be jobless in celebration of my 25^th, I finally waved my white flag of surrender to my ideals for silver year, but not to the pursuit of my dream career. My resignation from the previous job was actually the first step to bring on my dream into action. 

The age of 25 is actually the perfect time to use in finding your real, dream job. Lucky are those who have figured out their calling at early 20’s but for those who haven’t yet, well no more room for drama and self-pitying, keep in mind that you’re already 25, more mature and rational than yesterday. You definitely know yourself far better. You have taken few good bites of many things and must be able to identify now which of which are in favor of your tastes. Remember this: at 25, you are surer of what you really wanted and you are more aware of steps to follow on your trail. There’s no such thing as too late when it comes to pursuing your dreams. At 25, you are equipped with experiences, armored with maturity, fortified with knowledge. No questions ask you are ready now for the next level and confident enough on which battleground you’re best to fit in.

02. Been there, done that…Find what else to find!

Been there, done that? I don’t think so honey. At 25, you still have the energy of young horse and the strength of buffalo to join the fun run, play the bowling with friends, party on the dance floor, sing crazy on videoke bar, climb the mountain with groups, drown yourself to happy hours of drinking, and do all the things that will make you foolish if you wait and do such until you’re 35-ish and up! Take the time to enjoy the outgoing kind of lifestyle while you’re still single and at your finest young state. Turning 25 is not a valid reason to totally withdraw from the happy-going existence but rather a good excuse to explore more of what else are there to find. This is the most appropriate time to be more adventurous. At 25 you have charged the past misfits to experiences, and you are more careful and responsible enough to the consequences of your actions. Life has still lots of fun to offer at 25, so grab it before it expires!

03. Single, dating, engaged, married – you’re free to choose

Your life can be in a lot of different ways when you’re 25: single, dating, engaged or married. Statuses as such are all fitting enough for the mentioned age. You are free to make your choice, if and only you’re perfectly and confidently ready (for the marrying part). Many say that 25 is the ideal age to finally tie the knots but this isn’t a heavy reason to go panicking and rushing about wearing ring and saying “I do”. In life you can go about anything with your quick decision but marrying.

Many of our friends are happily married already at their early 20’s but it doesn’t have to give peer pressure on us – single ladies and bachelors alike. Being at 25 you’re old enough for playing around but still young enough to go on dating and meeting different kind of people who might introduce you to the one you’re looking for or bring additional to list of friends you can grow old with. You can take the time to find that someone you can’t live without; no need to get stuck and settle half-heartedly to someone who’s just “good enough”. Love takes time, there’s no reason to hustle at 25.

04. Quality time with family- A PRIORITY

Most of the people I know are guilty about neglecting their families over an important business trips, endless overtimes, client meetings, reunion with good old friends, and lots of never ending reasons to be out of the house and be absent in family’s affair. When you were a student, projects and other school requirements were valid excuses, when you get to work, quota and deadlines became your family’s new rival. Now that you’re on your 25 and time continues to roll by, don’t wait until you get married and totally missed the chances to spend enough quality time with your family.

Sooner or later, you will be having your own family, things are still different when you get to bond with your parents and siblings on your singlehood. Make use of the time and opportunity that your current situation has to offer. Your Dad and Mom will soon grow old and weak, spend the moments while they still have the strength to keep up with you: go out with them, watch movies with them, play badminton or chess with them, jog with them in the morning, do more fun things together while they still got the energy to perform various activities with you.

05. Make savings a habit, stay out of debt, use the time to invest

Maybe not that old, but being at 25 makes you not younger anymore. If there’s one thing that you should need to focus on, it’s saving. Regardless if you’re getting less or bigger paycheck, I’m telling you savings ain’t easy but definitely possible. It takes you painstaking process of discipline and self control to practice savings and turn it into habit. Why not try to save up a little for 21 consecutive paydays? It’s one good way to develop a pattern, don’t get frustrated at time to time failures, and just start all over from payday 1 until you finally made it to payday 21. Again, it’s not easy, and you’re not alone in the struggle.

Better stay out of debt. No one favor the idea of paying debt up to that age of wrinkles and already with a cane to walk with. While still young, develop that ability to spend according to your income. One way to mature is to live a life within your means all the time; that skill will definitely serve you your whole life.

Being at 25 with your developed habit of savings, this is absolutely the right timing to give way for some investments. You don’t have to whip yourself to earn enough for a condo unit, car, this and that etc., but you can set a goal for each one at a time in preparations for your future. Nothing’s sweeter and more heaven-like than to see the fruits of all your labors. 

06. Travel more… Explore the world!

Can you imagine yourself on your retiring age looking back to abundant memories of places you’ve visited? Telling bed time story to your grandchildren about how your adventure went through, laughing with your friends over the recollections of your bloopers while together on a travel. Either you travel by business or by personal intentions, travelling is always as good as eating a triple chocolate roll cake with relaxing cup of coffee. Don’t take travelling as negative as just unnecessary caprice of life. There are lots of wonderful places around that you can go without having to spend much fortunes. Don’t go for a trip to Paris or Prague if it’s beyond your means yet, Philippines has great number of beautiful spots that even foreigners are dying to visit even just for once! Travel more and get to explore various places, meet different kind of people, learn informative history and collect fun memories. Get to widen your ambit of knowledge and awareness of the world. Travelling is always good for your health, go and breathe some fresh air.

07. Don’t get stuck … get out from the box

Your 25-ish year is the perfect timing ever to gather all the guts to get up, and get out of your safely secured, comfort zone. More or less, you’re right there at “It’s now or never” stage. At 25, you’re young enough to dare anything and old enough to be on the wheel of your life and take the necessary actions to grow up. By hitting late 20’s or early 30’s, mainly there are only two kinds of people you are most likely to see: People who have lived their 20’s exploring and learning, never stop fighting for dreams regardless of the impossibilities impressed by the circumstances, striving hard to strengthen their spiritual relationship despite the innumerable failures that were luring them to give up, totally immersing their selves to life’s adventurous arena. Then there’s another kind who simply got themselves stuck, and live in an extended life of adolescence, not an inch closer to adulthood than when they left the University – staying on the job they hate for fear (and unclaimed laziness) of finding another one, staying with someone good enough just because they think being single is lonely, clinging on to “happy-go-lucky” life with all their might.

Don’t get stuck, compose yourself and get out of the box. Life has more opportunities to offer most especially at that very age. Strike the iron while it’s hot, some opportunities are knocking only once to twice, don’t let your chances pass without giving a good try. Go out in the meadow and feed yourself of advanced knowledge that will get you going on your trail. Move to somewhere that promises greater room for your improvement, take a class, and try the things that you’ve been itching to experience, kill that coward soul within and lit up that passion inside you. No greater time but at this very moment, No perfect day but today. Get up now and go out there in the open! Enjoy life!