:: Ash Greig’s 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult ::

With each passing day, we grow one day older. We grow one day wiser. We become better people, able to handle situations that we thought we wouldn't be able to handle. We become adults. One must remember that with adulthood, comes responsibility.

Through experience, I've learned a lot when it comes to handling responsibility - I think my parents did a good job in that department. My mum introduced me to the topic of the birds and the bees when I was 10, and told me how things might go spiraling out of control if I wasn't responsible. She taught me how to cook, iron and clean by the time I was 12. She taught me how to be independent by the time I was 13, so that if anything were to happen to her, I'd be able to survive on my own. She taught me organizational and management skills when I was 15, so that I wouldn't have a problem in my educational and career development in the future.

With (almost) 26 years behind me, I've come to understand how one's life changes with each passing day. We all make mistakes once in a while. The important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and become a better person after that. You’re not 10 anymore – stop acting like one. It’s time to grow some balls (regardless of your sex) and take full responsibility for all your actions.

So here you are, my 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult.

Step 1: Stop blaming others for your mistakes. So you listened to her advice and went ahead and bought that RM1500 silk skirt. Or he managed to get you to spend 3 months worth of your salary on Apple’s latest uber-cool gadget. You’re the one who decided to get it in the end, so don’t you dare point your finger at him/her and wail “It’s all your fault!” because it isn’t. :)

Step 2: When we’re given a task to handle, accept it and make sure you do what you must. If your lecturer gives you an assignment to finish, get it done by the due date, and not come up with excuses for your incompetency. If your boss allocates a task to you, sort it out before he/she sends you reminders about 5 times before you decide to get your lazy behind moving. :)

Step 3: Sometimes we go a little off-tangent when it comes to choosing our significant others. He slaps or hits you whenever he’s mad. She spends your month’s salary in half an hour just because you forgot to call her last night. Why are you still with that selfish waste bag? You don’t need bruises on your arms or a dried-up bank account to know that he/she isn’t the one for you. :)

Step 4: Quit acting as though you’re the one with the world’s biggest problems. Yes, we all have our issues, we all have our worries. That doesn’t mean you should go on and on and on about it, complaining and wailing to every listening ear. There are people who’re going through a lot worse out there – people who don’t know if they’ll be alive the next day because they don’t have anything to eat or a roof above their head. :)

Step 5: If you’re not happy with someone, or you have a problem with the way he/she tackles an issue, tell it to their face. Going behind the person’s back and gossip-mongering isn’t going to solve anything. If you feel you have ideas that could bring about better outcomes, talk about it in the open. :)

Step 6: You cannot depend on your parents to help you out forever. So you got a little carried away and decided to get a couple of credit cards to buy that awesome sound system and leather sofa set. Now when you can’t afford to pay back your dues to the bank, you call up your parents and make them help you out. You got yourself into the ditch, you climb your way back out like a man. :)

Step 7: If you’re not happy with your job, do something about it. Badmouthing your boss or spreading rumours about your colleagues isn’t going to be the key to your happiness. Not turning up for work and coming up with excuses doesn’t reflect well on you either. Leave the job, or make some changes in your attitude. :)

Step 8: Your mother did not give birth to you to be a doormat for everyone else around you. He tells you to go buy him some weed, you run. She tells you to finish her homework for her, you do it without a flinch. Your boss tells you to “show some skin” during dinner with a client, you do it with a smile. Grow a backbone and learn how to say NO! You have to live by your principles, or else you’d have people labeling you as “easy” or “spineless”. :)

Step 9: Before you judge others around you, grab a mirror and look at your own reflection first. You think you’re so perfect? Yes, she may be fat and not attractive. He may be intelligent but hasn’t many friends. But you, o proud one, has the heart of rotten eggs and the mind of an evil witch. Being an adult means accepting everyone’s flaw, even your own, and moving on from there. :)

Step 10: Learn to accept the points of view of others around you. We’re all human beings and we have one thing in common: we’re all different in our own unique way. We may agree on some things, we may not on others. Stop being childish and stomping your feet screaming “I’m right! You’re wrong! I’m the smart one, you’re all stupid!” – it only makes one look like a fool in the end. Tolerance is the key here. :)

By Ashley Greig
taken from Ash Greig’s 10 Steps to Becoming a Responsible Adult