I feel like I’ve heard just about every single one of my millennial-aged friends say this at some point in our lives. “Why didn’t anyone tell me” (fill in the blank here). My thoughts about this are generally two things:
- My parents totally prepared me for how hard adulting was going to be.
- Suck it up, buttercup.
At the same time, there have been moments in my adult life I have been totally ill-prepared for, especially when it comes to finances. For me, it wasn’t that no one told me adulting was this hard, but no one really taught me how to manage being one.
So, Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Us?
Chances are, they did. What they didn’t prepare you for was the specific life crisis you’re going through right now. After all, your parents and mentors can only prep you for what they have been through, for what they know. No one goes through life having the same exact experience as the next person.
That being said, when it comes to “adulting” and why you weren’t prepared, you should also realize the environment we’ve been living in is vastly different from that of our parents. It is even different from the generations just a few years younger than us. A lot of the advice and tips your grandparents and parents bestowed on you is no longer relevant in many ways, especially when it comes to your finances.
It doesn’t make their advice or what they have to say less valuable. Many of the same things apply in today’s world, but you’ll need to alter it to fit your needs. Remember, doing what is best for you comes first and foremost – no matter what mom and dad always said you should do.
Taking Care of Yourself in the Way You Need
When it comes to your finances, your health, your home, your family, and just adulting, doing what is best for you is always the right decision. Keep your blinders on, try not to pay attention to what other people are doing, and perform what works for you instead of looking to others for direction. There is no “one size fits all” to anything – finance, life, or pants.
Lastly, don’t ask that annoying question “Why didn’t anyone tell me adulting was going to be so hard?” Life has its difficult moments, it always will. How you adapt, push through, and persevere is what counts.
Leave a Reply