I’m relatively new to this whole thing called “adulthood,” having only graduated a little over a month ago. Getting out into this new world, I’ve decided that there’s some things that I need to change about my life in order to live the best life I possibly can. I have made 11 decisions for myself. I’ve decided to:
- Quit adjusting my schedule to benefit others’
The majority of the people who I will ever attempt to make plans with do not and will not change their schedules to fit in a lunch or dinner date. I don’t mean drastically shift big plans, but if I was planning on hitting the gym at a certain time and a friend wants to get dinner, I’m not going to bail on the gym to grab some Mexican food. A simple “I’m sorry, I had plans” will do. And I’m not going to feel guilty about it.
- Love myself
And loving myself means taking care of myself. It means realizing that I’m worth much more than the shit I’ve been putting up with and that I need to leave that behind to find what I deserve. It means reaching out for help when I need it, and not being afraid to spend an afternoon or even a weekend 100 percent alone if that’s what I need.
- Take care of my body
Eating when you’re stressed is fun, but so is going for a run. I’m going to replace my unhealthy habits with healthier ones. Which means I’m ditching the candy, the soda, and my favorite “eating because I’m bored” habit. I’m going to make an actual effort to hit the gym regularly and make an honest effort to enjoy myself while I’m there.
- Let go of those who aren’t giving enough
Life is too short to spend your time revolving around people who don’t give a shit. It’s exhausting to put so much effort and time into a relationship that you’re only getting 30 percent back on. You wouldn’t invest money on a stock market that you’ll only lose money on, would you? So why would you do that with people?
- Do my own thing
So many people are focused on finding “the one” to settle down with. I’ll do my own thing. I’ll worry about myself and what I’m doing and not what society thinks I should be doing. I’m going to go my own pace and do the things that I want to be doing, because I want to be doing it and not because it’s something I should be doing.
- Say no and not feel bad about it
The reason I deal with so much bullshit from people is because I don’t say no enough, or hardly at all. I’m sorry, but I don’t want to spend my weekend doing things I have no interest in. I don’t want to sit through a movie I have no interest in seeing. I don’t want to waste my time doing things I don’t want to do with people I may not even like.
- Try out new interests despite what other people think
You know what I’ve always kind of wanted to try? Pole fitness. It’s like pole dancing but for fitness and exercise. And goddammit, maybe I will.
- Take risks and act on my adventurous impulses
Maybe I’ll actually move to Denver instead of just saying I want to. I’m going to live more spontaneously and do things on a whim. I’ll quit worrying about how other people feel about it, and just do it.
- Save money
You know what’s more fun than spending money? Saving it. Throughout college, I’d toss money around and tell myself I could always make more, while living paycheck to paycheck. Now, as an “adult” with a steady income, it’s so incredibly easy to save money when you have a feasible plan. My plan is to save 75 percent of every paycheck I get and then to divide the remaining balance amongst my bills.
- Quit wasting my time dating guys who aren’t right for me
I usually date guys for much longer than I intended to simply because I didn’t want to have to see their face when I told them that I wasn’t interested. This isn’t right. I’d rather be alone than with someone who isn’t right for me. I’m giving up on the guys who don’t treat me right, and I’m giving up on the guys that I’m not 100 percent happy with.
- Trust my gut
This applies to every situation. Meeting new people, putting myself into different situations, etc. Anything my gut could be sending me signals about, I’m going to trust it. It’ll save me from heartbreak and disappointment.
I don’t expect these changes to be easy to implement, but I know that it will be worth it to do it. Seeing my life improve will be worth it and I’ll wonder why I didn’t make these decisions a long time ago.
Featured image via Elijah O’Donnell on Pexels
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