Part 3, Brain & Body: The Defining Decade
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Today is the last post in the series of “The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter and how to make the most of them now” by Meg Jay, PhD.
For those of you who haven’t been following along. The Defining Decade is an amazing book based on Jay’s decade of work with twentysomethings. She noticed that her clients all seemed stuck. They didn’t know which career to choose (or how to get one), which partner to choose as their spouse and why they were having difficulties making decisions.
In this blog post, we will talk about the latter of twentysomethings problems or as the section in the book is called The Brain and Body.
The Brain and Body
The frontal lobe has a lot to do with how we act, and between the ages of 20 and 30 is when it develops fully. Until then we are bit “uneven.”
“Many of my clients are confused by the fact that they went to good colleges, yet they don’t know how to start the careers they want,” Jay says. “Or they don’t understand how they could have been valedictorians but are unable to make decisions about whom to date and why. Or they feel like fakes because they managed to get good jobs but yet they cannot calm themselves down at work. Or they can’t figure out how twentysomethings who did not do as well in school are now outpacing them in life.”
(Does this sound like you? It sure does sound like me.)
Life and school require different skill sets.
Getting an A in school is about having the correct answer. It’s either ‘A’ ‘B’ or ‘C.’ In life, the majority of situations are uncertain because there is no definite set of answers or timelines. You have to figure out when your boss wants something and how he wants it on your own – without a syllabus.
Today’s lesson: The only way to get better at solving life’s problems with practice and experience so get practicing!
Do you think making life decisions are harder for twentysomethings? Why or why not? Tell us in your comments below.