WHAT YOUNG ADULTS SHOULD KNOW

Society has come a seriously long way over the last half century. Today, we are far more accepting than ever before with more opportunities available to us than in previous decades (if you go an seek them out!). I always thought that once uni was over, I'd need to have a life plan - probably because I thought that's what was expected of me, and everyone else seems to have one. How wrong was I? In fact, the more people I speak to, the more I realise that most of us are simply plodding along 'faking it until we make it'.  And you know what? Life is probably more fun that way. 

See, if we're honest, most 21 year old's aren't proper adults. We don't run our own homes, have husbands/wives or children to look after. We're a generation of teen-adults. Not quite adult but no longer a teenager. We sit comfortably in between! Some of us feel immense pressure to succeed and grow up as soon as possible, whilst others are enjoying every waking moment on the likes of League of Legends. Whichever group you fall into, here's some small reminders..

1. It's OK to not know what career you want or what you want to do with you life. For the past three years, I've been so focused on leaving uni and solely following my dream career path, however someone said to me 'you have your whole life to work, what's the rush?' and they are so right which is why I decided to go to Sri Lanka. I love traveling and traveling makes me happy so why not? Being a young adult is for figuring out what job you want and what makes you happy.

2. OR when you are going to get married and/or have children. Looooong gone are the days in which you need to be married with two kids and a house by the time you're 25. So, if you're single, chill! As corny as it sounds, loving yourself is what matters right now so enjoy your freedom.

3. You don't need to be doing what everyone else your age is doing. If you don't enjoy what the 'it' crowd is doing, then don't do it. No one changed the world by copying others anyway..

4. Friendships actually require effort. It was so easy to maintain a friendship when you were forced into a classroom with the same people every day, wasn't it? Unfortunately, things become a little trickier when you leave education because you have to actually make an effort. People move away, we get jobs and it becomes a lot harder to find a time that suits everyone. It's definitely more about quality than quantity, and those who you keep in touch with will be worth the effort.

5. Be nice to people, you don't know what they're going through. We're not selfish 13 year old's any more and no, the world does not revolve around us. Maya Angelou famously said "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." I don't think I need to expand any more..

6. Always dream. You may not know what job you want, where you want to live, who you want to marry.. but always hold onto your dream. It's definitely not childish, and even if you don't achieve it, you'll probably find a better, bigger dream along the way.

♥