I was a guest on a podcast this week; the topic was “Adulting.”  For those of you unfamiliar with the term, it is a verb used like parenting.  Adulting is defined as the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.  If you are raising Millennials, chances are you have heard them use the term before. You might hear them say something like “I’m done adulting for the day, I’m ready to hang.” I had a unique perspective on adulting, a bit different than the other guests on the show; perhaps there was a bit of a generation gap.  It was fun to hear how we perceived this topic differently.  Honestly, I believe adulting can be fun; we just need to teach ourselves how.  This is a mission I’m on with my kids, because I really want them to enjoy their lives, not just some of it…but all of it.

“Adulting is like trying to fold a fitted sheet.” -Anon

I like to think of adulting as a maiden voyage, doing something for the first time.  We can be excited about doing something new, or we can dread it.  Both these emotions impact the body in a similar manner, however it’s the message we tell our brain that makes the difference.  Everything we do is in the approach.  If we think something is going to be arduous, we may actually make it more difficult.  If we say to ourselves, “I’ve so got this,” we can make it easier on ourselves.  What do you notice about the way you have approached maiden voyages in your life?  What do you tell yourself when you are attempting something for the first time?

“Adulting is just mimicking things you see real adults do in an attempt to trick people into believing you are a successful adult as well.”  -Anon

We are not taught much adulting in school or growing up.  Some parents taught it, and some cursed it.  I think adulting is considered by many to be alternative education, yet the funny thing is, all of us must do it.  I have used mimicking throughout my life.  I have taken on characteristics and behavior of successful people, and it has worked for me.  When you speak from a level of authority, you engage people, and it gets things done; as does taking the opposite approach of acting like you are new to a subject, and asking for help.  Everyone is really just trying to find out what works for them throughout their life.

“I’m done adulting, let’s be mermaids instead.” -Anon

Adulting seems to be done at a later age these days.  I help my kids with a lot of things my parents did not.  All of us have these experiences.  When I was growing up, I was told you have to have it all figured out by the age of 18.  My father figured things out for himself, why shouldn’t I do the same?  Now, kids are staying at home longer, coming back home, and switching gears differently in life.  The definition of family has changed, youth are waiting longer to get married, buy a home, have kids or not have kids, and settle down…whatever that means. The way we do life is changing with technology, greater options, and altering world views. Nothing stays the same.

“The scariest thing about becoming an adult is realizing absolutely no adult knows what’s going on, ever.” -Anon

I fell in love with this quote.  Because honestly, I believe that we are all just winging it.  There is no exact formula, no perfect recipe, we cannot control people, and we certainly cannot control all our circumstances.  Life is a giant process of trying to figure things out.  If you are really going for it in life, you spend a great deal of your time outside your comfort zone.  So, the best thing we can do for ourselves is to get comfortable doing new things, challenge ourselves to make life more enjoyable, approach situations differently than we have before, and choose an alternate point of view.  Adulting can be an enjoyable endeavor, at any point in life, it doesn’t have to be a drag; you can choose to make adulting fun…just how much is up to you.