Being the Boss of Yourself is Hard | brokeGIRLrich
Adulting is hard.
Constantly being the boss of yourself is exhausting.
Every day is an endless stream of decisions and it would be so much easier at times to have my mom making them for me, like when I was a little kid.
Do I start the day with Captain Crunch or oatmeal?
I know oatmeal is the smart choice – not only because it’s healthy and I won’t be hungry again 10 seconds after I finish eating it (I’m looking at you, Cap’n), but also because making the first decision of the day a good one always sets the tone for the entire day.
Do I get off my butt and go to the gym or watch another episode of Parks and Rec?
Here’s where the adulting really kicks in – say I did get my butt off the couch and go to the gym. There’s no gold star, no one paying any attention to what I’ve done. I just have to make decisions because I know they’re the right choice to make.
Even worse, once at the gym, I can leisurely stroll on a treadmill, patting myself on the back that I made it to the gym in the first place, which really doesn’t do much at all, or I can push myself to run the farthest I’ve ever gone or a steady run at a faster setting than I’ve ever done or extra laps in the pool or more laps full out. Do you know who can make me do that to my body? Only me. Even if I were shelling out for a personal trainer, they can only encourage you and make sure what you’re doing is safe, they can’t actually force you to push harder each time.
Do I go on all the trips or do I cut back once I notice my budget is blowing out of control?
I checked my bank account after getting home from galavanting for 5 days this week and was discouraged at the balance. It’s under $1,000 for the first time since I left my full time job and I was kind of hoping to start work again with it around that area, so I could dump all that “extra” money into some savings goals. It’s not impossible that I might still manage that before going back to work full time in the next month, but it’s also the point where I have to decide how much I’m going to eat out or go to the movies to catch up with friends over these 30 days vs. whether or not I’ll realistically hit all my savings goals for 2015.
Grown up Mel knows she’ll be happier to see all those savings account balances where I wanted them to be.
Non-adulting Mel would like to go see movies with her pals and eat overpriced dinners.
In the end, I’ll probably split my decision somewhere down the middle, but let’s face it, even compromising is adulting and it’s not the most fun.
Self-discipline is such a downer. ;o)
Adulting IS hard! My parents worked hard to make me disciplined in a lot of things. Other things, though, like shopping, not so much. I’ve found that growing up is a continual balancing act. Once things seem like they’re in alignment, something shakes loose. I try to constantly reevaluate. Otherwise, I’d be perpetually camped on the couch eating ice cream out of the carton.
Penny @ She Picks Up Pennies recently posted…How Ditching Diet Coke Saved Me Over $300 This Year and Other Frugal Habits I Already Have
Camped out on the couch eating a carton of ice cream is one of my favorite places to be :oP
I luckily was somehow gifted with a lot of self-discipline, plus I’m an introvert, so spending time with friends (and usually money) is actually something I have to be arm-twisted into doing, so those kind of decisions are easy for me. I usually make really good breakfast decisions in the morning, but dinner is a struggle because my willpower/discipline is usually gone by then :-/
However, I totalllllyyyyyy get you on the going to the gym thing. I was supposed to go to the gym yesterday, but then I was like…. or I could stay home and do some client work…. It was an excuse, but I used it. And now I’m mad at myself for not going to the gym! Being an adult is hard!
Melissa recently posted…July Recap and August Goals
I look for pretty much any excuse to not go to the gym – which doesn’t help anything. I’ve been training for this 5k run in two weeks and when I was going to the gym regularly, I was up to 17 minutes straight of running and pretty proud of it. I started going on vacations and being lazy and not running and I’m back down to running 5 minute intervals. Fail.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
Love this! I’m in my 3rd week of self-employment and it can be so HARD to make myself do things sometimes. Ugh! For the most part, I love it since I don’t have to go to a job I hate, but it can be hard to have self-motivation and self-discipline.
Kayla @ Kat Script recently posted…Summer School 2015
When I have too much free time, I have the worst time sitting down and doing stuff for brokeGIRLrich, but when I have barely any free time and my schedule is super regimented, I feel like a production machine.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
I completely agree that it is really challenging to be completely in charge of yourself. I had a bit of experience with self employment this summer and having to be totally self directed, with no boss providing guidance, was such a struggle!
Ali @ Anything You Want recently posted…Trip Recap: Our Summer in Europe
Definitely! There needs to be a way to monetize sitting on the couch, watching Parks and Rec and eating Cap’n Crunch… maybe if I live stream it on YouTube? ;o)
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
I was a non-adult for the first year-2 years as a self-employed person, taking lots of beach volleyball classes and going out to eat a ton. Then I really had to buckle down and become an “adult.” While it may come with sacrifices, the kid with financial stress is not worth the the pain as the adult Tonya with less stress (albeit sacrifice) is a lot happier. If that made any sense? lol!
Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…Is Periscope a New Way to Market Yourself?
That definitely makes sense! There’s totally a payoff for adulting – it’s just not immediately obvious. Which is so lame ;o)
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
Yup, Parks and Rec has ruined the last 6 months of my life. I get to the end and just start it all over again. I finished all the episodes on Netflix last night and I’m cutting myself off.
I just started season 6. I know the end is near, but I’m sure there’ll be some other show I can latch onto to fill the void.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
I’ve always had a lot of self discipline thankfully. HOWEVER – my weekends are my off time! I am such a lazy slob on weekends.
NZ Muse recently posted…Financial stress: my least favourite kind of monster
I think my unusual work schedule is part of the problem. I go months at a time with barely any time off and then huge blocks of lots of time off. It’s cool to be a lazy slob on weekends but months in a row is a little excessive – at least, that’s what I’ve found.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
As a child through high school I was disciplined in some areas but not at all in others. The switch turned on for me in college when I got into bodybuilding and powerlifting. It’s amazing how self-discipline starts to creep into other areas of your life.
But I would def just watch Parks and Rec 🙂
Luke Fitzgerald @ FinanciallyFitz recently posted…Tuesday’s Long Read! Plus, New Feature on FinanciallyFitz…
I can believe that. Whenever I get one area of my life a little more together, the others follow.
Mel @ brokeGIRLrich recently posted…Being the Boss of Yourself Sucks
I was told that I’ve always had a lot of self discipline. But to be honest, sometimes I look at the oatmeal and then go for the kids cereal. I do work harder at the gym that day to make up for it 🙂
Tre recently posted…Odd ( but Legal) Ways Women Side Hustle
I feel like once I pick the kid cereal I’m 1000X less likely to even make it to the gym. I have the bad habit of giving up on the whole day.
My self-discipline depends entirely on the subject at hand. Saving money and spending wisely: pretty easy for me to do. Eating right and going to the gym: not so much. Having a partner helps me out though. I help remind her to control her spending, and she helps me to eat better and get off the sofa to do some exercise. But being an adult isn’t easy. At heart I’m still a 14-year-old kid!
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…Divorce: Minimizing the Financial Impact
Me too! And I agree – keeping my finances in check is moderately easy, going to the gym… considerably less so.
I started working from home this summer (as a researcher for my law school). I though that I was pretty well motivated but boy have I struggled. Its really taken a lot of self discipline (which was not always there). Luckily I’m back to Law School in September.
Rebecca recently posted…3 financial lessons for college students
Working from home takes insane self-discipline. Even just part time work on my blog has taught me that! I also never did as well in online classes in college as classes that I actually had to attend.
Bleh. Adulting. In some areas I’m seriously self-disciplined. In others I’m a kid who is still experimenting with the joy of not having anyone to tell me no. Either the discipline or the consequences are exhausting. Sometimes it feels like you can’t win! Lol.
Femme Frugality recently posted…Free Date Night: Allegheny Observatory Tour
Self discipline is still something I am constantly battling with. I went for training exercise with a trainer last Wednesday and it was an excruciating experience as my body and bones were literally aching.
Since then, I have cooked up one reason or the other to avoid the gym. Like you rightly said, it is all about doing what is right which can be really difficult.
Katie@Moneynuggets recently posted…Staycation – Top Tips For A Stay At Home Holiday
Sometimes I just get the case of the I wants. My husband usually reigns me in. I do the same for him ha ha.
Sometimes making the right decision is the hardest. It’s so easy just to go for what you want.
Vickie@Vickie’s Kitchen and Garden recently posted…My Menu for this Past Week 8/22/15
I can totally feel you on getting a case of the wants.
My 4 year old has been saying lately how much she wants to be a grown up like me because then she can get to stay up late, drive a car and get to make all the decisions! I had to laugh because I remember feeling exactly the same way when I was a kid. Now though, I’d love to have some decisions made for me! Adulting is not that fun after all. I totally agree about making a good decision to get the day off to a great start. That usually works for me.
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