[dotnet00]

Agreed. I'm just over halfway through my 20s, but this same realization has led me to finally just enjoying life a little.

All my life so far has been spent constantly stressing over avoiding (potentially unknown) setbacks. I used to ignore this advice because I interpreted it as giving up on my goals (and of course the stakes were much lower). But getting into real world stakes, I started to stress myself out so much that it was becoming detrimental to my health. Finally taking my parents' advice and adopting this mindset has shown me that I can be harshly self-critical and ambitious without making things miserable for myself. If anything, it has made me able to pursue additional ambitions.

Being dismissive because the author is only in their 20s is ridiculous, feeling at peace and being satisfied with the direction your ambitions are taking you in is not age gated.