Hoops hoops and more hoops this weekend! That's all I have to say.
Enjoy this article, I know I’ve been heavy as shit the past few weeks so I decided to write something lighter.
By the way, feel free to share with your social networks or forward to a friend. I know it’s a small-time newsletter right now but this stock is going to the moon!
13 Little Things Holding You Back From Success in Your 20s
2. 14 pillows on a couch
I read Cheryl Strayed’s Wild recently. A memoir about a 26-year-old heartbroken, divorced, recovering heroin user who sought spiritual enlightenment on the Pacific Crest Trail. Like most twentysomethings braving the outdoors for the first time, she was overconfident and didn’t study how to properly pack for a 1,100-mile trek. She dubbed her backpack “monster” because it weighed as much as a small bear and required a sumo squat to get upright.
An annoyed veteran hiker eventually dumped everything on a picnic table and separated the wants from the needs. There were plenty of wants: a foldable saw, mini binoculars, and a pack of ultra-thin Trojan condoms.
What a perfect analogy for twenty-year-olds! I mean, what little things do we hold on to that appear important at first but inconsequential to our long-term goals?
I pondered the things that have either held me back or have held others back. The end result was a long grocery list of 25 plus things, but for sake of brevity, I nailed it down to 13 little things that twentysomethings can live without.
1. More than one credit card
Unless you own a business, no one under 30 needs two credit cards.
Most graduate college with enough student loan debt and credit cards have a nasty habit of sinking postgrads deeper in the hole. Retail banks tease new users with low rates, so they spend to their heart’s desire, which most twenty-year-old’s do, then the rate gets jacked up, and they waste two years digging themselves out.
People say multiple cards help your credit score, but you can achieve a great score with one card. Two to three cards aren’t worth the stress.
Start with one card and a low credit limit. Mine is at $1,500. I know it’s crazy low, but it keeps my debt at a minimum while bumping my credit score.
Cut your cards. You’ll be glad you did.
2. 14 pillows on a couch
I’m talking about Target here.
I once had a roommate who loved her Sunday trips to Target. She would come home with four new seasonal pillows, not for immediate couch use, but to place in a rotation like the Yankees sitting AAA pitchers in a bullpen. True story.
I know Target shopping is fun and addicting, but if you’re 25 and concerned by what pillows match the season, then you need to recalibrate your life’s mission.
I’m just saying.
3. 9 different streaming services
Let’s draw the line somewhere.
I enjoy trending Netflix shows as much as the next person, but who’s consuming their money’s worth of Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, HBO, Stars, Amazon, Paramount, AppleTV, and ESPN? Remember why you cut the cable cord in the first place!
If you are getting your money’s worth, then maybe find a more optimal use of your downtime — like anything else. Click here for a few ideas.
Don’t judge yourself for watching TV, but those hours play themselves out over time — and not in a good way.
4. An open tab at a bar
Watching the game at a bar might be the greatest thing about America.
However, the “How I Met Your Mother” daily visits to McGee’s Pub add up. It will affect your bank account, and the hangovers will weigh on your productivity. Believe me, the hangovers don’t get easier. By the time you turn 28, you avoid hangovers like James Harden avoids defense.
Never judge yourself for going out with your friends, but practice moderation.
5. Starbucks coffee
You will survive without $4 coffee.
My dad offered a hilarious piece of financial advice after I graduated from college. He gifted a 30.5 once tub of Folgers ground coffee and said, “this is what billionaires drink instead of Starbucks.” I’m pretty sure he pulled that Yogi Berra maxim out of his ass, but the wisdom rings true. Billionaires become billionaires with discipline.
There you have it, a Mr. Coffee pot and a tub of Folgers will take you places.
6. A bad relationship
If a relationship is loveless and something you do to pass the time, then put it to rest.
Don’t stick around because you’re afraid of being single. You deserve the right person. You deserve real love. I have a sneaky feeling that your 30 or 40-year-old self will thank you for making the right decision.
7. A video game system
I expect to get some flack for this one.
I’m not against video games. If they’re your passion or keep you connected with friends, then don’t stop. However, I get the impression that most people abuse video games like I might abuse Netflix. And just like Netflix, the hours of nonsense add up over time.
Don’t lose yourself in your escape.
8. A new car
Who are we trying to impress at 22?
Here’s what you do instead. Drive your dad’s 2010 Ford Edge that you got back in College and run it into the ground.
9. No roommates
I live on my own now, but if you’re a recent graduate and fill your time hustling in the real world, there’s no need to pay extra for a 1-bed apartment.
When I was 24, I lived in a townhouse with three girls. My room was the size of a dorm room, and we all shared a tiny bathroom on the second floor. We constantly fought over bathroom time, and I always lost. Besides cover, the walls hardly served a purpose, I could hear everything going on in the house which rendered sleep a precious luxury.
It was a headache but so much fun at the same time. And hey, rent was $400 per month.
10. A dog
I expect to get even more flack for this one.
I love dogs, but twentysomethings don’t need to spend their time and energy on a puppy.
Too many twentysomethings own gross, immature dogs because they can’t afford training programs or don’t have the time or expertise to self-train.
A bleak way to raise a pet, if you ask me.
11. $170 Ray Bans
I lost three pairs in five years. Two were misplaced, and one ripped off my face while surfing in New Jersey.
I’m a rare idiot, I know, but expensive sunglasses are a waste of money in your twenties.
12. Excuses
Here’s a good mindset for all postgrads: Stop letting yourself off the hook for not living your dream lifestyle.
Stanford professor Benard Roth expressed it well in his book The Achievement Habit:
“We hold ourselves back when we try to justify our negative behavior.”
Never play the victim. Never, never never.
13. A dream job
The writer Cal Newport says that dream jobs are rare and valuable. So to obtain something rare and valuable, you must offer something rare and valuable in return.
The truth is, there’s not much a 22-year-old can offer.
So instead of chasing your dream job, work on building skills that will make you remarkable.
Don’t overload your pack with nonsense; use your time and resources to build the rare and valuable skills that will help you land your dream job.
Dump all the little things that hold you back.