Is 27 the end or the beginning?

In the light of Amy Winehouse death I was today interviewed for a story to feature in Cosmopolitan Magazine in Australia sometime next month about the 27-club (a group of musicians who died at this age) and it got me thinking what is it about this age that makes it so tricky…

My thoughts centred around the fact that 27 is probably the new 21. It is a time when we are expected to have gotten our sh*t together – you should have found ‘the one’ by now – your couple hood should be living in a house your are purchasing, after a sweet wedding and children if not already there are in tummy on the way!

Which is a damn lot of pressure to carry around with you. Particularly if your life reflects a different path…

The subtle social pressure that makes us think ‘what’s wrong with me’ at times like this I believe puts us in a head space that can be very challenging. Some of us will go down a path of ‘I’m a failure’ as we look wishfully at those ‘that have it all’ – while others amongst us will go into a mindset that is about determination to do it my way.

Neither is right nor the wrong way – I would say they are just paths we find ourselves pushed down… The solution I would suggest is that it is okay to take your path. Be confident in yourself.

The reality is for most of the late-20’s population these days is that you have just finished your studies, or found the job that works for you and so are only now just beginning your life. It is not too late, it is the time of beginning!