Successful adulting is:

  Forgive the apparent typo, but there really is no better way to express this than by the use of a recently-coined millennial verb. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the word ‘adulting’ made its way into next year’s edition of the oxford dictionary. We seem to be borrowing so much from pop culture these days. Now for everyone born before 1980, according to urban dictionary ‘adulting’ can be defined as ‘doing grown-up things and holding responsibilities such as, a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment, or anything else that makes one think of grown ups’.

Okay? All good? Now that we’re on the same page allow me to make my list.

   Successful adulting is:

1.       Pretending to know what you’re doing 80% of the time and actually knowing what you’re doing only 20% of the time.

I have early childhood memories of my parents being total ninjas at stuff. I recently found myself in similar situations and shockingly realised just how much of a coin-toss said ninja activities are! Well, at least I have Google.

2.       Buying your own darn groceries.

Especially if you’re not living with mom and dad. Failure to plan to do so and comply will lead to very questionable dinner choices.

3.       Becoming really concerned about your parents’ health.

This has got to be the most significant role-reversal. You’re daily bombarded by health and disease statistics and you suddenly realise that your childhood super-heroes don’t necessarily have that much super in them. i.e.: They’re not indestructible. So yeah, you start nagging them about eating their vegetables and stuff!

And on that note:

4.       Eating your vegetables.

You get to that point where junk food just doesn’t do it for you anymore and exercise becomes a real consideration.

5.       Loving your sleep

Cat-naps in the afternoon. Lie-in weekends. You really don’t have the stamina for staying up all night. Not without sleeping-in or crashing the next day. Those all-night movie marathons? Can’t handle them anymore!

6.       Accepting that you will have to fork-out money to pay for a cab if you’ve been out way too late to take the bus

Assuming that you don’t have a car and that car-pooling is not an option. Neither is calling ‘somebody’ to pick you up; because ‘somebody’ is not always available!

7.       Making actual decisions and standing by them consequences or not.

You don’t always have a get-out-of-jail-free card and sometimes the best-laid plans fail. But it’s ok. You pick yourself up, dust yourself off and move on.

8.       Letting go of people and situations that need to be left behind.

You just can’t have it all.

9.       The horrifying realisation that in some way you are now a role-model.

You probably didn’t sign-up for it and you might not always know what that entails or if you are doing it right. This is probably your cue to get your own role-model.

10.   Having to prioritise

What takes up your time, energy and money has to be carefully selected because you have a limited amount of each.

11.   Knowing that the News in whatever form is important

Because there are people out there making decisions that affect you and knowledge is power.

12.   Working to be a better person.

For your future spouse and kids.

13.   The small victories as well as the big.

They give you the confidence to do even more and make all the fumbling about worth it.

Ciao...