Independent Woman!!

When did I become so grown up? 

I mean I've been doing grown up things for a while now I guess. I moved to Melbourne at the start of the year, started working full-time, paying bills and live completely separately from my family, which was probably the hardest part. And Melbourne is bloody expensive!!! I'm from a country town and I pay as much here for public transport, being squished like sardines (sort it out PTV!!!) as what I was paying for petrol back in Tasmania. 

So yeah, I guess I've been a grown up for a year now. And I do things grown ups do too. I avoid conflict, solve problems, foresee outcomes, help people less fortunate (try too), organise things and blah blah blah.

But I've always been this way.

During high school I always avoided conflict and solved problems just as much as I do now. I still tried to foresee outcomes such as 'is dating that badass guy going to be good for me?' Ask my mum. I was a bit of a different teenager because I never went through that awkward bratty reckless teenage phase. But I was also a extremely affectionate silly teenager and I'm still like that now too. 

See. I've always done these things or tried too, but now I'm better at them.

Growing up doesn't mean changing, it just means growing. You just get paid to do things you did when you were younger because you're better at it now.

Am I a sell-out?

I struggled a bit this year with working full-time because I felt like a sell-out. I don't know what I thought I would be doing once I graduated. Of course i'd get a 9-5 job.

But then, the other day, I started a new job. I told them what I was good at and they hired me. The first day they asked for my opinion on something linked to that and I answered. Like a grown up!!!

Then when I left that day, I realised how bloody cool that is!!!! The 16 year old me would never have been paid money to do things I told people I was good at!!! The 16 yr old me would NOT be asked for an opinion on something important. 'Ha ha fooled!!! I have them all fooled!!' is what the 16 yr old me thought when walking out of the office that day.

So no. I don't feel like a sell-out in anyway anymore. 

So if you are ashamed that you're 'grown up' because you feel like one of those characters hipsters sing about doing the '9-5 grind', it's ok. (And no I'm not going to say 'hipster scum get nothing done', although true). You haven't changed, you've just grown.

You don't have to get a new car. You don't have to start listening to classical music. You don't have to start drinking wine and you definitely do not have to start making 5 or even 10 year plans.

But here's where most people go wrong. 

Don't think that just because you're doing grown up things now, that you should change your personality to suit. Within the realms of appropriate behaviour, you should still be yourself in the workplace, unfiltered. The people you work with will appreciate the honesty. Trust me, colleagues can sense if you are suppress your true personality and they'll always have a sense that you're being fake.

And lighten up.

Chances are if you are highly strung it will reflect and bounce back at you through the people around you. So try not to take things so seriously and crack a joke every now and then.