Christine Hassler - 20 Something Manifesto: Quarter-Lifers Speak Out About Who They Are, What They Want, and How to Get It

20 Something Manifesto gives voice to the aspirations, expectations, confusion, and self-doubt of a generation. Christine Hassler goes deeper than the quick fix. She pushes, prods, nudges, and guides her readers to create their own road map. Offering information and inspiration in equal measure, Hassler provides tools for twenty somethings to chart an effective, fulfilling, and meaningful life journey all their own.

Willow Bay, senior editor of the Huffington Post and
author of Talking to Your Kids in Tough Times

20 Something Manifesto is a great read for twenty somethings seeking honest answers to lifes challenging questions. Christine approaches this journey of self-discovery and personal awareness in a way that is inspiring, comforting, and actionable. She brings to life emotions and feelings that will strike a chord with twenty somethings from all backgrounds. I strongly recommend this book.

Jason Ryan Dorsey, Gen Y consultant and author of
My Reality Check Bounced!

The stories in 20 Something Manifesto are inspiring, helpful, and deeply genuine. Christine Hassler is the perfect tour guide to take readers through the ups and downs of twenty-something life. She provides support, companionship, and tangible tools readers can use to create their own road map for a productive, fulfilling, and meaningful adult life. I wish I had Christine as a resource when I was in my twenties!

Lindsey Pollak, author of Getting from College to Career:
90 Things to Do Before You Join the Real World

In her successful career as an author and life coach, Christine Hassler demonstrates a true gift the ability to inspire twenty somethings to take stock of where they are and take the steps to become the people they want to be. Reading 20 Something Manifesto feels warm and intimate, like sitting around a fire late at night and chatting with your closest friends.

Alexandra Levit, author of They Dont Teach Corporate in
College and Howd You Score That Gig?

A great exploration into what it means to have one foot in childhood and one in so-called adulthood. As the average life span increases, technology advances, and the world spins ever faster, finding ones voice is a bigger challenge amid the cacophony of advertising, the internet, and reality TV. Christine Hassler gets it that identity is a multifaceted, evolving process. With irreverent humor, heartfelt honesty, and deep poignancy, 20 Something Manifesto is a wonderful guide for the quarter-lifers who ask at every turn Who am I now? and Who am I becoming?

Courtney A. Walsh, author of
Lipstick and Thongs in the Loony Bin

New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949

Copyright 2008 by Christine Hassler

All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, or other without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Expectation Hangover is a registered trademark of Christine Hassler.

The material in this book is intended for educational purposes only. No expressed or implied guarantee as to the effects of the use of the recommendations can be given nor liability taken.

Text design by Tona Pearce Myers

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hassler, Christine.

Twenty-something manifesto : quarter-lifers speak out about who they are, what
they want, and how to get it / [compiled and edited by] Christine Hassler.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 978-1-57731-595-7 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Young adultsConduct of life. 2. Young adultsLife skills guides.
I. Title.

First printing, February 2008

ISBN: 978-1-57731-595-7

Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer-waste recycled paper

New World Library is a proud member of the Green Press Initiative.

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PART ONE
TWENTY SOMETHING IS TWENTY EVERYTHING

PART TWO
WHO AM I?: THE SELF-AWARENESS CONTINUUM

PART THREE
NAVIGATING THE TWENTIES TRIANGLE

PART FOUR
THE TWENTY-SOMETHING PUZZLE

PART FIVE
SURVIVING AND THRIVING

I f you are looking for a book that gives you all the answers to make your twenty-something woes disappear, this is not it. If you are looking for someone else to tell you what decisions to make about your life, Im not that person. If you want to read stories that talk about material achievements, this is not the manifesto you want. And if you are looking for a motivational book that is simply going to tell you things like, Follow your dreams and anything is possible, or You are in the prime of your life and it is supposed to be great sorry. However, if you are looking for a book full of real stories of personal struggles and successes, this is your manifesto. If you want to learn how to find your own answers, Ill share with you how that is possible. And if you are ready to look beyond inspirational anecdotes and take a hard look at yourself so that you are empowered and inspired, then you picked up the right book.

How many times have you been told to simply follow your passion, and money, love, and success will follow? Ive read my fair share of motivational books and went to many seminars in my twenties looking for the key to getting out of my own quarter-life crisis. They would leave me inspired for about a week and then Id fade right back into my funk. So this book really isnt about getting you pumped up or solving all your problems you have to do more than just read a book for that. Its about inspiring you to accept where you are and take action to move forward to where you want to be. This manifesto is about supporting you as you navigate through the questions of what I call the Twenties Triangle: Who am I? What do I want? How do I get it?

The twenty-something years are a confusing, scary, frustrating and exciting, stimulating, and transformational time. Unfortunately, a high school or college diploma does not come with instructions for the real world. You have to believe in and truly get to know yourself in order to have clarity about your dreams and goals as well as insights about how to reach them. But that is no easy task, especially in a society that is so externally focused and driven by expectations.

Somehow this decade has gotten the reputation for being a time when you are supposed to figure out your entire life while having the time of your life. My purpose in writing this manifesto is to change this expectation. The twenty-something years are a rather messy rite of passage without any fancy ceremonies or parties to mark that you are through it. Sometimes its a fun play-in-the-mud-during-a-rainstorm kind of messy other times its a your-car-is-stuck-in-the-mud-and-its-all-over-your-new-suit kind of messy. If you are struggling to find balance and direction, welcome to