Figuring Out How to Adult One Mistake Step at a Time
My grandfather had this painting commissioned back in 1984 as an homage to the work that he and his wife put in to move from a rural mining town in Pennsylvania to the beaches of California among Hollywood elites. Along the way they were kicked out of college, worked multiple jobs to make ends meet, made it through a war and generational revolt, and continued their pursuit of higher education all the while having three young mouths to feed. My grandfather was generous with his money, rich in friendships, and compassionate to those who were making it through the same struggle he endured. But let's not kid ourselves, this is not a sap story. He had a freakin' Ferrari, Porsche, mansion, and lived a life of little austerity. Life is a game, he played it, he won. One thing he told me when recounting this time in his life was that, "Many people were in the same boat facing these same issues head-on. Only problem was they were rowing backwards".
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In many ways I have followed my grandfather's and father's footsteps, making mistakes along the way, but still garnering questions from peers asking, "How did you afford those?", "Where did you learn this?", "What made you come up with that?". All of these questions came down to the same simple concept - I didn't know. I was never taught the basics of tax law, tying a tie, cooking a turkey, building a website, or buying a car. By making my own mistakes, and learning from those of others, these concepts all became fairly straightforward and I gained a sort of hard-knocks wisdom. Hence the impetus of this site. We are all at different places in our lives with a different set of experiences. By consolidating these different approaches from myself and my peers and sharing those that provided positive results, we can provide a roadmap to some of the commonly discussed but not commonly known aspects of adult life, preparing for your future, and living on your own.
Adulting is never a simple transition, but no matter how hard you try to stop it Time still trickles forward. Perhaps with one or two guiding principles on those items everyone must confront at one point or another, this series can provide you with a paddle and hopefully point you in the right direction.
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- Adulting
ADULTING:LITTLE VICTORIES
Many of life's luxurious are viewed as unattainable by the average young adult. They seek approval for every decision and even when the numbers or facts tell them it is a viable option the voice in the back of their heads says, "I'm too young, people my age don't [insert life goal here]" or "I mean I COULD do that, but I have to think of the future,". Success in life is not the same definition for each person. For some, success is being able to travel the world, for others it could be having a strong relationship with your family, or like it is for myself - never having to think twice about getting guac on my burrito. If you prioritize those aspects of your life, and achieve little victories on the way to your overall goal, these previously implausible scenarios become more and more common. Along with this philosophy comes another crucial mindset to develop, it is not WHEN you can or should do something, it is HOW. Adulting is the art of solving problems with creative solutions, thinking on the fly, and learning from your mistakes. The solution to your problem may not take the form that you originally envisioned, but if you shift your priorities, maintain your risk profile, and make informed decisions, you'll find that Adulting can be less of a 'learning experience' and more of a 'living experience'. Here's to the little victories on the way to YOUR definition of success.