1. You recognize the importance of eating the leftovers out of your fridge before going out to eat with friends, because you are a broke college kid.
As soon as friends call to see if we want to get brunch, our first reaction is to say, "Yes!" and head out the door. It is easy to forget that the night before you spent $20 on Chinese food and have five containers of leftovers in your fridge. You are slowly learning to "adult" when you recognize the need to save money by eating what is in the fridge before getting more food with friends. Chances are that you are already over the leftovers, so invite your friends over to help you finish them; this will help them to save money too.
2. You have a hard time binge drinking during the week, because you don't want to see your work out wasted.
It takes a lot of time and energy to burn 500 calories at the gym, but it only takes a few second to ingest that many calories in alcohol. As you get older, you realize that binge drinking your work out away just does not seem like a good time. You worked hard to lose those three pounds, and you do not want to gain them back for a drunken night at the bar. Save the heavy carb and alcohol load for the weekend.
3. You let the little petty things slide.
When we were younger it seemed so utterly important to let others know when they are wrong or take things others say personally. You are learning to successfully "adult" when you can let the little things slide with friends and acquaintances. It's more important to keep a strong friendship than to always be right in an argument.
4. You do not suffer from FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) anymore.
It is so easy to fall victim to FOMO. FOMO infects millions of people all over the world every day. The only way to protect yourself from FOMO is to feel content with yourself and your decisions on a Friday night. If you want to stay in and watch Netflix, then you most certainly should. You will not miss much of your friend's drunken Friday night since you have gone out with them so many times before.
5. You cut the bad people and the bad things out of your life, no matter how hard a process it is.
You may really love someone, but realizing they are bad for you and need to go is part of learning how to be an adult. She may be a really fun friend to go out with, your ex-boyfriend may be the love of your life and pizza may be your favorite snack food, but if they don't have your best interests and health at heart, then they really should not have a place in your future. Saying goodbye is tough, but letting go will make you stronger in the long run.
Learning how to "adult" is one of the toughest journeys a person can embark on. But hey, if you are taking the trash out on your own, striving for success and learning to let the little things in life go, then you are probably doing just fine. Just remember to ask yourself, "Will this matter in 10 years?" If your answer is no, move on and have a good time. That is what an adult would do.
