If you are a 22 something years of age , you must have graduated from college , looking for job , or got a job or planning for higher studies. This is a peak time where you are starting on a career path and want to start of right.It doesn not have matter if you have missed on opportunities in the past or how well your peers are doing , what matters is how you look at the present and future keeping in mind the learnings from the past. Thats it ! There are so many wonderful things one can do and i shall list down few of them. Dont think you have to do it all at one go , select a few , stick to it , once you get it on your routine, keep adding to it :) Alright great , so Lets get started !

1) Read as many Books as possible !:

Reading benefits an individual I n so many different ways. To name a few : a) Improves your vocabulary b) Broadens your knowledge c) Builds self confidence d) Has a positive impact on your perception

Read more here :10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day

2) Learn a new language :

You are young , minds are fresh and willing to take in as much data as possible. Make the best out of it. Some of the benefits are : a) Learning a new language actually makes you smarter. b) Keeps you and your brain engaged in a positive manner. c) Improves your career prospects d) Helps widen your social circle to an international level :)

Read more here :12 Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language

Some of the sites/apps best to learn new languages are :a)https://www.duolingo.com/b)https://www.busuu.com/enc/c)https://www.memrise.com/d)http://www.babbel.com/?locale=en

3) Learn to play a musical instrument:Any. But do.

a)Simply put , They are too cool a skills. b)It actually increases your memory capacity c)Sharpens your concentration d) Helps better express yourself

Watch it here :How playing an instrument benefits your brain - Anita Collins

There are so many professionals who have learned their choice of musical instrument through videos on youtube. Its that easy ! So go ahead , pick up your instrument and happy learning !! :)

4) Play a sport regularly:

You do not have to master it. Just playing a sport regularly keeps you mentally and physically fit.

Read more here :Benefits of Sports & Health Information for Teens

5) Volunteering is a must !:Like many suggested , volunteer. And before you do , understand what cause you believe in.

Find the right NGO that works towards that cause and give your best. Trust me there is no beter feeling in the world than working with full dedication for a cause you strongly believe in.Thats a whole new level of satisfaction.

Read more here :Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits

Keep looking for volunteering opportunities at various NGOs. And when you do , make sure to pull in your friends too because any work only gets better when you do it together with your friends !

6)Yoga :Meditate. It is probably the easiest and quickest way to stay healthy , both physically and mentally.

In case you have a busy schedule , and dont find time for yoga postures , or dont seem to find the right spot for it , there still is a simple solution.Pranayama. This can be done anytime and anywhere. it simply is deep breath in and breath out.

Read more here :Benefits of Pranayama

7) Learn to code !

Not many would be comfortable learning to code. Some just hate it and thats only because they dint find the right guide.

Coding is an amazing skill. Its nothing less than a super power and you no less than a superhuman ! Today , you don't have to join classes to learn it , you can stay home, chose a comfortable seat , and learn at your own sweet pace while mastering the not just the basics but all of it !!

Please check these sites :1)http://www.codecademy.com/2)http://code.org/3)http://www.w3schools.com/

8) Spend time with family :The environment at home greatly affects your external behavior.

Having a healthy relationship with your sibling , spending time with family is huge plus for a healthy lifestyle. It keeps you happy even after a bad day as your the presence of your family ate home help you cope up with all the negativity to a good extent.

Read more here :A Wise Investment: Benefits from Families Spending Time Together

9) Plan your daily schedule :

Each day before going to bed , Plan your schedule for tomorrow. Right from waking up time , jogging , yoga etc, split each tasks by giving a specific time period and work by it. Of course there will be changes the next day and strictly adhering to the timeline might not always be possible, but try to go by it as much as possible.

Planning your day has many benefits and to name a few :

a) Since your day has mentally been organised , it keeps your mind attentive as the next task is scheduled soon. b) Brings discipline to life and that this change will be seen in your work too. c) Once you get used to planning out tasks , you tend to keep everything organised, which makes your life simple in the long run. d) You gain more clarity on how things are to be done.

10) Jot down those 'Light-Bulb' ideas ! :

We cant deny the fact that invariably all of us , get some mind blowing ideas every now and then , random times. But thanks to smartphones and our addiction to them , we always have it with in our palms. So always keep a "Take Notes" app in your phone , and write down whatever comes to your mind.

It could be irrelevant what you currently do , it could be for the future , some business ides that might seem impossible or any such thing. DOESN'T MATTER ! Irrespective of the possibility of it happening , YOU HAVE TO NOTE IT DOWN.

Just start off , even share it with your friends, talk about it , ask them their opinions , and just see the magic (your ideas ) Happen !

Some of the apps that can help you take down your brilliant ides , plan them out and help better execute are :

a) Google Keepb) Evernotec) Any Dod) Microsoft One Note

11) Get a White board in your room ! :

I love white boards. So easy to write on it that you feel like thinking more just to write something more on it ! So yes to me its a must to have one as its very presence will force to you write , draw or plan something out thereby putting points 9 and 10 into your routine.

There are somethings smartphones , computers , projectors etc can never replace. For example , even though we have all the newspapers on net , there's nothing like reading a newspaper on a quiet morning sipping a hot cup of coffee, Right ? In the same way , white boards are thee best to plan out tasks , a tool for explaining concepts , and what not. Its simply a wonder . So please do have one in your room ! You will definitely see the change.

12) Join the Toastmasters Club !:

Now this is one unique club. Scared of public speaking or want to enhance your leadership skills or you want to just have a great time , this is just the club for you. I realized the existence of this club pretty late , 22 is a prime time and its always best to start early on this.

Some of the benefits of Toastmasters Club are : a) Public speaking ? Ace it with ease ! b) Extend your network of friends. c) Improve oratory skills d) Enhance your leadership skills

Learn more here :Toastmasters International -Home

13) Be a part of a committed NGO! :

In case you have plans of higher studies like MBA , a full time NGO experience is a good value addition to your resume while giving you a satisfaction of serving the society.There are thousands of NGOs out there doing some amazing work in various fields around the world.Volunteering can be taken up as a full time career. So here am going to talk about few fellowships that people can take up as full time career for a year or two. Some of the prominent fellowships i have come across are as follows :

a)Teach for All network:

Teach For Allis a global network of independent nonprofit organizations that apply the model pioneered by Teach For America and Teach First in the UK.

Teach For all currently has 34 partner organizations around the world. Within this network, Teach For All is supporting over 11,000 teachers that are impacting nearly 800,000 students.

Just as Teach For America and Teach First place top college graduates and professionals into low-income communities throughout America and the UK, Teach For All organizations place their nations' most promising future leaders as teachers in high-need classrooms around the world.

b)Young India Fellowship:The Young India Fellowship (YIF) seeks to groom young women and men like you who will lead India through the 21st century.

The YIF will bring together 200 emerging leaders from around India in a one- year residential post-graduate programme in our nations capital. We will launch you on your leadership journey by opening your mind to a rich and diverse set of subjects and perspectives, delivered by some of the finest teachers of our generation from around the world.

Learn more here :http://www.youngindiafellowship....

NOTE : The average cost of the programme per Fellow is INR 6 lakhs with an additional INR 75,000 as food cost.Each Fellow is sponsored fully or partially by a sponsor.ThanksAishwarya Jainfor pointing it out.This is a critical info you have given.For scholarship details , you may check :http://www.youngindiafellowship....

c)American India Foundation :

The American India Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing social and economic change in India and building a lasting bridge between the United States and India.

Learn more here :Clinton Fellowship | American India Foundation

d)Gandhi Fellowship-

The Fellowship is an intensive 2-year rural residential program that helps talented young people develop the leadership skills necessary for positive change in society. The Fellowship challenges these young people to support primary school headmasters to transform their schools. In the process, Fellows discover what they want to do with their own lives and how to go about converting their ideas into reality.

Learn more here :Gandhi Fellowship

e)Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship Program-

The Fellowship is an opportunity for you to explore various dimensions of education, and to discover if this is your calling. It is a 2-year full-time program, where a fellow will get to understand and experience the realities of rural Government schools. The fellowship involves-a) 5 weeks classroom module to strengthen conceptual understanding of education and development issuesb) 22 months of intense field engagement at the grass roots level in the district institutes of the foundation.c) Working on a live project that has significant purpose of improving quality at practice level.

Learn more here :Fellowship | Azim Premji Foundation

There are hundreds of other fellowship programs across the world. I am still learning. Please do suggest and let us know of any such NGO fellowship programmes which you think are doing some great work !