1. Work Out Regularly
Don't scrimp on the gym investment now only to have to pay lots more in medical bills later. Plus, the ladies will thank you.
2. Learn a Second Language! Now!
Like, really learn a language. Be able to go out on a date with someone who speaks the other language and converse entirely not in English.
I'm from America, I don't speak your Booga Booga language.
3. Take Your Mom Out to Dinner
Moms love getting taken out to dinner by their sons. This is a great way to show appreciation to the woman who brought you into the world and raised you.
Dinners are nice.
4. Go Out for Drinks with Your Dad
One of the great things about your 20s is finally telling your dad the uncensored version of stories that happen to you, i.e. we were so drunk we got kicked out of a bar last night. I told my dad a similar story and his reaction was, 'Oh, that bar? I got kicked out of their too for defending your uncle Joe back in the day!'
5. Have a Side Business
Working for the man is no fun. All of your effort goes to increasing someone else's bottom line. So why not start your own? The great thing about a side business is that you your hard work will actually increase your own bottom line.
6. Understand Passive Income. Start Making Some.
Passive income means that you have the potential to make money when you are off the clock. As an example I make between $100-$300 per month with a few websites I started that reviews companies like Bluehost vs iPage. An internet based business is a great starting point!
7. Stop Watching So Much Porn
Have you seen the Ted Talk about "Your brain on porn?" (if not, YouTube it). Do you really want to spend hours per week watching porn in the physical prime of your life? Quitting watching porn has a lot of positive effects, including but not limited to: higher testosterone, a deeper voice, and more motivation in general.
8. Stop Seeking Approval; Seek Results Instead
In your 20s, you leave school and enter the real world where, it is results, not approval, that get you far. Are you getting stronger/making money/getting evaluated well/are you happy?
9. Take an Extended Trip
For at least three months. You can do this after college, in between jobs, or some other time. But you need to do this. Trust me, when you are on your deathbed in 60 years, you won't think to yourself, 'Hey, you know what was an awful decision? When I decided to delay starting that full time office job and travel for 6 months in southeast Asia."
10. Learn How to Make One Classy Drink Very Well; Order Regularly
Nothing is worse than the guy who sits down at the bar and stares at the menu for 10 minutes before saying 'I'll have a Bud Light." Buy the ingredients for your drink, and be able to make it at your place when you are chilling with after hours drinks. I'm an Old Fashioned guy myself.
11. Read Some (Classic) Books
Men of generations past creatively passed down their wisdom in books, not 500 word blog posts with GIFs (ironic, I know.) Some classics to get you started: The Old Man and the Sea, Savage Detectives, The Death of Ivan Illich, Cabin in the Woods.
12. Instead of Fearing Failure, Embrace the Learning Process
In your 20s, if you aren't failing you aren't pushing your limits. If you have never been shut down by a girl, you've never tried to ask out a girl out of your league. If you've never been rejected from a job interview, you've never reached for something a little bit better than you. If you've never pronounced a word of a foreign language incorrectly, you probably still don't speak one.
13. Plan Out Your Day
Making a to-do list the day before makes it that much easier to kick ass the next day.
14. Keep Track of Your Spending
Don't be that guy who say pretends ignorance is bliss and says 'Oh, I hate keeping track of my money because when I look at my account after a night of drinking, it's just depressing." MINT is a great app for this.
15. Take an Improv or Acting Class
Improv is practice at being witty and well spoken. And it transfers over to real life.
16. Volunteer
What better way to meet some cool people, give back a little bit, and yes, pad the resumé. Ideally you can find something that is somewhat in your area of expertise.
17. Make the World a Better Place
If you aren't trying to make the world a better place in some way, well, I ask you: WTF are you doing? Figuring out your niche of a way to do this isn't easy; but if it were, hey, everybody would be doing it.
18. Know What You Want. Go After it With a Vengeance
You have a passion. Maybe it is buried a little bit beneath the surface. But it's there. Your 20s are a time to go after what you want with everything you got.
19. Say "Yes, and..."
For as long as you have the strength to, say 'yes' to new opportunities. Do that crazy thing you are thinking of. Ask out the girl who is way out of your league. Stupidly follow your dream for at least a few years. The pain of rejection is short-lived when compared with the pain of regret.
20. Learn the Art of Saying No
When you are busy saying 'yes' to new opportunities, you will find yourself having to say 'no' to obligations that suck your time away. Your bros will look at you like you are crazy: "What do you MEAN you can't go to the Cubs game and get housed tonight?" There is one phrase that works wonders in this situation:
"I really wish I could go/help you out/whatever, but I can't."
Sorry Lebron, Nate can't help you today
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