Hi y’all, my name is Rea and I’m The Sunny Millennial! I am a 23-year-old woman living in Colorado. I love to write and create, and I’m excited to engage with all of you through this blog! I want to talk about millennial life as I love reading and thinking about it myself. I’m a generally positive person, so I plan to gear these articles to be upbeat, but also real and relatable; articles that talk about life situations we commonly deal with as millennials, as well as articles that give tips and tricks to millennial living. I know we’ve all been (or still are—like me heh) in a place where we are just trying to figure it all out and make sense of it all, and that’s what I aim to relate to and write about. Welcome!

How To Love Where You Are At In Life

That’s the big question that seems to always plague me: Where am I at in my life? Do I like what I’m doing? Am I doing too much, am I doing not enough?! Should I be farther along at this point in my life?

 I believe every twenty-something—and perhaps every person—feels this from time to time. For me, it can be incredibly anxiety inducing. However, it doesn’t have to lead to a complete breakdown and can be dealt with by the right mindset and perseverance. Here are some points to remember to help achieve the correct mindset:

1. It’s not a race

 An issue I have often is I get caught up thinking things need to be done immediately, and if they aren’t then I have fallen massively behind in life. I know it seems ridiculous at 23 to seem as if you have fallen behind, but it certainly doesn’t feel ridiculous, and is a very real feeling that I know I and others struggle with. I remind myself of the quote “life is a marathon, not a sprint.” Instead of focusing on how ‘behind’ we feel, we need to focus on living in the moment and letting go of our preconceived notions.

 2. Everything happens when it’s meant to be

This ties into the first point, but oh man is it an important one to remember too. Everything will happen when it is meant to happen. We want so desperately to be in control of our destiny, when we get the next job, where it’ll be, etc. But ultimately, we must do the work and then let go and give it up to the universe. It sounds counterproductive and scary, but ultimately there is a plan in place for you and you must be willing and open to follow it wherever it leads. Next time you don’t the job you desperately wanted, think about how it wasn’t to be for whatever reason and that will comfort the blow a little more.

3. Don’t compare yourself

In today’s age, it is SO easy to compare yourself to others, even when you don’t realize it. Social media is everywhere and it’s very sneaky. It may seem like nothing, just a little scrolling on Instagram or Facebook, until you feel a little sad afterward because you aren’t getting married or haven’t gotten a job you want yet. It’s necessary to try and limit social media if you are feeling down after looking at it and remember that everyone has a different life. Just like the previous point, there is a path for you and you must believe in it.

4. Be patient, but always working towards the goal

In today’s world, it’s also very hard to be patient when we have the whole world at our fingertips. We can get services, goods, and connection with the hit of a button instantly. It’s hard to not like this instant gratification seep into our lives and emotions. We have to realize that things take time and that we can’t get everything we want in an instant. We have to practice patience for the things we want that take longer. It’s taken me some time to understand this, and I’m still working on it. It’s equally important to continue to keep putting the work into our goals while we patiently wait for opportunities to blossom.

5. Remember that you are young and still have your whole life to figure it out

This is another point that I believe is so important to not only believe and listen to but to really feel in your bones. We feel so much older coming into the real world and forget that we are still young. We get so caught up in the day-to-day hustle and being busy all the time that we forget we still have so much time. We have time to discover what we want, how to get it, try that out, and start all over again. I completely changed my career focus after moving to NYC and leaving it, which was incredibly scary for me. I felt like there wasn’t enough time to start over and I was incredibly anxious about really thinking about what I wanted and needed to feel my best. Once I remembered that I was young and that there was, in reality, plenty of time to start over and figure things out I immediately felt relieved.

Rea McLaughlin

Rea McLaughlin is an enthusiastic soul that loves life from Colorado. She loves the Colorado sunshine and enjoys partaking in it often by going climbing, hiking or camping. She attained her BFA in Film Studies from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she fell in love with storytelling. After living in NYC for a year to pursue film, Rea is happily back in Colorado enjoying the mountains and sunshine. One of her favorite themes to explore in her art and writing is the human spirit and human connection. When she’s not climbing or creating, Rea loves traveling to music festivals and going to Red Rocks shows. She might ask you for your birth time to check out your astrology chart too! (She is a Leo Sun, Scorpio Moon, Aquarius Rising). She loves to enjoy life and squeeze the very best of out of it.