Rules of Adulthood

Hello friends!  Today’s topic is something I’ve been thinking about for a while.

I’m a big fan of Gretchen Rubin and her Happiness Project blog and books.  One of the things that fascinates me most about her project is her Rules of Adulthood.  They’re basically heuristics, rules of thumb, that she has found to be true about her life as an adult.  These Rules are an easy way to remember what you’ve learned about yourself or about life in general, and they help point the way to who you really want to become.  So, listed below are my Rules of Adulthood so far.  Some are borrowed from Gretchen Rubin, and some are all my own.

• Never work a job that makes you feel sick to your stomach.  (The first seven weeks at my first school during my student teaching were the hardest weeks of my life.  I’m glad I went through them, but I never want to work a job again that consumes me with anxiety and fear, especially when I’m off the clock.)
• When in doubt, breathe.  (As noted before, I can be a very anxious person.  Sometimes all it takes are a few deep breaths to get me back on track.)
• The days are long, but the years are short.  (This is one of Rubin’s.  The older I get, the more true this seems.)
• Everything ends.  (My own, somewhat nihilistic motto.  Still, it makes me feel better.  Whether good or bad, awkward or painful, every experience I have will end sooner or later.)
• Welcome failure; welcome success.  (Whatever results come from my endeavors, I can learn from them.  I don’t want to fear either failure or success.)
• Some things are not worth doing.  (I’m a compulsive list-maker and goal-setter.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that I need to put aside the checklist and focus on what is really important–God, family, friends, making beauty.)
• You know who you are; don’t let others tell you otherwise.  (I tend to be a people pleaser, but the older I get, the more I realize that, with only a few exceptions, I know myself, my personality and limitations, better than anyone else.  I can’t let others’ criticisms, praise, or expectations determine the way I view myself.)
• Do it now.  (Don’t put off nagging tasks!)
• Every person is just a person.  (Whether rich or poor, dropout or doctorate, Christian or atheist, kind or rude, everyone that I meet is just human.  I don’t have any reason to be intimidated or to feel superior, because deep down, we all struggle with similar fears and desires.)
• Find out what the real problem is.  (Sometimes the solution to an uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing situation can be simpler than it seems.  For example, I really hate making phone calls.  When I thought through what the real problem was, I realized that I was afraid of saying something stupid because I wasn’t sure what I needed to ask.  Now, I take a couple of minutes to rehearse what I’m going to say before I make the call, and phone calls are no longer a stress-inducing event.)

Anyone else have Rules of Adulthood that you live by?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments!