Adulting: The Real World

Few years into official adulting (22) & life's just coming at me left, right and centre.

How many times did I hear 'When you get out in the real world...' when I was younger. The real world back then was some sort of fantasy world that you just assumed was this thing adults used to scare you into doing everything for yourself. Lowe & behold, when I finally left the safety net of education, which guaranteed me a constant focus, free or discounted travel & a reason to be busy, the real world really did appear.

You see what they don't tell you about the real world is that when you start working full time, days off can equal unproductive days spent in bed because what is going out when you can watch endless movies & eat your body weight in snacks. What they don't tell you about the real world is your dream car might mean many many years of saving, the gym will cost an arm & a leg membership fee and food shopping doesn't last as long as you think it will. Oh and the tax man, nobody warned me about the tax man!

It's funny because at one point you couldn't wait to be an adult. Shout out to younger me thinking I was going to be a parent by now, me who still sometimes eats a big packet of crisps for dinner. Wow! It's crazy how the unknown clouds your vision when you're younger lol. Fast forward to now and I couldn't be anywhere further from that stage of life.

I don't think I've ever not had my life together more than now. This is the part of my life I never planned out. I saw everything else happening up until this point. Where I went to college & uni, where I wanted to work. Now here I am at an incredible standstill, hoping that a sign is sent my way to lead to my next destination. Word to my younger self, the vision isn't always what you thought it would be. You pretty much hate everything you thought you'd love & everything you love seems to not be as easy to achieve as you thought. Also anxiety creeps up on your ass along the way of life, that oh so joyful companion. Still, life goes on & everything that goes wrong is a valuable life lesson because God is good and I have faith that I am destined for success even if I have to take the incredibly longer route.

So if anyone else is struggling like myself, I'd like to share a few things I've learnt along the way. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, it's greener where you water it. Don't be afraid to fail. Take the jump. Don't let people use you & most importantly don't let your dreams go because you can't see the outcome.

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”
― Robert Frost