Once you hit the 25 mark, age starts becoming a real thing. But instead of freaking out about the impending crows feet and the giant responsibilities that come with adulting, instead find ways to embrace getting older. Sure, you might not be able to slug vodka with no chaser like you used to.
And if you attempt to do so, you may wake up with a hangover so large that you swear you’ll never even think of stepping into a bar again. Or maybe coming home at midnight (rather than rolling up at the club) seems like a more likely choice. But while you notice things begin to change, not all of them should induce alarm.
Leaving behind your kid years is exciting — you have so many amazing opportunities just around the corner, waiting for you to tick down a couple of months before you grab them. It’s fact that you won’t be able to wolf down a whole greasy pizza alone like you used to, but it’s also fact your older years and moving you towards something a little more exciting than dollar beer nights and late-night burrito binges. Below are seven reasons why you should embrace age, because seriously, growing up is awesome.
- Know That Independence Is Addictive
When you were a kid you could play tag only up to the big pine trees at the end of your block, then when you were in college you could only go as far as your minimum wage job would take you. Want to go on a road trip? Hmm, your wallet says you can go as far as the second town over. But the older you get, your independence grows tenfold.
Lifestyle writer Ty Baumanis at Elite Daily pointed out, “Growing older also means you’re free to work in the field of your choice, travel to the locations of your choice and live the lifestyle of your choice. As you can see, we’ve all come a long way from our moms packing our lunches and picking out our clothes for school.” If getting a few laugh lines by my eyes gives me the chance to move to a different coast or take up a career my mom wishes I didn’t take, I’m totally down.
- Enjoy How Your Life Starts To Settle
At some point, you won’t want to stay up ripping tequila shots until six in the morning.At some point, you’re going to want to stretch out your legs and have some stability. That’s what’s so awesome about growing order: You build that stability.
Women’s lifestyle editor Kylie McConville at Elite Daily said, “At some point, I’ll want to entertain friends and family in a space where everyone can sit down and a kitchen that’s bigger than a closet. At some point, I’ll want space for a big dog that loves to run around and a wine rack that doesn’t double as a kitchen storage unit.” Imagine having real furniture from real stores that didn’t belong to your aunt’s cousin. That’s what contentment feels like.
- Notice How The Pressure Of Becoming A Star Wears Off
I remember the first four months after graduating college and trying to find a job that fulfilled what I thought my potential hit. I also remember crying hot, bitter tears as rejection after rejection letter came through as my friends on Facebook seemed to have been snagging positions. When you get older, that pressure to become the next big star in your social circle just slips away, mainly because you get a more realistic idea of what success actually is.
According to lifestyle writer and editor Jesse Carrey at Relevant, “Not everyone is going to be a best-selling author, successful entrepreneur or world-famous activist. And that’s OK. Getting older should show us that ‘success’ in life may look different than we thought it would.” And what a relief that is.
- Remember That You’re Building So Many Amazing Memories
When I think back to my memories in college when I was 20, all I can really recall are $1 beer nights and giggling in the quiet section of the library with my friends. But now that I’m 26? I’ve ridden on 30 hour train rides in India, I moved to a different coast on a whim, I’ve taken 14-hour road trips with friends just to spend a Saturday somewhere new, and have fallen in and out of love with a Liz Taylor amount of people. And it’s only getting better.
Baumanis said, “Without the process of getting older, we would have no memories to look back on or any reason to reminisce about the old days. When we were young, life was so simple that we didn’t even realize we were in some of our greatest years.” Embrace those coming years; they have a lot of amazing things in store for you.
5. Appreciate That Your Foundation Is Becoming Sturdier
You’ve been working a good amount of years now towards certain goals, whether that’s building a career you’re proud of, piecing together a business from the ground up, falling in love, or saving your quarters for a trip of a lifetime, whatever it is the older you get the more foundation you’ve laid underneath you.
McConville pointed out, “I’m not absolutely sure that 10 years from now everything I’ve been dreaming of and hoping for will have, in fact, panned out the way I’d imagined it would have — but there’s something really special and exciting about knowing that I’m laying the bricks for a foundation that will, one day, stand on its own — and it’ll all be because of my hard work. ” And the more years that tick by, the sturdier that foundation becomes. That kind of progress and achievement is an amazing feeling.
- Notice All The Opportunities That Start Showing Up
Think of the opportunities you had at 16 or 18. How about at 23 or 25? At first they were super limited to Dairy Queen cash registers and hitching a ride to friends’ family vacations, and then they expanded to starter positions in careers and scraping enough together for dorm hostels. Just imagine what you can have when you hit 30, or better yet, 45.
Baumanis suggested, “As you get older, every day turns into a new chance to make a name for yourself. You never know when you’re going to catch your big break or get an opportunity to prove what you can do.” The more time that passes the more stepping stones you acquire and the more opportunities you nab for yourself. It only gets better, guys. Keep working and see what you can accomplish.
- Remember That You’re Getting To Know Yourself More Every Day
Getting to know yourself is a tricky thing; it happens through weathering sticky situations, coming out strong from rough patches, working hard, and achieving things you didn’t know you were strong enough to do. It’s a big ordeal. And the older you get, the more chances you have to meet the person inside you. That’s a pretty cool thing.
