The worst advice I’ve ever heard is ‘enjoy your 20s.’
Nobody tells you how much you sacrifice with this logic. Your 20s aren’t for coasting. They’re for compounding skills in all areas of life.
With the emergence of social media, the internet, and widespread knowledge, we as humans now have a warped sense of urgency. People compare themselves to others each and every day. People watch what others do through Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube and say "I need to do that now". The reality is: 1. No you don't 2. You probably shouldn't.
Too many people fall victim to short-term thinking, and I do believe this separates people in their level of critical thinking skills (potentially even being a direct proxy).
When you think about the "live out your 20s" ideology, you think about a few things: being young, not knowing what to do with your life, and not having a sense of the world. I believe that if you work hard, (and I mean hard, not just twiddle your thumbs until 5pm), you actually solve most of these problems.
The faster you find a sense of deep-work, which takes time and dedication, the faster you can get results. Mastery in a topic has a logarithmic curve, so it is important that you find your skillset early.
I can guarantee you that by working hard you get at least one step closer to knowing what you want to do in life. You either like the task you are working on, or you don't. This is a binary decision. If you don't like it... find something else. The beauty of this is that right now you have the time, in the future you won't.
In terms of having a sense of the world, this too is also solved. In order to do your work, you need to see the world through a lens. This lens might not be ideal, but it can be expanded upon. The more experience you gain, the more you can connect the dots. You can bring insight and bridge gaps with your expertise. While these are invaluable 'worldly gains,' I'd argue that the financial empowerment from this advice is even more life-changing.
Something that is a fundamentally hard concept to grasp is extremely reliant on time to entry: compound interest. Maybe your goal isn't to become a billionare; fine, I understand. But let me prove to you why this is so incredibly important.
99% of Warren Buffett's wealth was created after he turned 50 years old. I want this to sink in for you. This was only possible because he started investing when he was 18 years old, and that money compounded.
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that whatever you want to do with your life is probably going to be a more enjoyable experience if you have the money to actually do it. Hence, I strongly suggest putting your head down in deep work in your 20s.
It's a lot easier to do the hard things when you're younger. The reality is you have more energy, and more importantly more grit. Your brain, and more importantly your habits, are still developing. It's important to instill dedication to a craft.
If you can build yourself a great base in your 20s, you'll be unstoppable in your 30s. Who's to say you can't quit your job for a year and travel the world? Guess what, you can do that, and it's completely feasible if you put some money aside because you start to move away from relying on money, and use it as a vehicle instead. By the time you are 30 you can have your assets paying for your vacations, and if you get really lucky it can even replace your job.
Even better, with all of this experimentation in your 20s, you're that much closer to finding your ikigai, the culmination of what you are passionate about, good at, can be paid for, and what the world needs.
I do fundamentally believe if you execute this advice well, the reality is you won't be staring down the clock all day. In fact, once you find your purpose your days will blaze by. You'll be driven and have more energy than ever before, possibly making your long-term goals even more worthwhile.
I think it's important to note you still need breaks and experiences, but this shouldn't be your overarching goal... just a break to keep you fresh. When you plan for the long-term instead of the short-term, you actually begin to open even more doors than what was originally possible. You will live a more fulfilling life than you can ever imagine. The only question is, do you have the discipline to wait?