Adulting in Jamaica, like elsewhere in the world, is a constant work in progress. After all, for about 18 years of life you’re a child – then for the rest of your life you have to navigate the ups and downs of the ‘adult world.’
Unfortunately, for varying circumstances, many battle with the fists of adulting long before they are adults.
Not to worry though, as each person has the ability to help shape their life for the better, once they are intentional about it. Since that is partly the essence of Rooting For Growth, you’ll find it helpful here.
Hop on board to see how to survive adulting in Jamaica, while supercharging your growth!
1. Adulting in Jamaica: Managing your Independence
A large part of adulting is the independence that comes with it. For some, this is the long desired freedom they’ve craved. While for others, remembering to pay the bills, having to cook for themselves or even the strains of a nine to 5 suddenly make this new found independence hard.
So, how do you manage the independence that comes with adulting – while ensuring your growth is taken care of?
- Use your time productively -The adults in your life won’t necessarily dictate how you use your time anymore. Sure, they’ll try, but the independence associated with adulting curves those efforts somewhat. While you may feel young at heart as your ‘own big woman’ or as your ‘own big man’ – you truly don’t have that much time – to waste.
As a result, to really be supercharging your growth, while adulting, productivity ought to be the order of the day. Many Jamaican adults find the process of finding a job tedious. Our society, like many others across the world, doesn’t offer many lucrative job options to young adults.
Nonetheless, as I shared here, it doesn’t serve you blaming others. Point your fingers toward yourself, and question yourself daily: what productivity can I engage in today?
Find a way or make one. Legitimately of course.
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- Live within your means – You’ll soon find that managing your household, expenses and even expectations can sometimes add up to more than your budget. With that said, living within your means will certainly help you maneuverer your beloved independence, while adulting and growing too! This is important since you won’t want to go running to the adults in your life to bail you out each time your back is against a hard place. For sure, they may be glad to help out, especially if you are known to live within your means. The minute you become a spindrift or begin to harbour an inflated lifestyle – those support systems may shun you.
2. Adulting in Jamaica: Be Ambitious
Countless, success stories are born from stalls like these. Really, its not where you are coming from… but where you are headed.
Many young adults rise from the ash of their childhood and may have many eyes on them, to see what they’ll do now as adults.
Sadly, many actualize the self fulfilling prophesy that they ‘won’t come out to anything good‘.
Don’t let that be you. Be ambitious. Pave your way through the ashes. Let the drive to succeed steer you as you go on your adulting journey.
3. Adulting in Jamaica: Your Network is your Net worth
Remember that friend in high school or even university?
Either you’d be happy to catch up with them, or them with you. That’s not always possible though, since people loose contact or even the desire to re-connect.
That aside, there are plenty more opportunities to network – outside your comfort zone.
As you grow, your network should grow too. Not necessarily in quantity, but in quality. The latter is highly recommended.
When you begin to grow your network, your value increases. You may communicate with people who are go-getters; people who encourage and look out for you; some who introduce you to clients or better yet – persons who you can help too! That way, you also give in value what you hope to receive.
Networking is not about just connecting people. Its about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with opportunities.
Michele Jennae
4. Adulting in Jamaica: Don’t just Go. Grow!
Its common place for young adults and even mature folks to get caught up in the day-to-day activities that come with their lifestyle – without being intentional about the trajectory of their growth.
Don’t get caught up in being busy; going everywhere; being everything to everybody and ultimately running yourself to a wreck.
Take time to pause, reflect and challenge yourself towards the next level of your growing potential.
Recommended: 12 Powerful Ways to Become Growth Wise
In addition, strive to break barriers and glass ceilings that would have apprehended you as a child. Remember this quote: “Don’t just go through life. Grow through life.”
5. Adulting in Jamaica: Put your money to good use
Whether you earn your money or get it as a token, you need to develop the habit of putting it to good use. This may look different on different days.
Some days, putting your money to good use may mean you have to restock on grocery. Other days, it may mean you have to skip a meal to secure an investment, be it investment in self, or even an opportunity.
When you do this, not only will you become more responsible, but you will also notice that the quality of your life improves drastically.
Forget lavishing and impressing people – then going home to the reality of lacking. Invest in some courses. Budget your fare to go job hunting, and for the more serious things – consider insurance, investing and interests (profit).
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Adulting in Jamaica: Good Mental Health is Good Mental Wealth
The strains and stresses of adult life are real and can become overbearing – if you let them.
Encourage yourself to make time for self care. This self care should expand far beyond a day at the barber or the beauty salon. Talk about the challenges you are having with a trusted friend, family or professional.
Cultivate an atmosphere that is conducive to your mental health by nurturing friendships that supports this. The mind is a powerful tool when it comes on to adulting and growth. Just as you would attend to pimples, fractures or even the flu, any issues affecting your mental health must be dealt with too.
Mental health in Jamaica is sadly undermined and oftentimes culturally linked to the ‘mad man/woman on the street.’ Its more than that. Its the depression of finding a job or being underemployed; commuting daily; having to support your family with very little; the stresses that come with being de-registered at UWI (The University of the West Indies); the illnesses of the mind that are stigmatized; feeling paranoid because of the pick-pockets and other serious crimes creeping all over the society.
There’s so much going on and the mind sometimes consume it all. Work on how much it consumes and what you do about what it consumes. Your mental health, is your mental wealth.
Surviving adulting in Jamaica and supercharging your growth is attainable
Once you prioritize it, your attention and focus will help you out immensely. Surviving anywhere in the world has its variables, the constant is you. Wherever you go, wherever you are, strive always to maximize your personal growth.
This is no blueprint to surviving adulting, but it certainly is a good nudge.
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Thanks for reading! Feel free to look around and stick around too!
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