Introduction To Adulting 101

Hi!


Tis' the season for grads, convocations, proms and celebrations!



These, generally, mark the initial transition into adulting.


For those about to take that giant leap, I would like to offer the following.


Disclaimer: The entirety of the following information is 100% accurate, though not verified in any capacity, so you'll just have to take my word for it... or not... your call.



Welcome to "Introduction to Adulting 101"



This is a short course, there will be many tests, all of which are graded only by quality of consequence.


First topic:

It costs money to live.

Rent, toilet paper, milk, tampons, food, none of this is free. Power, heat, your phone... all of it, money. The responsibility of paying for all of this is now yours, and yours alone.

Second topic:

You need to make money. There are many ways in which to do this. Legally, is generally the way to go. Other than that, unless you are a trust fund baby, that's about as picky as you get to be.

Once you have some experience under your belt, have accumulated some adulting skills, paid some bills completely and consistently, by all means, start testing the water of making a living doing what makes you light up.

Warning: This is guaranteed not to happen overnight, over the course of a few weeks, months, or maybe even years. Be patient, diligent, persistent and positive.

Another warning: It's going to take a crap load of incredibly hard work, a lot of which will be frustrating as hell.

Third topic.

Sucking it up.


Adulting requires an exorbitant amount of sucking crap up. There will be parts of every occupation you will ever have that you will dislike, even if and when you are able to make your living doing precisely what blows your skirt up. There are aspects in every part of adulting where sucking crap up is simply what is. Housecleaning, for example, or finding the money to pay someone to do it for you. Income tax. Car breakdowns. The list is pretty much endless.

This does not mean you need to neglect your mental health.

Adulting is stressful. Stress brought on by all of the aforementioned sucking up of crap. No one gets to live stress-free. If that is something you've been led to believe, you've been lied to.

Tools to cope with that stress in a way that doesn't put you in jail,  hospital, rehab or a cemetery is where the gold lies. It's different for everyone. Some people run, some dance, some do yoga, some journal. Personally, one of the tools I currently enjoy is yelling at scammers who call me. Feel free to use mine, if you like, if not, make it a priority to find one that works for you in a real way. Over time you will likely need to change it up, different levels of stress will require different levels of tools, roll with it.


Fourth topic:


Rolling with it.


Nothing will ever go exactly as you planned it. Suck it up. Use a tool. Roll with it.

You will find that as you adult, you will need to learn to be more flexible than the biggest star in Cirque du Soleil.

Shit happens. Every day, all the time, in any and all situations. Plans are awesome, but just know that not only are they not written in stone, they are fingerpainted in poop on the sand with high tide rushing in.

Either learn to roll with it or get covered in it. Your call.

Whatever doesn't go perfectly usually makes a good, if not hilarious story, at least in time.


Final topic:


Adulting is hard. For everybody, no matter what they are showing you on Instagram.

Nobody really lives in the filtres they portray. They get zits, lose loved ones, have crappy days at work, bills, and sleepless nights just like you.

Adulting is hard. Nobody can do it alone. At least, not happily.


Develop relationships beyond your screen. Meet up with friends for game nights, hanging out, goofing off, laughing. Talk to your family, whether they swim in the same gene pool or not.


Adulting is hard. So don't make it harder.

Life creates enough of its own drama. Don't create self-inflicted stress.

Shed toxic people. You will know who they are. They are the ones that, every time you spend time with them, you feel worse than before you did. Darker, more stressed, more anxious. Worse.

Don't procrastinate. Maybe you grew up where if you just left things you didn't want to do undone long enough someone else would do them. That is no longer be an option, if it is, you shouldn't want it to be. Grow up and take care of your crap. All of it.

Have fun. It's okay to have fun. It's important. You're allowed. Just be smart about it. Smarter than you would've been back in the day. You know which day.

Life is not a spectator sport. Dig in. Hard.


Okay class, that about does it, for now. Who knows, there may be another installment down the road.


Happy Adulting!


*****************************************************************

May you embrace your adulthood, and all that it entails.
May you make stellar decisions, celebrating the successes, learning from the fails.

May you build a life that makes you smile, at least most of the time.
May you see you can bloom outside of what's expected, follow your gut, you'll be fine.

May you see the beauty of independence, it's the best gift you will ever give yourself.
May you hold on to kid things like laughter, like fun, even as you bid what makes you a child farewell.



******************************************************************

www.margyreidbooks.com