Define Your Own Adulthood

Focus on determining what your own personal idea of adulthood looks and feels like, and how close you are to achieving it.

Here are some ways to go about that:

• Make a list of the accomplishments you thought you’d have made by this age, or the ones you think a person your age “should” have made.
• Make a separate list of your actual accomplishments—and be generous to yourself; no achievement is too small.  
• Make a list of what you want to accomplish in the next five or 10 years—as important as what you have already done is whether or not you’re on a path to meet your future goals.  

Do you “feel” like your age? Our culture, families, and friends help us create an idea of what “being 25” or “being 40” or “being 60” should look like, but the truth is, there is no one way to define what a person should have accomplished by a given age. Still, you might feel uncomfortable if you...