When I was a little girl , my life consisted of wanting to be a princess, a princess though with long red hair who listened to Rolling Stones (I was exposed to them at a very young age)and who would spend weekends dancing on the rooftop of my castle drinking the bubbles that tasted so good on special family occasions.
I forbid the words quarter life crisis in the office and my household. It is an age to be celebrated because we are young enough to enjoy the nonsense and silliness yet wise enough to know that it is more likely that the princess would become a 9-5 regular employee listening to heart radio and drinking coffee to stay alive during daylight hours. Soon enough though many of us will settle down , produce little ones and become permanent fixtures in our choice of residence. But for now , that day is not today so here is the reckless list for all soon to be 25 year olds.. put down the slippers and walking stick and get on with life!
1. Find yourself: Leave the country under the premise of “finding yourself.†It could be that you can finally understand who you are and the person you are meant to be through trying on different masks. Stay in that dirty hostel in Thailand or become the local karoke singer in Manhattan or even crash the Fresher week parties going on –to remember what being irresponsible used to mean.
2. Risk: Do something that will have your adrenaline pumping all throughout your body. It should be an activity that puts you outside of your comfort zone. Put yourself in the hands of trained professionals and stare death in the face, just for once. Please note: Scriptoeris cannot be held liable for any injuries or damage caused.
3. Travel: Go somewhere you do not know the language. Not being able to easily communicate with others is petrifying but will broaden your knowledge of different cultures. If not that, it will giveyou an opportunity to pass comment on the terrible outfit choices in that given country.. without anyone understanding.
4. Write a book. It may not become the next Harry Potter and your puppy Geoffrey could be the only listener but it could turn out to be a breakthrough. It all starts from jotting a few ideas down. It doesn’t have to be a novel either; it could be a folder containing your articles or a book of your favourite poems.
5. Start a collection: Choose something that represents a passion of yours, it can be sea shells from where you have travelled or pennies inherited from your great grandfather. Memory boxes are a great idea too if you have stored all of your childhood memories in a box under the closet. Think about framing those embarrassing love notes from the middle- school nerd or write fun memories down to keep in a jar.
6. Become a savvy banker: Pay off that credit card debt. Now you are a quarter of the way in, be smart and begin the next quarter wiping the financial state clean. Start a savings account instead, never make withdrawals from there though! Keep this account under wraps so in a decade you can cheer gleefully at the balance, or see it as a chance to save for that soon to be needed facelift.
7. Overcome a fear: Identify the thoughts that leave you with dread and trepidation. Instead of letting these worries dictate your lifestyle, there are individuals out there just like you and taking to them will allow you to completely open up to the world. Don’t settle for experiencing 0002% of what the world has to offer because you are scared.
8. Buy something you deserve: now you are reaching the number 25, treat yourself to something which is a little more expensive. Why wait for a man to give you that Tiffany ring when in some cases we have better taste? Enjoy the moment you buy this item, smell the leather of those Louboutins or let the moisture of that facial truly sink in and don’t feel guilty for a second, not even during the drive home, not even in bed that night, not even when you see your account balance.
9. Choose a passionate cause. Recently participating in a campaign at University I have been opened up to a whole new world, that of the animal kingdom. This topic has now led me to speak on behalf of WWF regarding issues animals all over the world. Whether it is Cancer Research or donating clothes, make an effort to advance your cause.
10. Kiss, kiss and kiss some more: Whether it is three times on the cheek of a French man or someone you consider to be out of your league. Whether it is a Ryan Gosling poster or the boy next door. You never know if you don’t try and look at it this way, if it goes very wrong, when you’re ninety the chances of you remembering your experience is very slim so get those tongues out and open up.
11. Forgive your mistakes: mistakes don’t make you who you are so why let them destroy your future? At the time it may seem like a bomb at your doorstep but it could have also allowed you to realise the importance of that someone or something. At the end of the day, you have to live with yourself so you need at least one fan.
12. Appreciate the little things: when abroad with your friends go skinny dipping! Dance under the stars all night on the rooftop of the penthouse you managed to sneak into or since some of us live in Britain you can run around open spaces at midnight with sparklers. Why not?
13. Do something you’ve always wanted to do: Go to that nightclub that seems only open to 18 year olds, go to the One Direction gig without feeling shame or embarrassment , watch Pride and Prejudice just to see Colin Firth in that shirt!
14. See beyond: Go on a date with the boy who is supposedly secretly in love with you, it would be a highlight for him and you never know, you could see him in a new light. Or, tell that someone who you are in love with!- what have you got to lose?
15. Volunteer: Volunteering has a meaningful and positive impact on your community. Never forget that no man or woman is an island, we sometimes take for granted the community that we live in. People and societies co-depend on each other for survival so why shouldn’t you dedicate some time to the sinking ship?
16. Book marathon: Here at Scriptoeris it seems like we have to justify the amount we read because we read .. all.. the . . time. We even decided to test the book marathon out. Get together with your friends and devise a list for potential reads and then for ten days read ten books. Each evening come together and discuss them, analyse them, compare them and share opinions. You’ll learn a lot about your friends and you could even invite that hottie from work just as an excuse to see him every day for ten days straight.
17. Learn to play an instrument: It is a fact that music soothes the soul so how about learning to play an instrument. Even if it’s for a brief period attending a class could widen your social circle or you could drag one of your friends along for the giggles.
18. Work at that job: *Ring Ring* – that’s Chandler Bing calling to say that he hates his job and so do you ! Life is too short to get stuck at 25 so before you reach this milestone apply for your dream job even if it’s as an intern or as a temp.
19. Blog: Start a blog and update it regularly. Ten years from now you can reflect and reminisce as well as see all of those disaster pictures you thought you had deleted.
20. Take part in a protest or parade: Get an opinion and show it off to the world! If you are more a lover than warrior though, there is always the Gay Pride Parade. Stand up for a good cause and meet lots of like-minded souls.
21. Donate blood: If you are of the opinion that donating is scary, just imagine being the person who needs it during a blood shortage. It doesn’t seem so scary now does it!? You are almost always given a cookie or sticker if that stimulates you more.
22. Wonders of the world: Imagine being a gladiator at the Colosseum, a passerby at the Taj Mahal or witness of the Northern lights. This list may go until you have reached fifty years old but you can at least start.
23. Have an old fashioned day: Many will laugh at this one but in the world we live in letters have been replaced with text , instead of speaking face tio face we now have social networking sites , even coffee is instant. Spend a day without it all, get away with your family an head to the country or pick up a book rather than a magazine or hunt down your parents’ old record play just to enjoy music again.
24. Milestone Makings: Why not attempting to break a world record? Obviously to be published in the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s always published bursting with new ideas so start growing those finger nails or round up your friends and give it your best shot.
25. Rather than having this list become a reminder on the fridge or pinned to the inside of your wardrobe or bullet points on a post it note, actually use it as a check list.. on your way to defining the decade.