What do you wish you would have known about Adult Life?
Sometimes adult life can become bewildering and confusing. What should I do with my life? Am I being a good person? Should I care about this situation? How do I manage my money? These are questions and challenges that many of us struggle to find answers to.
As you age you gain wisdom and perspective that time in the field can only teach you. In this blog post, I am going to share with you some tidbits of wisdom I have gained over the years.
This post is all about the things you wish you would have known about adult life.
Disclaimer
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Welcome to Adulthood
Welcome to adulthood! It is full of freedom, personal choice, autonomy, exploration, and new experiences. Many people feel saddened about aging, however, with age comes more knowledge and awareness. When I was a young girl I often dreamed of the day that I could drive a red convertible down on the highway. I was enamored with jogging pants and open-toe heels and couldn’t wait to rock that fit at the club one day. These adolescent imaginations of what adult life would be like were only a small fraction of the true experience.
While there are many things to relish in about adulthood, there are some challenges and unexpected obstacles that many of us face. Sometimes life doesn’t pan out how we expected or our journeys are not as linear as once assumed. As you survey your life and experience within adulthood review these statements and determine how they can help you on your journey through adult life.
Adult Life Wisdom & Advice
The Little Things Add Up
This one is about finances! It’s true, that your monthly subscription to Netflix may only be $14.99, but, adding on additional subscriptions and expenses can add up quickly. If you’ve ever felt like you didn’t have enough money to get the outfit you wanted, assess the off-the-cusp purchases you made over the last month. Did you really need that contraption from Amazon? Is it necessary that you get the phone app that you rarely use? After reviewing these seemingly small purchases you may realize that your $100 was chipped away unsuspectedly.
Your Circle Gets Smaller
One thing about adulthood that surprised me is that my circle of friends got smaller as I moved through different stages in my life. The initial shock of this happens when you go to college. The friends that you grew up with in your community and high school will likely become folks you rarely connect with. After college, you may still maintain relationships with those buddies, but they will be distant. The amount of those who know you deeply will begin to dwindle. That is a good thing. You are learning to select people you trust and love to divulge yourself to. This is an act of maturity and preservation. The smaller your circle gets the richer and closer your tribe becomes.
It Probably Cost More
Making financial projections for your expenses is critical to assessing affordability. Whether you are thinking about vacation or budgeting for your new apartment knowing what it costs to maintain your lifestyle or endeavors is important to affordability. Regardless of what you calculate, you should always expect to need more. If you believe you need $2000 for your vacation save $3000. If you can afford an apartment that costs $2,500 a month, go with the $ 1,900-a-month apartment. This gives room to meet any unexpected cost or have extra left over.
Your Interest Will Change
As you age your interest will change. If you liked to run one year and over the next few you’ve started to develop a passion for playing soccer, embrace that and learn a new skill. If you used to love Italian food and now you can’t get enough Jamaican food that’s ok! Maybe you wanted to be a lawyer but now you want to be a writer, that amazing! Our interests change with our lives and that’s ok, make a plan to set your course and continue to move forward.
You Still Aren’t Too Old
In life, hindsight is always 20/20. Often, I find myself and others saying, if I had done this when I was (insert age) then I would be so far along! While the statement may be factual, the mindset is steeped in regret. Instead of regret, take on clarity. Whatever you should have done when you were 21, you can do at 31, 41, 51,77, or 86. I’ve heard of people starting medical school in their 50s! No matter how old you are you can always start!
It’s OK to Start Over
There are moments in our lives when we get to a fork in the road. Maybe you realize the career path you are going down is not what you want to do. It is perfectly healthy to make a wise decision to start over and go in a different direction. Maybe you entered a relationship that has recently ended. Starting anew is a part of life and can bring you the clarity and happiness to accelerate you to the next level!
Get Your Finances in Order
Being financially free is a journey. The best way to reach your financial goals is to start now. Work on a budget using my amazing budget activity book and set some financial goals using my helpful goal-setting activity book. The earlier you start learning about finances the more time you have to build the wealth that you want!
Talk to Your HR Person About Retirement Plans
When you get a new job you will receive loads of information about the benefits and the offerings they have. One of the options you will have is to opt into a retirement plan. Usually, this comes with some investment matching. I recommend learning about these options and pursuing them if it makes sense. The earlier and more aggressively you can save for your retirement the more money you will have to access when you are ready.
Keep All Your Important Documents
Whether you’re in college or living on your own as a young professional, keeping up with your important documents is your responsibility now. I suggest grabbing a folder like this to keep your most important documents safe and stowed away.
Visit Home as Much as You Can
While I do recognize that some people may not have had a pleasant childhood and family experience, those of us who were fortunate enough to enjoy our parents and upbringing should continue to pour into that community. Travel back home to enjoy your family and parents as much as you can because life can happen swiftly and you will never regret the time that you spent with them!
Travel When You Can
Similarly to the point above, life happens! If you have the opportunity to travel, take it. You never know what roadblocks or challenges will happen to prevent you from traveling in the future. Traveling allows you to expand the horizons of what you’ve seen in the world. Traveling allows you to broaden your perspective of what you believe about people in the world. It will also teach you about how you show up in society if you allow yourself to learn and study.
Grief is a Part of Life
Some people don’t experience grief until long into adulthood, while others have been acquainted with grief since early childhood. There are tragedies that we will experience as a society and on an individual level. While pain is a universal experience there are some who learn to navigate these experiences. Be sure to arm yourself with the resources and support like therapy and supportive loved ones to help you through difficult moments.
Get to Know Yourself
Getting to know yourself is not as easy in the age of the influencer. However, knowing who you are will allow you to make decisions that align with your truest self. I recommend spending a significant time away from the influences of pop culture, media, social media, etc. Take some time to travel and do activities alone! Study and record when things make you excited or you experience those moments when you recoil. Studying who you are can provide incredible insight to help you carve out your life.
Opportunities Will Come
There are times in life when it feels like no one notices your brilliance and creativity. It may feel like you have been overlooked for a long time. Opportunities will come your way as long as you keep working and putting yourself out there. Don’t be discouraged by the lack of recognition and respect.
Comparison is the Thief of Joy
Everyone’s journey is different. Looking at the next person to compare where you are in your life to where they are will not help you to go any faster and it may impede you. Comparison harms your identity and it breeds envy. The companions of appreciation and self-awareness are critical to getting to where you want to go. Comparison hinders these mindsets and often delays your progress. If necessary eliminate the environments that cause you to compare.
This article is all about the 15 things you wish you knew about adult life.
