Forget Responsibility! 13 Under-Appreciated Perks Of Being An Adult

How many times a week do you wake up thinking, “I don’t want to 'adult' today?”

It gets old waking up at the same time every morning to have practically your whole day occupied by a job you need to pay the bills.

It’s not all bad “having to adult,” though. There are a lot of perks to being grown up, like not having homework and not having anyone sitting up, waiting for you to get home from a night out until 3:15 am.

While it may be really annoying to do your own laundry, go grocery shopping every week and force yourself to go to bed at a reasonable time, being an adult actually comes with a lot of under-appreciated benefits that you might be overlooking.

The growing ability to see arguments from both sides

It’s amazing how much you can teach yourself just by changing your thinking for a few seconds.

Growing into an adult exposes you to the world and the people in it, which teaches you a lot more lessons than you could ever hope to learn in a classroom.

Your growing knowledge of all sides of the world's issues and matters of opinion keep you calm and level-headed in otherwise dicey conversations, preventing unnecessary anger and ignorant statements.

Nothing helps you to understand the human race better than the moments when you stop thinking solely from “your side,” and consider an argument from another perspective.

Increased value placed on your opinion

Because you’ve been able to deeply analyze matters of discussion, your opinions are well-formed and your ability to discuss them is beyond admirable.

These factors alone bring you more respect than many people, who still think every one of their thoughts and opinions should be the law.

Exploration of your city

Discovering and connecting with the place you call home is a one-of-a-kind adventure.

I’ve loved where I lived since I was old enough to form memories, but I’m growing to love it even more now that I constantly try new spots downtown for lunch dates, participate in large public events like music festivals and shop at more stores than the ones within five minutes of my house.

It’s not just any city now; it’s my city.

Creating your own living space

You want a whale-themed bathroom? Go for it.

Whether you’re a girl with an extensive Pinterest board dedicated to highly-coordinated décor, or a guy who’s always wanted all-black furniture, you finally have the power to tailor your living space to your unique tastes.

Finding your purpose

You still might only have about 23 percent of the answer to the age-old question of “why am I here?” but you’ve likely discovered at least half of that percentage in the past five years.

Adulthood presents endless opportunities to figure out who you are and who you’re not. Embrace them.

Realizing everything in your past has brought you to this moment

There is no statement more clichéd than, “everything happens for a reason." There are also few statements that prove to be truer.

Every challenge, every success, every lesson and every maddening experience in your life has brought you to the potential-filled moment you are in. You are more than well-equipped now to meaningfully draw on your past experiences to face your future.

Restructuring your favorite childhood activities to include alcohol

Let’s be honest: "The Lion King" drinking game, arcade bars and "Slip and Flip" are genius activities.

Freedom to take random weekend road trips

Haven’t you always wanted to head out west with no designated destination, just to get in touch with the open road?

Congratulations, now you and your two best friends who share that same urge can hop in the car for a weekend and blaze a trail wherever your adult hearts desire.

Finally appreciating the words “21 and older”

Gone are the days when age restrictions ruined a night out or kept you from going to see your favorite artist play a show.

You’re now free to enjoy almost any event or establishment, as well as its extensive drink menu.

Organizing your priorities for yourself

You get to decide what is most important to you in every aspect of your life, whether you’re making career decisions or deciding which few of the thousand social gatherings you can make it to in one weekend.

This may just feel like more responsibility, but it’s really a type of freedom.

No one can tell you what’s most important to you; you decide who and what you will absolutely always make time for. You decide who and what has no place in your life anymore.

Power to schedule your own dentist visits and doctor appointments

Seriously, did anyone else’s mom somehow manage to schedule every doctor-related visit for 8 am over your winter and summer breaks?

Never. Again. Now you can schedule them at a time that allows you to leave work early.

Finding your own unique sense of style

You’ve finally found your niche in the vast sea of tiny crop tops, joggers, v-neck depths, chinos, high-waisted shorts, bow ties and various footwear.

By now, you’ve seen enough old and recent pictures of yourself to realize you’re never cutting your hair like THAT again. You can also confidently say you pull off the “preppy yet hipster” look, which is great because shopping feels like less of an overwhelming treasure hunt.

Having pride in your achievements

Even if you haven’t won the Nobel Prize or published your first bestseller (yet), there’s a lot to look back on and be proud of.

Adulthood is full of big strides and bold moves, so pat yourself on the back for the ones you’ve made and keep on fearlessly adulting.