Have you watched this new TED talk by Meg Jay called Why 30 is Not the New 20? It was posted/recommended dozens of times on my Facebook and Twitter so I gave it a listen last week. Meg is a psychologist who specializes in motivating 20-somethings to make the most of their decade and not waste time thinking they can get started with serious relationships, careers, family, etc when they turn 30.
I have to confess I found the talk more stressful than inspirational. There are a few reasons why this could be the case: 1) I turned 29 in March so my 20's are officially winding down, meaning I'm pretty much at the end of the "window of opportunity" that she is getting at. 2) I'm a pretty self critical person and no matter what I've "accomplished" or done in my 20's I'll always be wishing for more time and clarity on what I'm supposed to do with my life (pretty sure I'm not the only one). 3) Unlike a lot of my friends, I'm not in the career that I had imagined when I was in my early 20's -- honestly I'm not even sure what that career is anymore!
As my 20's are coming to an end, I'd rather adopt an attitude of "good enough." I guess what I mean to say is I had a lot of adventures in my 20's, I met a great guy, I worked with a lot of amazing people....do I have regrets, sure I do. But I did "good enough" with these 10 years and no matter what Meg thinks, I'm still young!! 30 isn't old and I still have plenty of time to "figure life out."
What do you think of the talk? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
PS. Here are a few other interesting perspectives from the editors at Refinery 29 and a rebuttal on the TED site itself.
So, Teresa, had fun shopping for baby boy today! When you are sixty and retiring like me, do you want to be known by your accomplished career or the wonderful wife and mother you were? Just wait til you see his little face and you will know the answer.
ReplyDeleteI have a good friend who is 66 and she is hiking the hills in Europe somewhere (20 miles a day) for a month... all that to say... you have plenty of time to accomplish many incredible things... so good enough is more than good. Be happy you have each new day... love those who come into your life... your life will be rich.
ReplyDeleteHaha! I had a post with the same title a few months ago when I was feeling like world's worst mom(http://holdingthedistaff.blogspot.com/2012/08/good-enough.html). The context was different but the principle is the same. I often have to remind myself not to waste my time with the "would haves," "should haves" and "what ifs" - in parenting, relationships, career...life in general! You have done a lot in the past decade; not only that, you have a lot to look forward to! I'm super-excited to turn 30 this year, by the way :)
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