They say that when you are 18 years old that you are an adult. Legally you are, but mentally you are far from it. You're just graduating high school! You have no idea what the world is like. Even being 19-23 (college age) we aren't full-on adults. We still rely on our parents for the most of our big expenses. We are just starting out! However, this is the age where we begin to adopt adult traits.

For example, do you ever get super excited when you smell fresh coffee in the morning? Do you feel like you can't start your day without that beautiful fuel? Do you fight yourself to get out of bed to go to class or work? You know you don't want to, but it's the responsible thing to do? These small things are leading us into adult life.

On a larger scale, between the ages of 18 and 23, we start to do a lot more things on our own. Our parents start making us make appointments for the doctor, dentist and even car repair shop. I remember the first time I scheduled my own appointment, I felt so lost for no reason. Why was it so hard to schedule an appointment with my pediatrician on Tuesday? In reality, these things are so easy, but we fear them because they are typically things our parents (adults) do.

We even get to do more adult things like file our taxes. We start to pay our own bills such as our cell phone to rent on a college apartment. These small things leave us feeling rewarded.

The best part of starting adult life is the freedom. Your parents don't typically ask for every detail of your night out. There is a better sense of trust. With the age comes the responsibility. It's nice to be able to go on a random vacation to Tampa or explore rural roads late at night without asking permission. It feels good to do things the way you want to do them for the most part.

Transitioning into early adult life is hard, but very rewarding. Everyone does it. We don't realize it in the moment, but we are turning into new people. We are becoming more mature. These small steps are the beginning of a new chapter of our lives and a step in the path of future success. Just don't abandon your youth. You can be responsible and fun, too.