When you embark on your first and only grown up journey, to that thing called “the rest of your life”, it’s hard to make the right decisions all the time. At some point, you’ll have a reality check and realize it is time to grow up. There’s no time to sulk in what could have been or to regret small things, but there is time to become a better version of who you are. In the short amount of time that I have been on this journey, this is how I see growing up…
The ability to make the right choices.
Sometimes your judgment can be clouded when you feel overwhelmed and that’s okay. The important thing is that you learned your lesson. Sometimes the strangest circumstances present themselves, but when you have the ability to realize that it happened for a reason, you will feel more at peace with yourself and the situation. The choices you make are made by you, and its up to you to learn what is right.
Taking responsibility for your actions.
This may be an obvious one. Yet, I believe it is important to note that if you can’t take responsibility for your reality, then you are not letting yourself grow up. Knowing that every decision you make will have repercussions (good or bad), is an essential thing to remember when you are faced with a hard decision. Take responsibility for the things you do.
The responsibility you hold for yourself and the world.
The world is literally your oyster. It took me a while to actually understand what this phrase actually means in my life. I take this phrase as meaning that I have the freedom and can find the resources to change the lives of others. It’s an amazing feeling when you know that you made someone’s day by a small gesture of kindness or a smile to a fellow human. If you have the power to brighten another soul, use it.
Trusting yourself.
This is a difficult one. Once you have made a few mistakes on your own watch, you can suddenly see that the only person who controls your actions, is you. I think the best way to discover self-trust is by being kind to you. Having the control to motivate and encourage your mind is the first step to becoming an independent being. Trust that you can handle your life on your own and
Acceptance.
I have found that learning to accept a reality is extremely hard. And I think it’s something I still have to work on. Evidently what I have learned so far, is that pushing away a problem and not acknowledging its existence will harm you in more ways than you think. The only way that you can try to accept change is by knowing that you will always be there for yourself. I think a huge part of growing up is acceptance and learning how to move on, even when it feels like the universe doesn’t want you to.
Growing up is hard, but we all go through it. We have complete control to live the life we want to live. We all have to learn these lessons, among many others that I am sure are yet to come.
