This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of CORT. All opinions are 100% mine.
To all the moments you thought you knew how to keep life together, and to all the moments you realized you didn’t know the first place to start.
Life doesn’t stop.
Post-grad life is fraught with achievements. New jobs, new school acceptances, new relationships, new family. Your accomplishments are certainly worthwhile, but are a drop in the bucket of the fast paced world including that of your peers. Keep yourself grounded in your goals and moving forward.
Independence is exhilarating.
A first paycheck can be enticing, but the time span between college and graduate school or full time employment does not parallel the freedom you felt after graduating high school. Root yourself in both professional and financial plans to protect yourself from making lasting decisions that jeopardize your stability.
Quality over quantity.
As goes for most aspect of life, but mostly friendships. Shout out to all those low maintenance friendships in which you may speak or see one another infrequently, but are always able to pick up where you left off. Invest in those who invest in you; don’t worry about those who can’t commit.
Involvement opportunities still exist.
But you must seek them out more actively. Networking and forging meaningful professional relationships outside of college can be challenging. Look to your community government, graduate school department, and workplace leadership for opportunities to give back to causes that matter to you.
Time passes faster.
Okay not really, but can I get an amen? Before you know it, a new semester or new fiscal year will begin in your place of work or study. Take all the time you can to cherish personal time, travel, and leisurely activities before such an exhilarating life stage passes. Strive not to glorify busy.
Document everything.
Make use of all the technology at your fingertips to record professional decisions, personal experiences, and financial investments. When you’re feeling nostalgic or looking for meticulous records on a life event, you’ll thank yourself.
Find a mentor.
Your elders might not always know best or be the wisest, but you can learn from others’ experiences. Look for a mentor with whom you can actively engage, in person or virtually, to explore ideas or new paths. You will glean information not readily attainable in your regular social circle.
Get educated on those “adult things”.
Don’t find yourself blind-sighted by required activities such as insurance and taxes. Take classes, ask around, and use the internet to research such procedures before you feel overwhelmed and are possibly in debt.
You have to overcome social media envy.
The window into lives of your peers and total strangers is wide open. Use social media with a critical eye and do your best to recognize when perusing the adventures of others takes over your enjoyment of your own experiences, or if you find yourself striving to mirror another lifestyle.
Invest in experiences, not stuff.
Becoming professionally established as a twenty-something doesn’t mean funneling all of your extra funds into tangible items that make it difficult to stay mobile. Instead of bogging your living space down with decor and bedroom suites that you’ll be paying on as long as your student loans, consider minimizing and the option to rent furniture from CORT Furniture Rental who delivers convenience and accessibility to the ever-changing life of a young professional.
