When you were a kid, and people used to ask you who you wanted to be when you grew up, do you remember what you’d say? Did you say you wanted to be a fireman or a doctor? Or did you say you wanted to be a mom or a dad because your parents were just that cool? Better yet—
Does any of your old answers match up with who you are today?
When I was nine I remember saying I wanted to be a fashion designer. Something must have changed though, because I went on to wear mostly jeans and big sweatshirts throughout high school. Fashionista I was not.
But I am asking all these questions today because what I am really wondering is, is being an adult what you thought it would be?
Honestly, it’s not what I thought it would be.
As a teenager, I remember thinking that once I hit a certain age, there were things I would have figured out. Only now, as I am staring down thirty-eight, I have to tell you the answers to those things proved to be a little more slippery than I would’ve liked. As many of us have discovered, being an adult isn’t as clear-cut or black and white as it seemed when we were kids. And I’m not just talking about how messy or broken our world has become.
Is being an adult what you thought it would be?
So many of us reached our mid twenties only to discover we did not want to do what we went to school for. Others of us started families sooner than we planned—or on the flip side, found starting a family was way harder than we expected. Some of us have battled depression, anxiety, or other mental illnesses that weren’t discussed in our parent’s day. And after being told growing up that we could do anything, others of us have discovered that it’s not entirely true.
Being an adult is hard enough to make you want to go back to being a kid. In fact all of us do go back more often than maybe we’d like to admit. Sometimes in how we treat people, and often in how we escape. Only no amount of video games or binging Netflix can change our very real and at times, very challenging, adult lives. As Meredith, in an old episode of Grey’s Anatomy, asked,
“We’re adults, when did that happen?”
Often it feels like it happened when we weren’t looking. That we woke up one day and our safety nets were no longer there. That suddenly the very real weight of responsibility rested firmly on our shoulders. All of which can feel incredibly lonely when we’re not sure how to talk about what we’re going through.
This month on the blog, we are talking about Adulting. Only, we’re talking about more than just paying our bills or living out on our own. We’re talking about the emotional and relational parts of being an adult. The parts that invite us to be brave.
Some of you have been adulting for years, and others of you may still feel pretty green. But wherever you are, it is my hope that we can come together and discuss and learn from each other what it means to be an adult. Also, that we may all feel a little less alone on this journey.
We’re talking about the emotional and relational parts of being an adult. The parts that invite us to be brave.
Over the next few weeks, I am going to cover some important Adulting lessons I have learned, as well as some topics you have shared over on Facebook and Instagram. And if you haven’t yet shared some of your thoughts or questions on Adulting with me, I’d love to know:
What is one thing you wish someone had told you about being an adult?
And what is one part of being an adult you are still trying to figure out?
Would you like a little help in planning out your goals for 2019? Until the end of February, I am sharing my Start Here: Dream Planner with anyone on my email list. Sign up today, for your free copy!
