The latest edition of Premier Magazine marks 20 years since the magazine was first launched. Given that 20 year theme, our regular comment columnist – Andrianna used the opportunity to consider what advice she would give her 20-year-old self – given the luxury of her life experience since…
In your twenties, advice comes at you like junk mail: frequent, vaguely guilt-inducing, and often discarded immediately. Here is some of the advice I received back then that, in hindsight, may have helped me along the way.
You are not “behind.” You are just at the beginning of a very long story.
There is no universal timeline, only a loud, imaginary one often narrated by LinkedIn updates and engagement announcements. The truth is less cinematic: most people are frequently improvising and with less confidence than their curated photos suggest.
No one is thinking about you as much as you think they are.
This is both humbling and liberating. Wear what you want, and do what makes you happy. Most people are too self-absorbed to worry about what you are up to.
Your job is not your personality.
Work can be meaningful, absorbing, even joyful—but it is not a full biography. If your answer to “tell me about yourself” begins and ends with your job title, you’ve outsourced your identity to your email signature.
Money is boring until it isn’t.
Compound interest is not a personality trait, but it is a powerful co-author. Learn the basics early: saving, investing, and the difference between “I deserve this” and “OMG, this will haunt me on my credit card statement.”
Friendships aren’t always forever.
At twenty, you imagine your friends as permanent fixtures—like a beloved sofa you’ll drag through every move. But people grow, drift apart, and sometimes circle back. Some friendships fade quietly, while others deepen during challenging periods in life. The real skill isn’t clinging to people; it’s appreciating them while they’re in your orbit and knowing when to let go without turning it into a personal failure.
Boundaries are not walls; they’re doors with locks that you can control.
You can say no without a thesis statement. You can leave early without a dramatic farewell. You are in control of who has access to your time, energy and heart.
Romance
Some people meet the love of their life at 22 and build something loving and lasting. Some meet the love of their life at 22 and spend the next decade regretting it. Others find their soulmate in later life, whilst some decide that they are, in fact, the love of their own life.
You will change your mind. Frequently.
About careers, cities, partners, wines. This isn’t an inconsistency; it’s part of the data collection. The only truly worrying sign would be staying the same.
If my twenty-something self had read this, she would have nodded and then done exactly what she was going to do anyway.
This article also appears in the summer edition of Premier Magazine.
