Everyone has their own definition of what it means to be a grown up. Some people think it's when you leave for college and live on your own for the first time, others think it's when you get your first job and support yourself, some think it doesn't happen until you have a family of your own. In my opinion, growing up doesn't have anything to do with age or money or a career, it has to do with your overall mentality on life. Sometimes all it takes is one thing to make you realize you're just not a kid anymore, you're one of those adults you never thought you would be. It can be the really simple things in life, or it can be the really big things in life — either way, you get to decide when you're all grown up. So, how do you know if you're grown up?
1. You make your own appointments.
Doctors, dentist, hair cut? You got this. Making your own appointments is a serious sign of being in control of your own life. Everyone hates talking on the phone, especially to strangers, so once you start making those appointments, that's how you know you're grown up.
2. You delete that text from the guy or girl who doesn't deserve your time.
It takes a real level of maturity to see his name pop up on your phone and be able to delete it without a second thought. You know he or she is not worth your time, and you don't plan on letting him take up any more of it, and that's when you know you're grown up.
3. You make your bed every day.
Once it starts bothering you to get into an unmade bed at night, or have people over who can see your unmade bed — bam, you've officially done an adult thing. Your mom isn't there to do it for you or tell you to do it. Once you start doing it all by yourself, that's when you know you're grown up.
4. You miss your friends and family without actually being homesick.
There's a difference between missing them and actually feeling homesick over them. Once you reach the point where you can miss them without reaching that horrible, sick to your stomach, tears in your eyes feeling about it, that's when you know you're grown up.
5. You leave your comfort zone.
No one's comfort zone is the same, and it's important to find a way to get outside of yours. Whether that's trying a new sport, starting a new job, traveling to a new city or country, or even eating a more adventurous food, no matter what it is, it will have a positive impact on your life. Once you begin to experience things in life that you're not comfortable with, that's how you know you're grown up.
6. You move away from home for a job.
We base so much of our lives on where we feel comfortable, because we tend to always think of how we feel in the present and not how we will feel in the future. This can mean moving back home after college or moving to the city where the majority of your friends are, but when you can make the decision to move somewhere solely because of your career and the positive impact it will have on your future, that's how you know you're grown up.
7. You cut ties with toxic people.
It's important to realize that your own happiness is more important than causing drama in a friend group or putting up with a toxic relationship. As hard as it may be to remove this person from your life, in the long run it's for the better. When you start being able to put your own happiness first and rid your life of toxic people, that's how you know you've grown up.
8. You stand up for yourself.
You know how you deserve to be treated by friends, bosses, coworkers, boyfriends/girlfriends etc. and you won't be taking anything less than that anymore. With that standard in mind, you won't have any problem telling people how it is when it comes to the way they treat you, and that's how you know you're grown up.
