To all my adult-friends who moved out or are moving out—forced or voluntarily—and beginning your new life as a grown up, I have a few parting words.
1.First and foremost, GOOD LUCK. You are about to embark on a new life journey, one that I too, will soon have to partake in and am petrified of doing so. I know everyone repeatedly will say “good luck”, but I promise they mean it, because it’s common knowledge that this sh**t isn’t easy, and you’re more than applauded for taking these huge steps into the world. So good luck, you got this, and if you need some last minute motivation, check out my boy Shia Labeouf and his rat-tail.
2. You are going to do amazing things. You’ve made it this far so you’re doing something right, so I guess keep it up? You know you rock—you don’t need me to tell you, but in case you forgot, you’re awesome and everyone knows how well you’re going to do now that you’re getting outta here and making things happen.
3. Don’t forget about your girl back home. I’ll still be here, with my permanent address at my parent’s abode, so while you’re changing your life and being cool and stuff, try and not forget me. But don’t worry I won’t make it that easy with my compulsive FaceBook stalking and my weekly check-ins to make sure you’re not getting married yet.
4. I’m always here if you need me. I know things aren’t going to be easy, and with your first move, you might feel alone, but don’t worry I’m right here, with my phone waiting for your call and daily FaceTime. The only thing that’s changing is our distance, and I promise that we “can’t stop and won’t stop”, in the great words of Miley Cyrus.
5. Make sure there’s somewhere for me to sleep when I come visit. You already know I’m planning my plane ticket and weekend getaway, so as long as there’s a place for me to crash, then we’re good. You get to move to a new town, and my jealousy is skyrocketing, so needless to say, I’m pumped to come see the new place and the new life. Bring the old into the new, am I right?
6. PLEASE meet some new awesome-cool people, (but don’t replace me). You’re starting this new job, and you’re cool so you’ll probably meet cool people and all, just be cool together. Don’t hold back—show them every last reason why I love you, because I promise they’ll love you, too.
7. I know you’re terrified but I’m here to tell you it’s going to be great. New experiences can be intimidating, the unknown is one of the scariest things and you’re about to encounter a lot of them. But this “unknown” won’t be that scary for that long, which you will discover.
8. Explore a new city. Don’t be lame and watch consecutive hours of Netflix when there’s a whole new world waiting for you to discover. I know you, I know your love for Netflix and I’m telling you, you have to take advantage of not knowing your surrounding, and use that as an opportunity to explore and learn.
9. Grow and mature, but never change. I’m not telling you to change, I want you to be true to who you are and who you’ve always been, but moving away definitely gives you an excuse to grow and learn. Become a more improved version of yourself, but don’t lose sight of that weirdo that I’ve come to adore.
10. Make new experiences and memories. This is it, you made it this far, so now it’s finally your time to put everything you’ve learned to test. You’re going to work hard and show everyone what an amazing person you are, but in the meantime, just have some fun. Go out for casual drinks after work, meet someone new and go on a date, find cool events that stick out to you and make a point to go to them. Learn about the city, and utilize that to get out there and enjoy your time in this foreign place that has become your new home.
So I know, most of this advice seems repetitive to say the least, but all in all, I just want you to get out there, be yourself and do it big. But when you become some big-time CEO, make sure to invite me to your yacht parties. Keep on keepin’ on, homie.
