Today, I turned 20 years old.
I’ve heard endless references to “your 20’s”, whether it's older people reflecting on their youth or young people looking forward to the future. To me, it's not as much a checkpoint to reflect on, but an opportunity to look ahead towards the next decade of life.
A lot has happened since I turned 19. I processed a breakup, and through that, revisited my relationship with God and grew back into my faith. At USC, I built a community from the ground-up and filled it with people that made college so much fun. I solo-traveled for the first time and visited Japan, Taiwan, and Korea for 3 weeks. I spent another summer working in NYC. I took another leave of absence from school to work full-time, while still living on campus with my friends. And last week, I left my job, extended my leave of absence, and moved to SF for a new opportunity. Through it all, I built friendships and made memories that I’m confident will last a while.
Looking back on photos and memories from 2023, I can’t even recognize who I was back then. I can confidently say that my faith and friendships have never been this strong. And I have to give a lot of credit to USC.
USC was the place where I grew the most. It’s where I met friends who cared less about what I’ve done and more about who I was. It’s where I rediscovered my relationship with God and surrounded myself with people who supported me through it. And it’s where I lived moments where I never laughed harder or felt more fulfilled.
So, why leave?
A good friend told me once: “Every semester of college, you grow by 2 years.” I agree, but I would modify it to: “Every semester of college, you can grow by up to 2 years.” And this past semester didn’t yield as much growth as I’d hoped. The dropoff in the college experience is significant between each semester, and it no longer outweighed the opportunity cost of not being in either SF or NYC.
I’m still so grateful for this past semester. I grew in my relationship with God significantly, I solidified who my closest friends were, and shared some of my favorite moments with my favorite people. But just because something ain’t broke, doesn’t mean it can’t be better. Why settle for something that’s just not broken?
So, I made the hard decision to leave USC and move to SF. I’ll probably never go back to college. There’s no longer a carefree college environment to lean back on. I’m not just entering my 20’s, I’m entering post-college adulthood.
I’m genuinely nervous. But, I’m excited.
In light of my 20’s, here are a few promises I hope to uphold for the next decade.
1. Live for God.
The whole reason I even wrote this post was because I recently attended a church retreat, where the pastor said that he dedicated his 20’s to living for God. Coincidentally, that night he finished his 20’s and turned 30 years old. I want to set the same goal, and make my relationship with Christ my highest priority.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” — Galatians 2:20
Living for God means surrendering everything: my ambitions, my fears, my career, my relationships, my future. It means rejecting what I want to do, in replacement for what God wants. It’ll be a sacrifice, but it’s the most meaningful thing I could do with my 20’s and my life.
2. Love others.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” — 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
The standard for love in the Bible is impossible for humans to achieve, but it creates a goal to keep chasing.
I hope to truly love those I encounter. Whether it be through friendships, building communities, or just meeting new people, I hope to make others feel loved and cared for, the way God does for me.
3. Work hard.
I have high standards for myself, especially in the work I do. I believe I have a duty to make the most of the blessings I’ve been given, out of honor and appreciation. But it’s easy to get caught up in working for my own selfish gain.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” — Colossians 3:23
Work is a gift from God, and I feel especially lucky to do the kind of work I do. I will continue my pursuit of doing good work, not for myself or others, but for God.
4. Be humble.
Pride and arrogance silently circulates the startup community like an invisible fog. It’s not always evident, but it’s almost always present. I don’t want to conform to it.
“If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: [describes his righteousness]. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” — Philippians 4-9 (written by the Apostle Paul)
Paul the Apostle was one of the most righteous men of his time, and had more right than anyone else to be prideful. Yet, he understood God’s power and how he could never compare.
This is one of my favorite passages in the Bible. Paul has every right to pride and acknowledged it, yet he used it as a stepping stone towards humility.
5. Stay healthy.
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
God gifted us our bodies, and we are responsible for it. I will take care of my body and my health, not just for my own comfort and well-being, but also to honor God.
6. Enjoy each day.
“Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions land power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.” — Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Ecclesiastes says a lot about how meaningless life is. Yet, the amazing part is that we are still called to enjoy it anyways. Each day is a gift from God, and I don’t want a single day to pass me by without noticing it.
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Thank you to everyone that made this past year amazing. Cheers to a new decade :)