20 Things I've Achieved in my 20s so far...

 Kyoko Escamilla named our 20's our selfish years. As I am upon turning 23 next Thursday I've reached a constant state of self-doubt and what if's, finding myself, more often than not wondering if I am doing the right thing if I am enjoying life as I should (or worst, as I am supposed) be. Am I doing the right thing, following the right path, achieving the right things? Or am I doing nothing but fully wasting the best decade of my life, and if I'm wasting my 20's does that mean I am wasting my life? (because we all know it's just going down the hill from here...). 

Well, I'm turning 23 and it feels like I'm already half/way through the decade and then I will blink and I will be 30 and I will still be stuck in the situation I am right now, no job, no money, and in a constant state of feeling like I'm failing at life. For that reason, I decided to come up with a list of the 23 things I have already done/achieved in my 20's. If nothing more this post works as the reinsurance that I am capable and that I am not wasting my life or my time by simply being me. This is my path and that is absolutely ok.

1. Went to Paris (the city of my dreams) with my boyfriend (the love of my life);

2. Took a Summer off after working every single summer since turning 17;

3. Rebuilt relationships with friends I had disconnected from in the past;

4. Graduated from University;

5. Interned at an amazing company and met a lot of great and inspirational people;

6. Bought myself a car;

7. Lost the fear of speaking English and French in front of native speakers (both online and in real life);

8. Learned how to edit videos;

9. Learned how to edit pictures really well and found a love for it;

10. Started to play with different colours in makeup, and started seeing makeup as something fun instead of an obligation;

11. Went Scuba Diving for the first time in my life while visiting the Azores 

12. Cut my hair short, then painted it, then let it grow back and stopped being afraid of change;

13. Explored different types of cuisines and tried to educate my palate (I no longer say I don't like something without giving it a try);

14. Found a deep love for baking, and giving people comfort with a piece of cake;

 15. Educated myself on skincare, skincare products, and ingredients, and managed to stick to a routine;

 16. Donated blood for the first time (I'm 0-, which means I'm a universal donor, so it's extra important that I donate blood regularly);

17. Went to ModaLisboa a couple of times, got my picture taken by many photographers, and ended up on a few online magazines;

18. Did a photo shoot for a swimwear brand;

19. Went out for a protest for the first time in my life, joining my voice to the Black Lives Matter Movement, because I believe in a world where race doesn't define who you are;

 20. Met amazing people, connected with them, and honestly think I made life long friends;

 My 20's so far haven't been all fluff and rainbows but, making this list, really helped me focus on the good and positive things that have happened. Life tends to blend in with itself and we often forget to take time and purely appreciate what we have achieved so far. If you are self-doubting yourself or if you are afraid your life will be nothing but a failure, grab a pen and paper and just make a list similar to this one, I guarantee you will feel a lot better!

Location: Sé, Lisboa, Portugal 

Photography: Sofia Filipe