The entire time I was growing up I remember hearing all of these fantastic things about adulthood. Now that I am finally there, a 'grown-up,' I have to say that I disagree with most of those things. While there are a million things I love about being an adult, there are also several that I am not the biggest fan of, and I think a lot of us can agree on these. Here are the biggest lies I was told about adulthood that simply have not worked out for me yet.
1. When you find the right career, it will be easy.
This is just not true. While I love my classes and being able to write, easy is not the word I would use to describe it. Adulthood, from the very limited time I have experienced it, can be summed up in one word: challenging. Finding the right career is something that a lot of people struggle with. We often feel like there is a right or wrong career for us and, as a result, put pressure on ourselves to make the "right" choice. We always think that once we know what we want to do and embark on that journey, life will be easier. However, I have found that the best things I have accomplished have required the most work. I don't think the right career is meant to be easy. It's meant to be a challenge, and that's the point.
2. You need to know this for the rest of your life.
I was told this in every math class I ever took growing up. I think we all were. But we just don't need to know how to do proofs, or understand the most complicated way to get the correct answer on a math problem. Not unless that's in your chosen career field of course.
3. Happily ever after.
Many of my peers and I grew up watching Disney movies, and eventually moved on to romantic comedies. Movies that are always telling us the perfect love story that we then expect to have. Adulthood has taught me two things about love and relationships. The first is that it hardly ever works out the way it does in the movies, and the second is that we don't necessarily need that to be happy. I grew up with movies that told me that once I had that 'happily ever after' I would be content with the world. That is another lie. I have learned that being happy comes from the way we view ourselves, the people we surround ourselves with, and what we choose to do with our lives. If romantic love isn't part of that yet, that's okay.
4. You won't need your parents when you're all grown up.
This is probably the biggest lie I was told. To this day, when life get's overwhelming, I don't think twice to call my parents and seek wisdom. Bottom line, I've only been doing this adulthood thing for a few years. Our parents have done it for the majority of their lives. Whatever is going on in your life, chances are pretty good that your parents have already been there and came out on the other side. This lie causes a lot of people to think they are expected to take care of themselves from here on out. If you're like me, and like to call your parents just to talk about a bad day, I'm here to tell you that it is not a bad thing.
5. If you work hard you won't have to worry about money.
As a college student, I can tell you this is not true. Most of the people I know work hard, and have a million things going on in their lives that require attention. Most of the people I know also have to consider money. While working hard does help with the money situation, it does not guarantee financial stability.
These are a few of the lies I remember believing about adulthood. However, there are several positive aspects of it as well. Adulthood has it's positives and it's negatives. The freedom, feeling like you can do anything, and accomplishing some of those goals you've had your entire life are some of these positive aspects.