The world pretends everything is outside of the control of young people.
Can’t get a job? It’s college’s fault.
Student loans? It’s dubious lenders’ faults.
Don’t know how to pay your taxes? It’s school’s fault for not teaching you.
Don’t know how to save money? It’s your parents’ fault.
It paints young people as powerless. As victims of their circumstances. As incapable of ownership of their lives. Of their decisions. Of their destinies. This is all bullshit.
But becoming “an adult” does involve a lot of bullshit. Sometimes it downright sucks.
It sucks because many things about it are outside of our control. It’s easy to get lost focusing on all those things. But it doesn’t have to mean you can’t hope for better circumstances. In fact, we think you should.
The best way to start making things better is by getting started on all the things that are within your control, and fast.
Acknowledge Your Power
You have more power to deliberately design the life you want than the world would lead you to believe. Every day someone’s preaching about how more opportunities will open up if only XYZ happened.
If only:
…college were cheaper, more young people could get a good education.
…loans were easier to come by, more people could start a business.
…mortgages were better subsidized, more people could have a home.
All of this is a bunch of whiny victim speak.
You don’t need those things to go out and create your own life. Yes – you will need to work hard. You will have to challenge the assumptions most people live their lives by. And, you’ll need to take courage to go chase after the things you want in spite of what other people say and believe.
But you don’t need cheaper education. Nor more handouts. And you don’t need more pity from other people.
What you need is the acknowledgement of the power you have – and to embrace it.
The sooner you do that, the sooner you unlock your freedom to design the life you want.
…more on this forthcoming.