Many women look back on their twenties and wish they had lived a little more in the present and enjoyed the time for themselves. No doubt the twenties are a fun time, but there comes a time when a lot of women put pressure on themselves to do the next thing or go to the net place. Sometimes its just okay to be were you are and learn from that.
“All we have is right now. I used to be a box person. I thought I could tie my life up in a bow and that would be it. Black and white. But I found my box seeps out gray matter and the ribbons get frayed. And realizing that makes life a lot more enjoyable. You can control everything.” – 40-something, mom, wife
“I think some women do a really job of being present and some don’t. If you know that your twenties are just one phase of life, and just enjoy it for what it is and not worry about the future or what the future holds, the 20s can be super enjoyable. If you are more of a type A personality, or an overachiever you tend to be so responsible that you don’t know how to let go and trust or enjoy where you are. You’re either thinking about what’s next from a work period or from what your friends are doing and where is the next party. Where is this and where is that versus being really present and listening to what’s happening with you.” – 40-something, working mom
“Don’t think that movie that is going on in your head is real. If you could learn how to live in the moment when you are in your 20s, your whole life could be like those moments when everything else just melts away and all you are is just there, living in the moment. Many twenty year olds live in the moment only in terms of instant gratification. I want this and this. They think they are living life to the fullest. But you are not really in the moment in your head because you are thinking about what is the next thing I want, am going to get, do.
I got married at 26 because I felt like I have to do this thing. Even though didn’t feel right about it, I thought okay I have to do this now. I have to have kids. Now I’ve been divorced 12 years. I learned a lot and made me grow as a person and realize myself in a completely different way. A better way. — 40-something, working women, single