Maturing Kindly: The Concept of Adulting

Remember counting down the days until we were “grown”? We anticipated receiving the golden ticket of freedom and the right to say the world was our oyster.

However, to our disadvantage, we would soon find out that with unlimited free-will comes harsh dues that none of us can truly say we were ready to pay. The most urgent one? A thorough evaluation of ourselves.

On the surface, adulting consists of financial matters like paying our own bills and getting our own place to live, but it’s very possible to do “adult” things with a childish mindset. Maturing begins when we willingly choose to claim responsibility for our lives and work toward being our absolute best in every area of them. More specifically, doing right by the things (and people) entrusted to us, discovering what makes us thrive and gracefully dismissing what does not.

Whether it be our relationships, habits or dietary lifestyles, everything we encounter requires a brutally honest review of its place in our lives. If we outgrow the things we once held dear, we must remember it is totally okay. Refuse the guilt that tries to creep in and focus on the significance of your serenity. Growing pains aren’t the most pleasurable feeling in the world, but no flower blooms without a little rain.

The idea of adulting shook me to my core. I doubted I had the tools to be successful at it and knew if I failed, I would be the only one to blame. Fortunately, I took comfort in knowing that it is a continual process. We are constantly learning, shedding, evolving and contrary to popular belief, there is no blueprint to being the perfect adult.

So ladies and gents, take a breath and go at your own pace, we’re all running this race together.

Live loved.

- Mel