The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—And How to Make the Most of Them Now

by Meg Jay

Twentysomethings who use their brains by engaging with good jobs and real relationships and the “real world” are learning the language of adulthood just when their brains are primed to learn it. As we will see in the chapters ahead, they learn to pay attention to how they are using their time—and, thus, to how they are wiring their brain. They learn to calm themselves down at work and in love, and this brings mastery and success. They learn to get along and get ahead, and this makes them happier and more confident. They learn to make a plan for their lives so that everything they want fits in it. They learn to look ahead before life’s defining moments are behind them. Twentysomethings who don’t use their brains become thirtysomethings who feel behind as professionals and as partners—and as people—and they miss out on making the most of life still to come.