Being in our twenties puts a lot of pressure in our shoulder. Pressure from family, pressure from friends, pressure from Facebook friends, and pressure from ourselves.

"We're so proud of you anak! From mama and papa," said the tarpaulin

Family members, especially our parents, are very proud when their child has finally graduated college and is about to get a job. It's a milestone for them and they love to talk about it, aminin man natin sa hindi. It just shows that they are proud of our (and their) achievement. After all, it was a collective effort. And being the fresh graduate or entry-level professionals that we are, we feel a mixture of feelings: proud, anxious, excited, and most of all, pressured.

It's normal to feel this kind of pressure. It means that you have the inclination to step forward and tackle what's ahead. It goes to show that you appreciate the effort that your parents and family had invested on your education that's why you don't want to disappoint them. But if you are having difficulty dealing with it, remember that your parents and siblings are your family more than anything. You can talk to them about it and ask for guidance. Still, you have to remember the final decision is always yours to make.

"Uy yung pasaway nating classmate may kotse na!" said my best friend.

Being in the era of social media, it's easy to check on what's happening around us, like finding out that the classmate who had always copied your work is already driving his own car while you are in a jeepney that's stuck in traffic, inhaling the fumes from smoke-belching vehicles.

Just remember that there's always the right time for everything. Baka sadyang madiskarte lang talaga yung classmate mo. Or they have finally found it in themselves to strive hard. Perhaps they finally changed their lives for the better. Be happy for them. Negative thoughts about people will not make you more successful than they are. You have to learn to beat your own record and stop comparing yourself to others because their goals in life are different from yours. So why should you copy their steps when you are not going to the same destination?

While Browsing Facebook: #Santorini #LifeGoals #Chill

Instagram and Facebook are sometimes flooded by #LifeGoals and #vacationmode posts that would make us wonder how, in their young lives, these people could afford to go on vacation and how much they are making in their job to be able to go to lots of places in a month.

"Paano sila nakakapagbakasyon? Dami naman nilang time at pera," you wonder while browsing your Instagram account, sitting in your boring cubicle with tons of paperwork to finish, making sure that the Boss doesn't catch you scrolling on your phone.

News flash my friend: people post only what they want you to see.

Your profile, your account, your content. They won't tell you (if they don't want to) that they didn't really stay in that fancy hotel. They just took a picture with it in the background. They won't reveal (if they don't want to) how they had to make ends meet after breaking the bank just to go to El Nido. They won't post (if they don't want to) how long they had to save up just to afford the Southeast Asian Tour. Again: your profile, your account, your content.

I'm not saying that all people in your Friends list are fake and narcissists. There are different kinds of people in social media, after all. Forbes published an article about what your Facebook use reveals about your personality and your self-esteem. There's a corresponding meaning behind each post your friend makes on social media. Maybe you could find the meaning behind your own posts as well.

Practice being genuinely happy for the people who meet their #lifegoals. It's their life goals. Not yours. They didn't steal it from you, so what's the problem? What you have to do in your end is to work your way towards your own goal in life, and be happy for those who have finally got theirs.

"Ano ba ang ginagawa ko sa buhay ko?" tanong ko sa sarili.

More often than not, we find ourselves asking this very particular question: what am I doing with my life?

We had our plan for ourselves laid out but why is it that life seems stationary. It's just the same endless routine of nine-to-five, going home to your apartment in to eat and sleep and wake up and do the same thing all over again?

I'm already 27 and life seems to be going nowhere!

That's harsh. Sometimes, your worst critique is your own perfectionist self. You are only human and can only do so much. Before beating yourself up, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why did I pursue this job/career/choice?
2. Before I decided to take this chance, what made me say yes?
3. Is this path still going to get me to where I want to go?
4. Am I happy?
5. If not (happy), what would make me happy?
6. Is (my answer in number 5) going to make me reach my goal?

Reflect. Daily. You're exhausted? Do something about the exhaustion. Perhaps the long commute to and from your workplace drains your energy. Maybe you're not eating enough healthy foods. Maybe your lifestyle is sedentary. Maybe your time management needs improvement. Maybe you don't know how to ask for help, prioritize and delegate tasks. You are unhappy? What makes you unhappy? Can you do something about it? If you cannot (change it), change your perspective -- it's the only thing you have full control. Reflect. Daily.

If you are working your way towards your goal, daily treading the harsh waters towards your direction, give yourself a break, because you are doing just fine.

Who are the Millennials?

Millennials: Finances, Investing, & Retirement'
Millennial is the name given to the generation born between 1982 and 2004. Also known as Generation Y (Gen Y),  the Millennial generation follows Generation X and in terms of numbers, and has edged out the Baby Boomers as the biggest generation in American history.

Add to this financial reality the record amount of debt (mainly from college tuition):

• This generation is carrying, and you have the makings of a severe economic dilemma.
• Although they have frequently been labeled as materialistic.
• Spoiled and saddled with a sense of entitlement, it is not without justification that many.
• Millennials feel that they will not be able to achieve life goals such as finding their dream job
• Buying a house or retiring until much later in their lives than previous generations did.

'Millennials: Finances, Investing, & Retirement'
Millennials are so named because they were born near, or came of age during, the dawn of the 21st century – the new millennium. As the first to be born into a digital world, members of this group are considered "digital natives." Technology has always been a part of their everyday lives – it's been estimated that they check their phones as many as 43 times daily – and serving them has been a major contributing factor to the growth of Silicon Valley and other technology hubs.

Research has shown that the Millennial generation to be the most ethnically and racially diverse in U.S. history. Gen Y tends to be progressive in their political views and voting habits and less religiously observant than their predecessors, Gen X.

The Economic Picture for Millennials
Millennials face the most uncertain economic future of perhaps any generation in America since the Great Depression.

Three decades of stagnant wages were followed by the Great Recession (which left over 15% of those in their early twenties out of work), and the income and net worth gulf between the rich and the middle class is at its highest level in the past 90 years. Though the job market improved in 2016, Millennials face a 20-year trend of decreasing labor market mobility. Labor market mobility started to stagnate in the year 2000, just as the oldest Millennials were entering the job market. When workers don’t move around, both from job to job and from region to region, employers have more power when negotiating wages – a phenomenon called monopsony—which translates into employees getting paid less.

Unfortunately for young people whose careers coincided with this trend, it’s difficult to make up lost earnings from early, slow years. The effect of initially low earnings is compounded when subsequent raises are lower and people are less able to save and invest in ways that would provide income in the future.

Add to this financial reality the record amount of debt (mainly from college tuition):

1. This generation is carrying, and you have the makings of a severe economic dilemma.
2. Although they have frequently been labeled as materialistic.
3. Spoiled and saddled with a sense of entitlement, it is not without justification that many.
4. Millennials feel that they will not be able to achieve life goals such as finding their dream job
5. Buying a house or retiring until much later in their lives than previous generations did.

Personal Finance Problems (and Strategies) for Millennials
In terms of income, Gen-Yers already lag behind Baby Boomers at a comparable age.