By: Lynesha McElveen
Everybody has to grow up sometime. People its time to learn the “hard” truths about adulthood and get prepared to make sound decisions to ensure you have a productive, successful, and fulfilling life! In College, your parents may have helped pay your bills. . .so now can you afford to maintain your lifestyle without their help?
- A little know fact is the average successful leaders/millionaires, receive little to no financial assistance from parents after becoming adults, however, most adults receive assistance well into their 40’s. That’s right many financially successful people pay their own way through college. Another little known fact is most truly successful people don’t experience those million dollar breakthroughs until in their 40’s, so don’t feel bad if you feel behind or like you don’t know what you want to do when you grow up. Colonel Sanders was in his 80’s when he became a millionaire!
- Many millionaires drop out of college. It is important to use college as a tool to teach you how to analyze, think, and question things verses teach you a specific way of thought that you stick to. Many people learn how to be good employees in college verses how to be business owners, inventors, and entrepreneurs.
- It is important to understand the realities of adulthood, i.e. parents no longer pay your bills, you must budget, you must tell yourself “no.” We all have to learn to prioritize and sometimes we have to sacrifice or plan to get certain items.
- There are “pluses” and “minuses” to adulthood. The pluses include making your own decisions, unlimited options for success, and the ability to create your own opportunities. The minuses include being responsible for making it happen, even when you don’t know how and taking responsibility for your own life, even when you mess up.
- “College will be the best years of your life.” Really? So out of 70, 80, 90 years of life, only 4-5 years are the “best.” This is sad, because it means that life will only get worse? I beg to differ. I think life changes, but it only gets better, if that’s the attitude you adopt.
- It is important to get involved in activities and services in college so upon graduation, involvement is natural and will continue well into adulthood.
- Do some soul searching, find out what your passion is and follow that vein as soon as you can. Identify your passion by asking yourself, “What is something I would do even if I didn’t get paid for it?” “What do I love to do?” “What is something I think about all the time?”
- Develop R.E.A.L. Expectations for life. R.E.A.L. stands for Realistic Expectations About Life. You can’t expect to afford a million dollar home and you make 40k/year. Be sure to choose a career, business, or venture that will supply the income needed to live the lifestyle you desire.
