The 2020s are upon us. At the time of writing this (30 December 2019), there is just over a day left before the new year, and the new decade. I started this decade as a five-year-old kid, and now I am a fifteen-year-old teenager. And boy oh boy, five year old me could have never imagined how much I would learn. I am not sure if even the fifteen year old me could ever imagine how much more I will learn when the 2020s come to an end, and I would be a twenty-five-year-old adult.

There is no doubting the importance of this next decade. The year which was in my father’s college exam back in the 90s has arrived. Although there aren’t any flying cars as he and his classmates had predicted, the world is a whole lot different than the good ol’ days! These next few years will see me finish my IGCSEs, IB, national service, (hopefully) go to college, (hopefully) get my first job and yes, maybe even get a girlfriend.

This decade will more than likely define us (not entirely of course), and that brings me to my point. These days, when there is so much pressure in school, expectations in the household and constant comparison with others, most of us, or at least some of us, look at the next few years with fear; scared at the sight of so many important events happening in such a short span of time. However, as with everything else in life, there is always a different perspective. All these instances are opportunities that could go a long way in helping us achieve our goals, allowing us to make use of the wonderful chance our parents have given us of growing up and doing what we want to do.

I know what I am saying probably sounds basic, simple, shallow and something you have heard before, but really think about it. By working hard now, you are essentially reducing your workload later on. You should think of it as an investment. Investing your willpower now can help you develop good habits, and lay the groundwork for when you are older. Now it is important to emphasize that this by no means implies that you do not need to work hard, later on, staying on that grind is a constant never-ending process.

It is also worth mentioning that being successful at what you do in the next decade will not be without pain, because pain is an omnipresent characteristic of life. However, by choosing your struggles, you can withstand the pain for long periods of time because you are driven and determined towards achieving something which you actually value (even if you are valuing the wrong things, but that is for another philosophical article), which in this case, are the events of the next decade.

I hope you learned at least a little bit from this perhaps confusing post, and I guess in summary, what I am saying is that this next decade is important, so don’t be afraid, use it as a platform to achieve your aims, and that life will always be a battle, so choose your battles wisely. I wish you a very happy new year.

– Neel Agrawal, Grade 10