Between Becoming and Belonging: The Girl in Her 20s

• This article explores learning to navigate the messy, beautiful parts of your 20s.
• Learn how to accept the in-between and become who you’re meant to be.
• Creating a life that feels right, one small step at a time, is the key.

Yesterday was all about games and laughter.

Today, adulthood shows up at your door like a surprise.

All of a sudden, boom – you’re in your 20s. 

A girl who’s suddenly expected to know it all.
Sometimes it hits you slowly, like watching a sunset fade. But mostly, it hits you like a truck, the quiet terror of growing up.

You know how it is, “I’m grown now,” but I still need my mom for the smallest things.
You think you’re running late for everything. It seems like everyone else seems to have it together. 

You’re just figuring it out, learning how to survive with the chaos.

And yet, there’s beauty in it.
The chaos, the uncertainty, the small victories – they all form the essence of the beauty of becoming.

The Acceptance: When Reality Hits You on a Random Tuesday

The realization usually doesn’t come with fireworks.
It always hits you on a random day.  Maybe you’re doing the dishes or catching your reflection mid-scroll, you realise that you’re not a kid anymore. Life suddenly feels too serious. You can’t go back. At the same time, you don’t exactly feel like a full-grown adult either. You’re floating somewhere in the middle, somewhere between what was and what’s yet to come. And that in-between can be heavy. The existential crisis that tags along is so real.

But here’s the thing: it’s completely normal.

Every 20-something goes through this quiet storm of “Who am I becoming?” even if no one talks about it.

You’re not lost. You’re becoming who you’re meant to be.

The Realization: You’ll Never Be This Young Again

At some point, it clicks.
You realize that this phase – this messy, unpredictable, beautiful chaos won’t last forever. And that’s when you start to embrace it.

You might still be figuring things out – your career, your people, or your place. The power is in knowing that you have time. You’ll never be this young, this bold, this full of potential again.

This is your prime, not because everything’s perfect but because you’re learning to build peace from the imperfect. You’re on your own personal journey and setting your own standards. That’s when confusion slowly turns into confidence.

Becoming the Woman Your Younger Self Would Look Up To

This is where it all starts to make sense.
You realize you’re no longer trying to “find” yourself. You’re creating yourself bit by bit, habit by habit, choice by choice. There’s something so powerful about becoming the woman your younger self would look up to. You’re curating a version of you that’s kind, independent, unafraid, and still full of wonder. It can be confusing at first to have this freedom to choose, to shape, or to evolve. But it’s also the most liberating thing in the world. Because, for the first time, nobody gets to decide who you are. Nobody gets to write your story for you.
Only you do.

And that freedom is the beauty of becoming.

Belonging: The Calm After the Chaos

Then comes the shift, which is subtle but profound. You start feeling more grounded. Your choices make sense. You don’t chase belonging anymore. You start to build it. 

Suddenly, you find peace in your own company. You start finding joy in the small routines and belonging in the life you’ve created with your own hands. You start to bloom gracefully, quietly, and fully.

And maybe that’s what the 20s are all about. You’re not who you were and not yet who you’ll be, but you’re beautifully in between. 

Because, as Barbie says, you can be anything.

Designing Your Ideal Life in Your 20s

Your 20s teach you how to think for yourself. They give you the space to build a foundation and explore what your life could actually look like.

Here’s the truth nobody tells you: 

If you learn how to learn, how to think, and how to earn, you become unstoppable. But you can only build a meaningful life when you know the lifestyle you’re building towards. Because half of growing up is finding the silver lining in moments you once thought were setbacks

Take a moment once in a while and check in:

“Do I even like the life I’m living?”

If the answer’s no, cool. You just readjust and begin again – no drama, no apologies.

Your ideal life might look like:

• waking up early and walking
• writing your thoughts down
• reading things that expand your mind
• going to the gym
• working on creative projects
• eating well
• spending time with people who feel like home
• building yourself slowly and softly

When these align, you stop surviving and start living.

They say you’re happier as you age because the years of confusion are behind you. Maybe that’s true.

But there’s also something sacred about being right here in the middle of it all. It lives in the uncertainty, the excitement, and the transformation. Your 20s are supposed to stretch you, confuse you, teach you, and rebuild you. Because, in the end, these years aren’t about perfection.

They’re all about learning the beauty of becoming.