How to Ruin Your 20s

Hey there,

I'm going to show you exactly how to waste your 20s.

Not because I want you to. But because most people are already following this blueprint without realizing it.

And if you recognize yourself in any of these, there's still time to change.

This is the step-by-step guide to ruining your most important decade.

Read it. Do the opposite. Thank yourself later.

Step 1: Tell Yourself You Have Time

Push everything important to next year. Let future you deal with it.

Want to start that business? Do it later.

Thinking of getting in shape? Maybe next month.

Learning a skill? I'll start Monday.

You're young. You have time. Right?

Wrong.

This is the biggest lie your 20s will tell you.

That you have unlimited time to figure things out.

But every day you wait is a day you'll never get back. Every "I'll do it later" compounds into years of "I should have started."

Do the opposite: Stop waiting for the perfect time. It doesn't exist. If something matters, start today. Not Monday. Not next month. Today.

Step 2: Treat Your Credit Card Like It's Magic

You're young. You deserve to treat yourself. Swipe that card. Live your best life.

Savings? Investing? That's for old people.

You're supposed to be free and wild, right?

Wrong.

Drowning in debt isn't freedom. It's a cage. And that cage gets smaller every year you ignore it.

The credit card companies are counting on you thinking short-term. They're betting you won't realize until it's too late that you're building a prison for your future self.

Do the opposite: Live below your means. Not to be cheap, but to be free. Every dollar you save today is freedom you buy for tomorrow.

Step 3: Avoid Discomfort at All Costs

Growth is uncomfortable. So avoid it.

Stick with the same toxic friends because making new ones is too much effort.

Never take risks because failing is embarrassing.

If it's hard, it's probably not meant for you.

Do this long enough and you'll wake up one day realizing you're the exact same person you were at 20. Just with more regrets.

Do the opposite: Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Every time you avoid growth, you choose stagnation. And stagnation in your 20s is death in your 30s.

Step 4: Only Do What Feels Good Right Now

Binge Netflix instead of working on yourself.

Scroll for hours instead of reading, learning, or building.

Prioritize short-term pleasure over long-term success.

This guarantees that while everyone else is leveling up, you're stuck in the same cycle. Bored. Unfulfilled. Wondering why life isn't going your way.

The dopamine hit from scrolling feels good now. But it compounds into years of feeling empty.

Do the opposite: Choose long-term fulfillment over short-term pleasure. Not all the time. But most of the time. The version of you that does this will thank you.

Step 5: Consume Everything, Create Nothing

The internet made it easier than ever to consume. So do that. All day. Every day.

Watch other people build. Watch other people create. Watch other people live.

Never make anything yourself. Never put your ideas out there. Never risk looking stupid.

Stay safe in the audience. Let everyone else take the stage.

Do this and you'll spend your entire 20s watching life through a screen instead of living it.

Here's the truth: you're either building something or you're watching someone else build.

I know because I did both. I spent years consuming, scrolling, watching and thinking about creating but never doing it.

Then I started building. Creating content that actually meant something. Building a brand that felt like me.

That shift—from consumer to creator—changed everything.

Not just followers or income. But how I saw myself.

Do the opposite: Create more than you consume. Even if it's bad. Even if nobody sees it.

Build something. A post. A video. A page. Something that didn't exist before you made it.

The act of creating compounds into competence. Into confidence. Into a life you're actually proud of.

Consumption compounds into nothing.

If you're ready to actually build instead of just think about it, I put everything I learned into Cinematic Studio →. But even without it, just start.

The building is what matters.

Step 6: Ignore Your Body

You feel fine now, so who cares?

Eat whatever. Sleep whenever. Exercise never.

Stay up till 4am every night. Live off energy drinks and fast food. Ignore your mental health because you're too young to burn out.

Your body will handle it. Until it doesn't.

And by the time you realize you can't bounce back like you used to, you've already built years of damage.

Do the opposite: Treat your body like it matters. Because it does. Sleep enough. Move daily. Eat real food most of the time. Your 30-year-old self is begging you to do this now.

Step 7: Wait for Inspiration to Strike

Don't know what you're passionate about? Just wait.

Inspiration will find you. Clarity will come. Your purpose will reveal itself.

Just sit there. Keep scrolling. Keep waiting. It'll happen eventually.

Except it won't.

Clarity doesn't come from waiting. It comes from doing. You don't think your way into a new life. You act your way into one.

Do the opposite: Stop waiting for inspiration. Start experimenting. Try things. Fail at things. Learn from things. Clarity comes from action, not thought.

Step 8: Stay Connected to Everyone, All the Time

FOMO is real. You can't miss anything.

Check your phone every 3 minutes. Respond to every notification. Stay plugged in 24/7.

Never be alone with your thoughts. Never experience boredom. Never sit in silence.

Fill every moment with noise so you never have to face yourself.

Do this and you'll spend your entire 20s distracted. Scattered. Anxious. Never fully present anywhere.

Do the opposite: Disconnect regularly. Put the phone away. Sit with your thoughts. Get bored. That's where clarity lives.

Step 9: Never Reflect

Do tons of stuff. Move fast. Keep busy.

But never stop to think about what you're doing or why you're doing it.

Don't ask yourself if you're happy. Don't question if this is the life you want. Don't examine your choices.

Just keep moving. Like a rabid dog chasing the next thing and the next thing and the next thing.

Do this and you'll spend your 20s moving at full speed in the wrong direction.

Do the opposite: Reflect regularly. Ask yourself: Am I proud of how I'm spending my time? Is this building toward something I want? If not, change direction.

Speed without direction is just chaos.

Step 10: Live for Other People's Approval

Impress everyone. Make sure they see your highlight reel.

Live for the likes. Live for the validation. Live for what other people think.

Build a life that looks good in photos but feels empty in reality.

Perform your 20s instead of living them.

Do this and you'll wake up at 30 realizing you built someone else's dream life. Not yours.

Do the opposite: Live for yourself. Build a life that feels good, not just looks good. The approval of strangers is worthless compared to your own self-respect.

The Pattern You Probably Recognize

If you're reading this and recognizing yourself in most of these steps, don't panic.

You're not broken. You're not behind. You're just following the default path.

The path of least resistance. The path everyone else is on. The path that's designed to keep you comfortable, distracted, and stuck.

But here's the good news: you can get off this path anytime you want.

You don't need permission. You don't need a perfect plan. You just need to start doing the opposite.

What Changes When You Do the Opposite

When you stop waiting and start doing, you build momentum.

When you prioritize long-term over short-term, you build freedom.

When you create instead of consume, you build competence.

When you take care of your body, you build energy.

When you reflect on your choices, you build clarity.

When you live for yourself, you build a life you're actually proud of.

This isn't complicated. But it's not easy either.

Because doing the opposite of what everyone else is doing requires courage.

It requires you to be uncomfortable. To look different. To choose delayed gratification.

But that's exactly why it works.

Everyone else is ruining their 20s by following the easy path.

You don't have to.

TAKEAWAYS:

• Stop saying "I'll do it later"—time is shorter than you think

• Avoid debt like a cage—freedom comes from living below your means

• Choose discomfort over stagnation—growth only happens outside your comfort zone

• Prioritize long-term fulfillment over short-term pleasure

• Create more than you consume—building beats watching

• Take care of your body now—your future self is counting on it

• Stop waiting for inspiration—clarity comes from action, not thought

• Disconnect regularly—constant connection creates constant anxiety

• Reflect on your choices—speed without direction is chaos

• Live for yourself, not others—approval is worthless compared to self-respect

P.S. If you're building something in your 20s and need the system to actually do it instead of just thinking about it, everything's in Cinematic Studio. But honestly? Even without it—just start. Do the opposite of what this email says to do. Your future self will thank you.

Just one life,

Elevenstoic