1. Pointless drama no longer excites you.
“Johnny kissed who!?” and “Rebecca cheated?!” aren’t the highlights of your conversations anymore. Instead, you find yourself saying, “Isn’t it interesting how Trump is still in the lead for Republican candidate?”
2. You don’t care as much about what other people think of you.
You start to realize that everyone is thinking more about themselves than they are about you, so honestly who cares if you wear that pink top? Why not dance when no one else is?
3. You’ve gotten involved in something you’ve always wanted to, but never had the guts to in high school.
Croquet club?
4. You start to handle situations interactively.
And no, I’m not talking about solving a problem over social media; I'm talking about real person-to-person contact. You approach a negative situation and try to fix it without pointing fingers or complaining about who did what.
5. Your friendships and relationships start to become more meaningful.
You realize that the people you, now, know and love are going to be some of the ones you’ll hang on to for the rest of your life.
6. You become more responsible.
You accept that the dishes are not actually going to do themselves, and unfortunately neither is the laundry.
7. You start to leave your comfort zone.
One night, you go to a party and decide to become the dancing queen you’ve always wanted to be, and, maybe, the next day, you speak out in class and challenge your professor on one of your beliefs.
8. Going to class is no longer a bore.
Instead of falling asleep in class, you actually care about your education and want to learn. The body has how many cells??? Your next date will surely be impressed when you start dropping some knowledge.
9. You start paying for things yourself.
Not only do you start paying for your own groceries, rent, club/sorority/fraternity dues, and of course liquor, but you start to truly realize how fast the money can go. “I just made $80 at my bartending job,” quickly turns into “when do I get my next paycheck?”
10. You start to develop your own opinions.
Whether it's politics, religion, or society, you stop listening to what your parents have told you, and no longer rely on what your friends have to say. You do your own research and develop your own perspectives on life.
11. You realize that your parents aren’t so bad after all.
Why? Because they’ve paid for almost everything for you the past 20-plus years, they’ve always supported you, they’ve given you a shoulder to cry on, and unlike everyone else, they truly want you to succeed in life.
