Lessons on Adulting for Adults

My last book purchase was for my kids.

Oddly enough, I “borrowed” it before they could read it.

The book is “Your Turn: How to Be an Adult,” by former Stanford dean of freshmen and undergraduate advising – and otherwise uber accomplished and courageous - Julie Lythcott-Haims.

You may be familiar with her previous books, “How to Raise an Adult” and “Real American,” or have been fortunate enough to see her speak in your kids’ high school auditorium.

Your Turn is an attention-holding and value-adding read about the process of becoming an adult. It celebrates the complexities of adulthood, addresses its realities, warns of its pitfalls, and empowers with proven processes for coping. It serves to validate experiences, points out potential blind spots, gets practical on things like finances, encourages character development, and motivates action through a myriad of personal stories, countless resources, and plenty of cheerleading.

The book embraces the idea that we are architects of our own lives, as well as supports its readers in working to figure out what they are good at, what they love to do, and where they feel they most belong. The intersection of the answers to these questions is the sweet spot for finding fulfillment as adults.

Adults of all ages can benefit much from what she shares. As proof, Julie writes that she was forty-five by the time she “located a self [she] could truly love.”

So, on this Thursday, I invite you to spend some time confirming you have current answers to questions you may not have asked your adult self for a while.

Who/What do you love and value?

What are you good at?

What kind of people do you want to invite into your life?

What kind of person do you want to become?

What kinds of things would that person do?

In those answers I bet you’ll find impetus for a new source of fulfillment, no matter how grown-up an adult you are.

Love,

Molly