Eight Lessons from my Quarter Life Period

In recent years, there has been an increased focus on the 'quarter life' period of human life, roughly defined as the late teens to mid thirties. In the past, it used to be assumed that people went straight from being a teenager to being an adult. However, it has been recently recognized that there is a period of transition, in which there are certain things that need to be navigated and resolved. Some have described this as recognizing a new 'life stage', similar to how the teenage life stage was first recognized by academics and society alike many decades ago.

I think the quarter life period allows us to fulfill three important tasks: to find ourselves, to find our purpose in life, and to find our values. The struggle to find one's feet on these three things, including both the necessary introspection and the social experiences, may be difficult at times, but it allows us to have firmly established views on these things at the end of the process. In turn, this will allow us to navigate life and the choices we face with more certainty and confidence in the future. And perhaps most importantly, to live a meaningful life.