Much love, Shaudeh Farjami

In 2025, I will be turning 23. Please do not remind me that I am halfway through my early twenties. If you asked me a few weeks ago, I probably would have said I am going on my second anniversary of my 21st birthday. 

Truly, what a gift it is to be in this exciting stage of life with all of my best friends. I can always call on my roommates to ask how to make sure my chicken is cooked all the way through— do not try and tell me you do not have the same fear of raw chicken. How can I go to the gym or a workout class in the morning while still having time to do XY and Z before my commute to work? The freshman year of adulthood brings about the challenges, fears, and everyday questions that all of us can relate to and it is awesome. It is a blessing to watch my friends grow in their careers, experiences, and relationships in this same stage of life. As I mature, so do my friendships. It is less about seeing each other every weekend and more about the quality of the time we spend together. Whether it is a facetime call or cooking a meal together, I am learning to love the richness of having a handful of meaningful connections in freshman year of adulthood over the sheer quantity of friends in the college lifestyle.

These changes and shifts during the new stage of life have radiated through my professional life to my social sphere. I have started bonding with my friends through workout classes and movement. It didn’t start off intentionally, but I have found myself making plans through sculpt classes, pilates, or budgeting time for a long walk at the gym with friends. We are all going to exercise at some point in our schedule, so why not do it together. As you grow and mature, you start to find new ways to hangout with friends other than the college pre-game. 

While we are adulting, we still have our training wheels secured (still second anniversary 21-year-olds and not technically in our mid-20s). Even if you are not fulfilled with your job yet, it is so critical to live in the moment because all of the fulfillment comes with time. That is for your 30s! It is so important to stay present in your 20s to experience all opportunities so you can get there. Take time for yourself, eat dessert, have fun with your friends, and ditch the schedule here and there even if you are not where you want to be in your career. You are not supposed to be there yet, and you need to give yourself a break in between the hustle. You DO deserve it, even if you haven’t reached the milestone quite yet. Definitely, do not let yourself burn out before you get there or be too hard on yourself. With that said, adulthood is about celebrating all the wins— big or small. Some days, the win is completing your post-work routine and cleaning your room. Progress doesn’t always come with skipping steps— it is about creating a steady foundation of habits for a healthy lifestyle. With time, days come to celebrate the milestone wins— like being accepted into law school. (!!!!)

Although the pressure to ‘have it all together’ can feel overwhelming, it’s important to remember that life in your 20s is about finding balance, celebrating progress, and allowing yourself the grace to figure it out as you go. It’s all part of setting up a foundation for what’s to come, while still enjoying the moments along the journey. As a creature of habit and a consistent cookie cutter schedule girl, learning to be flexible with my routines has been a huge challenge. I will not always have the perfect checklist morning routine and I can live with that. Whether it is an active morning or a restful wake up, I have a better understanding of the importance of setting myself up with more time in the morning. In 2025, I hope to incorporate morning walks and journals more consistently. While I will always LOVE the time blocked morning and an early workout class, I know that freshman year of adulthood is a grind season that may not always allow for that. 

This season is all about letting go of the consistencies of college life and learning to love the variety of experiences that comes with what we call adulthood. It’s this flexibility that has taught me that the journey itself is worth celebrating, even when things don’t fall neatly into place. Life’s messiness is not always a setback. How lucky am I to live such a dynamic life where I can have a new story and experience every day while going through the exciting stage with all of my friends.  

Much love,

Shaudeh