Twenty-Something Junior Highers

Having recently reached the middle of my 20's (how strange it is to say that...), I'm really struggling with capturing my new adult identity while still retaining my youth. In many ways, my age group is the sandwich generation - no longer kids and yet not quite adults. Many of us still live with our parents and struggle with finding jobs after college. Thankfully, I do not find myself in that situation, but I still struggle with capturing my adulthood.

Donald Miller recently wrote an article for Relevant Magazine that is particularly fascinating. He asks the question, if forty is the new thirty, then is twenty the new junior high? Miller provides seven tips to growing up successfully for twenty-somethings:

1. Lose Your Friends - Your friends are often what impact your lifestyle and decisions the greatest. If your friends are lazy and don't motivate you, don't feel guilty about leaving them and finding a new set of friends.

2. Read Books - Miller suggests to read a book a week for the next six weeks. It will stretch you.

3. Write Your Goals - Write down goals for the next five years, year, month, and week. This helps you to identify what you want.

4. Ask your Parents or a Mentor for Criticism - Criticism is a gift and a blessing that can help stretch you into being a better person.

5. Accept Hardship - Hardship is a fact of life. If you reject hardship, you reject life.

6. Cut the Cynicism - Yeah it was cute when you knew no better but it's getting old now. Leaders don't roll their eyes, children do.

7. Accomplish Something - Pick something you want to do better at and do it until you succeed. You can only change direction if you are in motion.

I thought the article was wonderful and gave me a ton to think about. 5 and 6 hit close for me and it is something I am working on. Instead of complaining every time I deal with something difficult, or being sarcastic when someone annoys me, I need to grow up and act like an adult. Respecting others doesn't require you to become serious and dull, it's just a part of maturing.

What do you think? For those twenty-somethings out there... which of these 7 points hit home the most?