Crucial Note to Oneself for prolly the next 10 years

How to Grow Up
originated by: David J, Tom Viren, Sondra C, Anonymous

The real world can be a cruel place, and one day we all have to face it without the help of our parents. Here are some tips on how to handle the rite of passage called "growing up."
editSteps

1 - Become financially independent. It will be difficult because parents have a natural instinct to provide for us. Just politely decline when they offer financial help. It is tempting to depend on others financially, but before you experience independence, you must be independent.

2 - Become emotionally independent. Chances are, you depend on many people for emotional support. It may be your parents, a boy or girl friend, or good close friends. Although it is possible to continue to depend on these people for the rest of your life, it is in your best interest to realize that everyone in your life that you depend on will one day no longer be around. Some will move away, some will stop talking to you, and they all will eventually die. The only person that who will always be with you is you. If you depend on yourself for support, you will never be let down.

3 - Stop being selfish (if you are not selfish, skip to the next step). Up until now, you have been given a lot of stuff unconditionally. No matter how badly you perform, your parents, friends and our high school significant others are proud of you and support you. No matter how much you yell at them, they always come back. They give without expecting anything in return. You may start to realize that the real world does not work that way. Now you must give before you can receive. You must treat your friends and romantic interests well or else they will not want to see you any more.

4 - Stop being a doormat (if you are selfish, skip this step). Up until this point, you always had plenty of friends. You give unconditionally. When they need someone to talk to, you were always there. When they needed something, you always helped out. When they made mistakes, you were always willing to forgive and forget. You do these things because you care. You may start to realize that your old technique of giving unconditionally does not work any more. You must start expecting a certain amount in return for all that you do. Otherwise, some people will take advantage of you and some might feel sorry for you and not want to be around you, some will, but many won't.

5 - Realize that life isn't fair. Just because you deserve something does not mean you will get it. You may be the perfect student, yet your professor may still fail you. You may be the perfect employee, yet your boss may never promote you. You may be the perfect spouse, yet your partner may still leave you. Realize and accept these things as a fact of life. Keep your goals in sight, stay happy, and do not let the unfairness of life demoralize you. Life is hard and everyone else has had to overcome obstacles, why can't you seem to figure it out?

6 - Start on a career path. Experiment with different careers and find the one that you enjoy most. If money makes you happy, be an investment banker or start a small business. If you like kids, be a teacher. If you like being an expert, be a lawyer, professor or consultant. If you enjoy talking to people, be a salesperson or go into the services industry. The majority of students end up in careers unrelated to their major. Some people do not get far in formal education and end up millionaires. Working in a career that you enjoy is a part of becoming a mature person. Living on part-time jobs is a sure sign of refusing to grow up. It means you're either lazy, not mature enough to make real life decisions, or you still think life is supposed to be a fairy tale where you don't have to work hard and things will just fall in your lap.

7 - Plan for the future of your parents/siblings. While it's okay if you need to move back into your parents home when young, as long as you're not a hindrance or if your parents are not in good health, but a crutch isn't permanent. Don't worry your time will come to take care of them completely, even if you need help now.