BY KERN CARTER
When I turned 25 I remember feeling severely depressed that I hadn’t accomplished all of my goals and that my life wasn’t exactly how I had imagined it years prior as an eager university graduate. I felt like a failure, like my time to be successful had almost run out.
I thought I was alone in this, but apparently I was wrong. When finally opening up about my depression to other Millennial aged friends and colleagues, they said they had experienced some of the same feelings. At first I was excited to know that I wasn’t crazy, but then I thought about how insane I really was for believing that not being financially stable in a career I love by my mid-twenties meant that I was a failure.
I wondered what could have lead to this thinking and didn’t have to look past the current culture that has been created; the NOW culture where news is instantaneous and stories of millionaire and billionaire tech start ups gives the illusion of normalcy; a culture where impatience is a virtue and if you’re not up to date with the new social media trend or viral video then you’re not up to date.
I had to seriously look at myself, analyze where I was in my personal life and my career; then strategize where I wanted to be. I had to rid myself of the notion that 25 is the new middle age and push past the culture that engulfed my thoughts.
When I did this, I was able to focus on all that I had already accomplished. I told myself that although I still had a lot to do, I should be proud of what I had already done. My mind became clear and I let the culture motivate me instead of intimidate me. I knew how I would impact the world and set out on a mission to do just that.
Maybe 25 is the new 50 in this wild world. But my journey isn’t defined by age, it’s defined by impact. And I plan to continue impacting the world one day at a time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kern Carter is the author of “Thoughts of a Fractured Soul,” a modern tragedy of family, failed potential and the Millennial struggle with ambition, expectation, and the fight for independence. More from Kern at www.kerncarter.com
Depressed employee photo via Shutterstock