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Common Mistakes in Adulting That You Should Avoid

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Overview

Life as an adult is hard, and we often make mistakes without even realizing them. The article talks about some common mistakes to avoid in adulthood

  • Stay away from people who constantly give off negative energy.
  • Don’t try to force yourself to “fit in” a toxic environment.
  • Don’t do something just because someone makes you feel bad for not doing it.
  • Never allow your fears to stop you from chasing your dreams.
  • Manage your finances well to avoid stress.

Have you ever wondered, as a child, what it is like being an adult? When we were kids, we thought adults were amazing because they had jobs, earned money, and lived their lives as if they had nothing to lose. Now that you’re older, you realize those ideas were based on fairy tales. When you enter the real world, you realize that adulting is a battleground.

We were always impatient to get older. It was adorable to imagine that when we grow up, we can do whatever we want and be whoever we want. Sometimes, you miss the naive thoughts of the younger you.

“Having been someone who has viewed life through rose-colored glasses and having those shattered definitely took a toll on how I viewed life in general. I have made plenty of mistakes, put myself in too many situations, and forced myself to grow up too quickly,” said Dennise Rialp, a Young leader at Girl Power Talk.

Once you’re entering adulthood, you may wonder why it is significantly distinct from your childhood imagination. Your younger self had no idea how challenging it is to make money or try to fit in the society. You may not even realize how many mistakes you have made during your adulting — until they are done. “There are a lot of things I had to discover by myself, and it would have been nice to have these types of articles popping up on the internet while I was at it.” Dennise has represented our thoughts. Undoubtedly, it would have been great if we had a common-mistakes-in-adulting warning before we actually did it — just for a precaution.

So, what are the avoidable mistakes during your journey towards adulthood? What are the things you wish you could tell your younger self to avoid making those mistakes? 

Surrounding Yourself With Toxic People 

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Image Credit: Freepik

Trying to fit in society sometimes leads you to a completely wrong idea of how fellowships, or even relationships, should be. Many feel trapped in a toxic environment simply because they are afraid of having no friends, being single, or being shunned. Now that you’re in your 20s, it’s time to be more confident and stay away from the circle of people that will only drain your energy. It may not be easy, but it needs to be done as a maturation process.

Neglecting Your Family as an Adult

Your family is the one who is there during your ups and downs, your joys and sorrows,  and your victories and failures. Your family loves and supports you until you become successful. Therefore, no matter what, your family comes first.

An Adult is a “YES” Man

Don’t say yes if you don’t want to. You don’t have to do something just because someone makes you feel bad for not doing it. You are not obligated to accept a party invitation if you’re tired and want to rest. Set your limits, and don’t let others cross them.

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Image Credit: Pexels

Ignoring Your Health 

The next misstep is to place too much emphasis on work so that your body health is neglected. Being dedicated to work is a positive thing and is considered a sign of maturity. But don’t let that make you deprived of getting enough exercise, sleep and nutrition.

Try to exercise at least three times a week, about 30 minutes per session. Also, don’t forget to have a healthy and regular diet, and get enough rest for at least 7 hours a night. Because your body is precious, so maintaining your health is essential to doing your job effectively and efficiently.

Allowing Fears To Dominate Your Dreams

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Image Credit: Pexels

Usually, after going through some failure, you are afraid to continue the path to achieve your dream. You are afraid to take action when people see what you are doing as something uncommon and bizarre. You hesitate with every step you take to achieve your goals by overthinking other people’s opinions. Eventually, you are stuck in the safe zone without daring to do what should be done. This is undoubtedly one of the major mistakes that must be immediately corrected or, if possible, avoided before it occurs. When you let your fear hinder your dreams, you may find a safe place from other people’s opinions or the pain of a fiasco. However, the remorse for not being brave will last far longer than all of that. So, get rid of all your fears to keep moving toward your dreams.

Lack of Financial Planning 

Poorly planned financial management might give you a financial headache someday. Ideally, when you’re starting your first job, you need to have financial planning, especially when it comes to saving up. As you grow older, you will think about marriage, children, and bills, which will require additional funds. You need to make earnings for those things. In addition, you also need to make plans for retirement savings to provide for your old days. It may seem too early, but there is no such thing like “too soon” to save some money. It is also never too late to start saving, so start now for sound financial management.

Staying in Your Comfort Zone

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Image Credit: Freepik

Your comfort zone is like a drug that will slowly kill your dreams. Indeed, everything seems fine. However, being stuck in a comfort zone means losing the opportunity to develop yourself through challenges. While you are still young, this is the time for you to challenge yourself. Try new things, make mistakes, and learn from them. Even if you fail, you can always start again until you succeed. Do not feel satisfied when your life feels too smooth, like everything you do is always too easy for you. If you ever experience that feeling, it’s time to start doing something new. Your grown self will thank you later. You might want to read our article about how to create a happy and productive workplace – just for a mindful reminder that if you’re happy in what you’re doing, it will be easier to grow both professionally and personally.

Among those missteps mentioned above, have you ever done one or even a few of them during your adulting period? If the answer is YES, don’t feel bad. You are a human being; as we all are. Humans make mistakes. That’s how life should be. Mistakes allow you to learn from them and become a better individual. The main point is to never stop learning. However, knowing the common missteps in adulting will surely help a lot to prepare yourself for some precautions. As the saying goes: “A smart person learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others.”

Conclusion

As we grow older, we quickly learn that adulthood is not as simple as it seemed when we were children. But if you keep these things in mind as you learn and don’t allow other’s opinions to influence you, you are sure to be on the path to success!

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