Stepping Stone

Hii guys, it’s me again, writing at 4 A.M. It is rainy outside. I don’t know why I woke up this early. But, it doesn’t matter. I have to go to church at 7 anyway.

The story begun when I was on a trip to Bukit Bintang (in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, not the one in Malaysia btw). There were seven people including me, two boys (I and Yana) and five girls (Devi, Mercy, Vika, Vivi and Vivi Sumi). We had a chit-chat along the way and at a point we discussed about age. 

FYI, I supposed to be in batch 2013. But I decided to move to another university and another major. Finally, I took another test on the next following year and now I’m in batch 2014. The conclusion is, I am a year (and even more) older than my friends in a class.

From that conversation, I found out that Devi (in batch 2013) is 18, and Mercy (also in batch 2013) is 21. And don’t forget about me (currently batch 2014, but now I’m 19). This is one of the differences you can find about school and college. There will be various of age you find in the university. And you will find it more various in a workplace or in another community.

It is beneficial to have age variation in your community. You will learn how age can effect someone’s behavior. Besides, this kind of phenomenon can teach you how to deal with people and know where to put yourself. You may have a close relationship with older friends, but don’t forget that you have to be respectful as well. 

Wait, that is not the one that I want to discuss about. So let’s get going.

After the conversation, I come up with another conclusion.

“Steven Abraham, you are about to end your teenagers, and a month from now, you are twenties.”

And my mind be like, “no no no, not so fast. Why it is so fast? I can’t imagine what life I will have when I reach my 20s. Am I going to get married in my 20s? Can’t figure it out yet because I don’t even have a girlfriend (please anyone, help me, be my wingman or promote me to your friend).” *desperate mode on*

Being 20s means you have to be more serious with your life. Pursue your career, read a lot, dig a lot of knowledge from your major, learn and master languages, make a large social networks, and etc. From now on, you have to think about what do you want to achieve in the future. How you deal with obstacles and what are the strategies to achieve your career. Moreover, you have to be selective with your activities. There will be lots of activities that you may choose, like joining organization, seminars, sports club, language course, part-time job, etc. As a suggestion, please pick activities which support your career. Keep it in mind that this activities can be your asset for your future, because those activites will give you experiences (just like gaming). Those experiences will open your mind about what will you face in the future, what you have to learn or do. It is like using your activities as a trigger.

Actually, you don’t have to afraid to be older. You may afraid because you can’t be playful like before. But man, wake up! The world needs us, each of us are the iron stock. The old generation will die. Are we ready to replace them and make world to be a better place? We have to prove that our generation is better. 

In order to do so, there are 2 keys that you have to keep, willing to learn and hard work. It is time to change your perspective. You are not a child anymore, so do not act as one of them! It is the right time for you not to be playful anymore. You may miss being playful (sometimes I did), but you have to keep your vision. Remember,  

bright future awaits someone who are willing to be serious in his/her life.

At last, you don’t have to take this as a burden. You still can hangout in weekends by the way, hahaha. I just want to open your mind to see this 20s as a stepping stone for our future. Do not waste your youth. Cause there are many older people who regret for not having a good preparation in their youth. I hope you are not the one who regret it also in the future. Be ready and suit up!