Most people call your 20s the ‘best years of your life,’ but for millions of young Indians, the reality is much more stressful. It is a decade defined by leaving the safety of home, starting a career from scratch, and facing constant pressure to ‘make it’ before turning 30.
Author and entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo recently decided to find out why so many young people are struggling with their self-esteem. After speaking with more than 100 people in their 20s, the founder of WebVeda shared a heartbreaking look at why this generation feels so stuck. He spoke to the young to understand why they struggle with confidence.
The ‘social media’ comparison trap
The biggest hit to confidence today comes from the phone in your pocket. Warikoo found that young people are constantly comparing their real lives to the ‘perfect’ lives they see on Instagram and LinkedIn.
When you see a friend getting a promotion or a peer travelling abroad, it’s easy to feel like you are falling behind. Warikoo’s message is a reality check: Life is not a race. He reminds young adults that everyone moves at a different speed, and reaching a milestone at 25 isn’t “better” than reaching it at 28.
The fear of failure
Many 20-somethings told Warikoo they are terrified of making a mistake. Whether it’s picking the wrong job or failing an exam, there is a belief that one ‘wrong move’ will ruin their entire future.
Warikoo argues that this fear is actually holding people back from their best years. He believes the 20s are the perfect time to experiment and mess up. According to him, failure isn’t a dead end; it’s just a way to learn what doesn’t work so you can find what does.
The damage of negative self-talk
Another issue that stood out during the conversations was how harshly many young people speak to themselves. Several admitted that they often feel they are ‘not good enough’ or ‘not smart enough’ to succeed. Over time, this constant self-criticism slowly damages confidence.
Ankur Warikoo says one way to deal with this is to stop saying things to yourself that you would never say to a close friend. He also shares that being around people who genuinely support and believe in you can make a big difference in building confidence.
The pressure to ‘look’ successful
Beyond career stress, there is a massive pressure to look perfect. From fashion to travel, social media has created an unrealistic standard of how a 20-year-old’s life should look. Warikoo believes this obsession with “looking” successful is exhausting. He advises young people to focus on being authentic instead, as real self-worth comes from being comfortable in your own skin.
A defining decade for discovery
Despite the confusion, Warikoo still believes the 20s are the most important years for personal growth. This is the time when you build your character and learn how to be independent.
His final takeaway is simple: Stay curious and be patient. The path forward might be blurry right now, but with enough self-belief and time, things usually have a way of falling into place.