'Adulting' is hard and exhausting work.

Often times when the kids I’m teaching ski lessons to scream, “I WANT MY MOMMY!” I look and them and think, “Listen kid, me too. But I’m 20, and you’re four. And my mom is in Maine. And you’re going to see your mom in five minutes. So deal.”

When it’s all work and no play, one can feel like they’re going nowhere. The balance between the social life, work life, and personal life can be tedious, and if one factor gets thrown off, your whole world could turn upside down. In addition, it’s in our nature to expect instant gratification as a result of hard work. This instant gratification is supposed to take form in large, immediate, life-altering rewards.

Contrary to our expectations, many of these rewards appear long after the initial grind. Waiting and wishing can turn into frustration and burn you out. So stop it. Take a step back, and review you. It’s okay to focus on the small picture from time to time. It is important to note all of the little things that you are doing that play a large role in functional 'adulting.' I compiled a list of a few notable things that we do everyday, and if you can identify with (most of) these things, I’d say you’re 'adulting' just fine.

1. You woke up today.
2. You got out of bed.
3. You had a bed to get out of.
4. You have roof over your head.
5. You took even two-seconds to make the bed you just got out of.
6. You ate breakfast.
7. You have food in your fridge.
8. You have a fridge to put food in!
9. You have a job.
10. You have a favorite hobby (like collecting cats, or climbing, or shredding gnar.)
11. Maybe you have two jobs. If you’re 'super-adulting,' your hobby is your job.
12. You left home today.
13. You remembered to pay the bills this month.
14. You remembered to eat other things today* (*gold star if you’ve had three meals already /or if you plan to.)
15. You remembered to drink some water (don’t hate, hydrate.)
16. You took a second to stop and smell the flowers (literally or figuratively, either is fine.)
17. You went to bed at a reasonable hour last night.
18. You took time to read (because duh you’re reading this article right now.)
19. You can read!¡
20. You have done laundry some time in the past month.
21. Whether it be co-workers, family, or friends, you have some kind of support network.
22. You have successfully completed some form of education.
23. You have relatively good hygiene and some level of physical fitness.
24. Free-time is cut out in your schedule.
25. You are alive, well, and breathing.