“How can a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22?” – T.S.

Funny how life can be riddled with uncertainty but it also forces you to trust in yourself so you can grow in ways you never expected.

The first half of my twenties was chaotic but those times were also golden. I uprooted the life I grew up in to move to another country – which ultimately was the fulcrum that shifted the entire trajectory of my life. Before coming to the US, I thought I had it all mapped out. It’s crazy to me how I was more sure of what I wanted out of life during my teenage years than I did in my twenties (hello dreaded quarter life crisis). In retrospect, I guess that’s what that decade is for – to lose and find yourself even if it means having to do it over and over again.

Most of my twenties was spent trying to figure out what my purpose is. I thought I knew what I wanted so I worked tirelessly – sometimes for little to nothing. Little did I know that the Universe had other plans. The day I stopped resisting was the day I was redirected. There’s something so freeing and liberating about realizing you’re the only one holding yourself back this whole time. I still have all these milestones I want to achieve but my perspective has changed. Going into this new decade, all I strive for now is cultivating a soul-enriching life – one where I make inner peace and intentional happiness a priority.

It was also in those years that I regretted doubting myself. I remember being 16 and full of desire, curiosity, and fearlessness. Then I hit 20 and found myself rummaging for any morsel of that teenage enthusiasm. I owe my 22-year-old self an apology for ever thinking she lost the teenage zest of dreaming big.

In between falling in love (and finally getting married in 5 months!!), finding my purpose, and grieving losses, I somehow feel reborn entering this new era.

So here’s to my 20s ~ you’ve been a mosaic of turning points, growth and memories. You’ve shaped me into the person I am today – no matter how strangely and beautifully complex the last 10 years have been. What an incredible gift it is to live freely, love deeply, and exist wholeheartedly. Crazy how life works in its own mysteriously wonderful ways.

Let’s turn the page and begin this next chapter, shall we?