I had a honest conversation with one of my closest friends where we were randomly chatting about our time in our 20s till the time we realized that we are no longer young enough to call ourselves a young adult, but rather a “somebody” who should have figured out our lives.
What should we be EXACTLY doing at any point of time?
A question came to my mind and I decided to ask him, but all I got was that it was a waste of time if we are doing XXX right now. In short, he mentioned that we should always strive for excellence or it would be deemed unproductive by society’s standards.
I immediately held off his idea because it weren’t always about being “perfect” with someone else’s ideal standard but to truly understand what we really want to achieve in life.
Funny enough, he didn’t have much to supplement to the conversation as he thought it was rather tough even though he have a lot of assumptions at the back of his mind.
Eventually, I brought up the idea of “active years vs non-active years” and framed it in a concise and relatable manner, in which I thought what we humans are supposed to be doing certain things in different stages of our lives.
How we may define our “active” years
Knowing the things we preferably do
When we are in our “active” years, it refers to us having the physical and mental capacity to perform actions that are not very taxing or difficult because our bodies are able to take the intense amount of stress and fatigue as compared to our future self.
Because we have a relatively short biological clock, it presumably lasts between the age of 16 to 40. If we attempt to do these activities after the age of 40, it would be perpetually be more time-consuming or energy draining.
We would usually prefer to do high risk activities (e.g. mountain climbing, full marathon etc.) when we are much younger as we tend to react faster, leaner, and in a more cautious manner.
However, we may be more vigilant as we age because our physical age will stop us from performing actions that could injure or tire us out quickly.
Making dating an active choice
Alternative, these short two decades could mean a lot to those who are in their courting phase, learning to pursue their partners in a romantic relationship and appreciating the process of seeking commitment and stability.
During that period, everything will be evergreen and refreshing as though someone picks up a fresh batch of roses from the neighborhood florist for the first time.
I would imagine that everyone, or anyone can agree that life is simpler in general when we date someone at a younger age. And this can only feel “sweeter” when we pursue it between the age of 16 to 40.
With growing commitments over the years, one who is legally single gets comfortable with their routine, and seeking a partner might no longer be their top priority.
Understanding varying risk appetite — Taking high risk vs Being risk adverse
The tendency of making a decision of a higher risk can be of a small issue if you have a much lighter commitment palette, especially when this usually happens to be for young adults and teenagers.
Without a doubt, it is easier to consider taking more risky moves in different aspects of life, from anything to literally everything under the sun.
The freedom to make decisions can be liberating for some, but suffocating for those who are unable to do so in their “non-active” years.
Choosing to take any levels of risks is taunting, but it should be taken with an end goal in mind, and that you are in consensus with the amount of commitment you are willing to put into it.
Understanding the seasons of your life (will explain more in the subsequent articles) helps in making more conscious decisions towards prioritizing your time on various activities that are suitable for a certain time and space.
If we just plan to live in the present moment, there will be consequences that might be detrimental to your future, even if you didn’t anticipate it.
Always try to think more than you would, and act more even if you didn’t want to. And please do not procrastinate until you miss your prime years to take actions.
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About The Author:
Vince Law is a former Accountancy graduate from Singapore Management University, who recently transitioned from being an auditor from one of the Big 4 accounting firms to becoming a software engineer (test), focusing on payments and investment platforms in the banking industry.
He also works as a freelance writer who loves challenging mainstream views on current affairs and is a strong advocate of mental health and personal development.
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Law Yin Kai | Perspectives 
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