The Pressure to Have it All Figured Out by 25 Years Old

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The Quiet Pressure

There’s this quiet pressure that creeps in as you approach your mid-twenties.

The pressure to have it all figured out by the time you are 25 years old.

At the time of this writing, I am 24.

I just turned 24 a couple weeks ago, and I started thinking about:

How once I reached 25, there's just this inbuilt pressure.

Sometimes it feels self-inflicted. Other times, it feels like it’s coming from everywhere around you.

Society seems to look at 25 as a milestone where things should be in place: your finances, your career, your health, your entire future.

It’s not like when you’re 18 or 21. Back then, people give you space. You’re expected to still be figuring things out.

But somehow at 25, that grace disappears.

The expectation is that by now, you’ve arrived.

And yet, what if you haven’t?

What if you’re still navigating?

I’ve been there.

Some days, I feel like I’m winning.

Other days, I feel completely lost.

But here’s what I’ve come to realize:

You don’t need to have it all figured out by 25.

What matters more than having everything figured out is having some direction.

That’s what I want to share in this issue: 5 grounding principles that have helped me move forward even when things felt unclear.

Because if you’re feeling the pressure too, I hope this gives you some peace and more importantly, some perspective.

These principles have helped me stay grounded, focused, and continuing to build even when the big picture feels unclear.

Even when I feel behind.

There are days where it happens.

Days where I feel like I had all this pressure to:

• have a certain amount in my bank account

• look a certain way

…all of that by 25.

Some days, it just doesn't feel like I'm on track.

But that’s okay.

Because as long as you’re taking the right steps every day, you will be fine.

Principle 1: Have Structure in Your Life

I used to think I could just figure it out day by day.

Every day was a reset button.

But that led to entropy - drifting, doing things that weren’t helping me.

Without structure, you drift.

Structure isn’t binding, it’s the key to freedom.

Here’s what structure looks like for me:

• Morning or afternoon lifts

• Walks with my family and dog

• 2–3 hours of creative work (writing, filming, content)

• Deep work blocks (3 hours or so) for my business

• Intentional time for relationships

If you don’t have that structure, entropy takes over.

Movies. Scrolling. Wondering where your time went.

Principle 2: Observe More, React Less

I've been learning to just watch my thoughts.

Life happened, and suddenly I realized I was always in my head.

Noticing this changed everything.

Now when things go wrong, like a recent client situation:

I pause.

I breathe.

I observe.

Instead of getting swept up.

This principle applies to everything:

• Business struggles

• Breakups

• Life not going your way

Respond from clarity. Don’t react from fear.

Principle 3: Delay Gratification

When faced with 2 choices, take the harder, longer route.

It’s tempting to chase shortcuts and quick wins.

But the meaningful things:

• Building a business

• Changing your body

• Growing as a person

They take time.

I started lifting at 14 or 15.

It took me 6 - 7 years to really see great results.

But early on, I was trying to shortcut the process.

Eating randomly. No tracking. No progressive overload.

Interestingly, if I had taken the longer route seriously from the start, I would’ve seen better results sooner.

Shortcuts delay you. Discipline accelerates you.

But it’s not even about that.

The main thing is this: It’s about going for long-term rewards.

This applies to:

• Fitness

• Business

• Relationships

• Personal growth

Play the infinite game. That’s how you win your entire life.

Principle 4: Take Action and Put in the Reps

You can consume all the content in the world.

But none of it matters if you don’t take action.

Waiting for the “perfect moment” will keep you stuck.

So I started creating content even when people talked behind my back.

Even when I doubted myself.

Eventually, it worked.

Millions of followers and income that came out of it.

Because I took action and didn’t stop.

Same with my business.

When my brother and I started, we were clueless.

But we:

• Built systems

• Took sales calls

• Learned marketing

• Ran ads

We had no idea what we were doing but we kept taking action.

Here’s an awesome story I wanted to share about putting in the reps:

Principle 5: Replace Wasted Time With Purposeful Activities

This might be the most important principle.

Cut the cheap dopamine.

• Scrolling

• Mindless checking

• Overthinking the past

I still battle this.

Even recently, I woke up thinking about something that drained me.

But every day, I try to replace that time with things that compound:

• Lifting

• Walking

• Building

• Creating

• Investing in deeper relationships

• Studying (if you’re in school)

Purposeful actions > Feel-good distractions

I recently read this amazing Alex Becker tweet.

He built in his 20s and now he has total freedom.

He didn’t sacrifice fun.

He enjoyed the build.

And now, while others are trapped, he’s free.

We often think our 20s are meant to be lived up to the max.

Bars, dates, endless fun.

But maybe it’s not all about that.

Maybe it’s about…

Building something meaningful so the rest of your life feels free (and still enjoying the other stuff too)!

You’re Not Behind

You don’t have to have it all figured out by 25.

You just need some direction.

And some principles to anchor you.

• Have structure

• Observe and don’t react

• Delay gratification

• Take action and reps

• Replace wasted time with things that compound

You won’t be perfect.

You don’t have to be.

Just keep showing up.

Keep moving forward.

That’s what I’m learning.