When you are a kid, life is always changing. You keep going up another grade in school, and every year of your life seems very different from the one before it.
This can make adjusting to adulthood difficult.
The first time you work a full eight hours at a monotonous job and think about the fact that you’ll be doing this for decades or the first time you look around and realize you’re basically in the same place you were at the same time a year ago can be depressing.
But these can also be powerful opportunities for reflection and change.
You can still have an interesting life, but it will take more initiative on your part.
The good thing is that the changes you make will be all the more rewarding for this.
Go Back to School
Whether you went to college for a while and dropped out, never attended or are in search of a career change, going back to school as an adult can be frustrating, thrilling, terrifying and transformative all at the same time.
The expanded opportunities that online education offers can make it much easier for older adults to return to college, and it’s also easier than ever to find funds to help you pay for it.
You can sign up with a free scholarship search and application guide that will match you with grants and scholarships based on your profile and help you apply for them.
Do a Digital Detox
Are you a heavy user of your phone, internet, and social media? Are you getting out of it more than you’re putting in?
The digital realm is not necessarily a bad one.
You can learn languages, how to remodel a house, how to train for a marathon or how to cook a holiday meal.
You can also waste a lot of time arguing with strangers or endlessly scrolling sites in search of something you can’t quite put your finger on.
If you’re unhappy with your digital usage or you just suspect you’re overdoing it, you may be surprised at how much a 30-day fast or just more deliberate usage can change your life.
You may sleep better and feel less stress, but the biggest change might be how much more time you’ll have, and this could end up being the real game changer.
Suddenly, some of those goals you really wanted to work toward but thought you didn’t have time for may come into much clearer focus.
Take a Trip
This won’t be the answer for everyone, but if you have an adventurous streak, take a trip and not just a vacation. Go somewhere for weeks or months at a time.
Walk the Appalachian Trail, lounge on the best beaches in Ibiza, travel around the world, or move to another country.
You’ll need to figure out how to save up the money and get the time off work.
If you want to move abroad, you’ll need a skill that is in demand and allows you to work there legally or you will need a job with a U.S. company that transfers you there.
However, many people overcome these logistical challenges every year, and it usually changes their lives.