We, TwentiesLife readers, are a people committed to improvement. We spend time evaluating ourselves, identifying and improving our weaknesses, building up and using our skillful strengths for good, and trying our best to be honorable people. Our hope is that with each passing day we are better people than the day before.

And that is a fine type of person to be. We are truly the people who will make tomorrows world a better place. Sadly, though, as a younger, more modern, more connected generation (than those before us), we spend a lot of time “online” and less time “involved.” This lack of involvement could become a detriment to all that we hope for in our world.

You see, it has been brought to my attention that while we hold ideals that if shared by the rest of the world would be fantastic, our generation is becoming like those before us, content with our small successes and complacent within our societies. And this would be fine if we lived in perfect societies. Sadly though, this is not the case.

We live in a world where bad things happen around us all the time. We live in a world where people sometimes just can’t catch a break. We live in a world that, should we assume responsibility for, could look very different in the years to come. It is up to us to decide what that world should look like. It is up to us to do the work to make it the world we envision.

If I asked you how the Health care bill will affect you in the years to come, could you explain it to me? If I asked you exactly how we elect a president, including the logistics of the electoral college, etc., would you be able to tell me? If I asked you who your governor/mayor/congressman was, would you know the names?

Our generation is one of dreamers, and the things we dream of are much greater than anything the generations before us could have imagined. We have ideals that would make this world a wonderful place to live in. The question I place before you is this: Do you know how to turn that dream into a reality?

To become an upstanding citizen is quite simple in theory, but a bit more difficult in practice. Here are a few areas that we can work on to become model citizens.

Be a better person. A good citizen starts with a good person. He/she is humble, honest, responsible, cares about his fellow man, believes in his system, obeys the laws and rules, is kind to others, listens to others, helps those around them, gives back to their communities,

1. Learn how your local political system is set up. Meet your mayor. Go to a city council meeting. Learn the process. If you don’t know how the system works, you can’t effectively make changes, right? Once you have a good idea of how the wheels turn, learn about the issues that matter most in your community. Only then can you cast an effective vote towards something that will make a real difference.
2. Get Involved. Get out there and develop a sense of community, or join in on the community all around you. Greet your postal carrier, meet your local librarians, introduce yourself to your congressman. Develop working relationships with the people around you. When the time comes that you need to call upon them, or them on you, it will be useful to already have built a rapport.
3. Volunteer. With the economy in a lull, unemployment at a low, and all the other terrible things going on in the world, many people have become much more internalized. Less and less people are thinking about their hungry neighbor, the orphans in their communities, or all the other people struggling. Take a vested interest in your community and do whatever you can to build it up. Volunteer at your local schools, hospitals, nursing homes, museums, zoos, soup kitchens, meals on wheels, big brother/big sister, habitat for humanity, or even your church or cleaning up your parks. You already know how rewarding it is to help someone else, so you don’t need me to convince you.
4. Be Kind to Your Environment. Leave everywhere you go in better shape than it was when you got there. Consider this (it may be oversimplified, but it works): If each of us picked up after ourselves and each other, our communities could hire less groundskeepers for our local parks, schools, etc, and those salaries could go places where it is much more needed.
5. finally, and most importantly, be grateful. You live in a society where your voice matters, where your actions make a real difference. Most of us don’t truly understand that statement, so it’s worth repeating. Your actions make a real difference. The choices you make, the things you choose to spend your time doing, can have a significant effect on many people around you. There are so many people in the world who live in places where their voice means nothing, their actions are of little consequence to anyone. There is nothing they can do to better their situation. They don’t have the opportunities allotted to you and I, and they can’t pull themselves up. But we are in a position where we have the freedom to do and be just about anything we want. And when you truly understand the tremendous amount of value that such freedom entails, you start to understand just how important it is to exercise your voice. All of the work required to be a good citizen is nothing when you consider what little you did to deserve the amount of power that comes along with it.

You and I have the power to be heroes in our parts of the world. We can make real difference through action and example. President Barack Obama inspired the world with his presidential campaign, showing us that we too can make the difference. It’s time for us to do our part.

So what will you do?

There are plenty of great websites on the internet.  We all know that.  But there are so many more terrible ones that sometimes it’s hard to wade through the garbage to find the gold.  I’ve spent more hours on the internet than any healthy person ever should, and I’ve found a few diamonds in the rough.  I’m going to share some of the best with you, just to help you get started on building your super awesome lifestyle.  If you can’t find what you’re looking for here at TwentiesLife, you’ll definitely find it on one of these!  Enjoy!

Lifehacker – This must be my favorite website of all time.  There is something awesome added almost every single day.  It’s basically an aggregation of all sorts of lifehacks from cooking to computers.  I always find something super useful there, and rarely a day goes by that I don’t find myself checking this site.

Digitizd – I consider myself quite a techie, but if I need to know about something I go to Digitizd.  David Pierce keeps up with all things technology, and he knows his stuff.  Digitizd is a great resource for learning about the newest tech stuff before you go spend your dough.

JCDFitness – I’ve been on a quest to get a six pack for about a year and a half.  I’ve been really dedicated, and I’ve already lost 30 lbs.  I’m getting close!  My knowledge bank for all things fitness and health grows every time I go to JCDFitness.  If you are interested in looking great naked, this is the site for you.

CollegeCandy – This site is great.  It’s pretty estrogen heavy, but the articles are written by people who actually experience the things they write about.  It’s like Cosmo for college students, except better.  For entertainment and some college knowledge, hit up CollegeCandy!

HiLife2B – Into personal development?  If not, you need to get with the program.  HiLife2B is a great place to start.  It’s easy to understand and identify with, and the writer is a college student himself.  He’s wise beyond his years, and you’ll find great inspiration at his fantastic blog.

20SomethingFinance – Your Twenties are a great time to get started with great financial habits.  The habits you form in these years will follow you for the rest of your life, good or bad.  Choose good and educate yourself at 20SomethingFinance.

CollegeFashion – Here’s another site that is mostly for the ladies.  CollegeFashion is a great place to keep up with the most popular trends and see what’s coming next in fashion.  It’s a great site for all of your fashion needs.

PracticalManliness – For men that want to be manlier men.  PracticalManliness is a great site to learn all of the skills and knowledge that men need to be real men!  You’ll definitely want to check this out!

I’m sure there are plenty of other great sites to get what you’re looking for.  These are the ones that I visit most.  What are your favorite websites?  Share a few of your favorites in the comments below and we’ll all check em out!  Thanks!

With so many different syndications, so many choices, so many slants, and so many medias, keeping up with current events and getting your news just isn’t what it used to be.  Some might even call it a chore.  I’ve spent years trying to come up with a system of getting my news that ensures that I don’t miss anything or get some terribly biased opinions added into my news.  While the sources I read aren’t perfect, they offer good perspective without too much of an agenda.  Here are the places I get my news.

1. CNN.com – CNN runs a tight ship.  They are fast, clean, and easy to navigate.  CNN.com is probably the easiest website I’ve ever navigated.  As with many news syndications, CNN has been accused of being biased, towards both liberals and conservatives (at separate times, obviously).  But in my readings, CNN does a great job of getting the news to you without too much fluff.
2. BBC.co.uk – BBC is another news source that I really like.  What I like about BBC is that they are not American-based, which means that there perspective on American media does not come with an American bias.  That is especially useful when reading about international news, as I often notice a difference between what is reported by BBC and what is reported by the American news syndications.
3. WN.com – World News is not it’s own news syndication.  It’s actually a site that pulls top stories from many sources (NyTimes, BBC, Yahoo, and many more) and shares them with readers in one place.  I can assure you that you wont be getting the least biased news here, but you’ll get top news from around the world.
4. Yahoo News – Yahoo news does two things really well: they get the news really quickly, and they often get the news really inaccurately.  A good and a bad I guess.  Using sources like Associated Press and Reuters, they often source the first article to break a story.  Sadly, to be the first requires more speed than finesse or accuracy, so when you do get it from CNN or another source (just a little while later), you’ll get the real story, instead of what looks like it could have been written by a 12-year-old.
5. NYTimes.com – NYTimes.com may be the worst website I’ve ever seen.   I haven’t read from that site in a long time.  But whether you like the site or not, their news is great.  They take the time to write full stories, not just 3 short paragraphs that they hammered out in 10 minutes to be the first to publish.  NYTimes has often been criticized for its liberal bias as well, but I don’t see it much.  It’s no MSNBC, that’s for sure.  If you want a well written, well thought out story, get it from NYTimes.  But good luck getting through their website.

Those are the 5 top places I read news online.  But there are hundreds of other sources and I’m sure you have a great source to offer as well.  Leave a comment below and tell us where your favorite place to get the news online is!

Welcome to TwentiesLife.com, your new home for lifestyle tips for adults in their twenties.  Twenties Life is a solutions based online magazine geared towards creating a lifestyle in your twenties that most people of only dream about!  How will we do this? By teaching you how to live a life that is meaningful, proactive, and overall more luxurious!

The topics that covered here at Twenties Life are vast, and the overall message will be useful to any young adult in any stage of life.  We at the Twenties Life will be helping you shape your present life along with your future.

So what will we be talking about?  Lifestyle.  This covers everything from Fashion & Dress to Sex & Love, Culture & Fine Living to Health, Business & Money to News & Politics. We’ll pretty much be talking about everything that pertains to a twenty-something’s life.

Buckle up and get ready for the ride of your life!  TwentiesLife.com launches February 1, 2010!