Brown writes: “...point being, adult isn’t something you are, it’s something you do. You are a grown-ass man, or a grown-ass woman, and you can act like it even if you don’t feel like it on the inside.”
>> MORE: Kelly Williams Brown, author of 'Adulting', coming to Dayton
You’ll be able to listen to Brown talk at 7 p.m. on March 8 at the Wright State University Student Union’s Apollo Room, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy, Fairborn.
With that, here are 7 of our favorite tips on how to adult -- quoted directly from Brown's book (which you can check out here).
Step 3: Don't get hurt when the world doesn't care about you
"It's not as depressing as it sounds. It's not as though the world hates you -- it just has no idea who you are."
Step 18: Buy toilet paper in bulk
"You see, toilet paper is something that you will always, always need… Because toilet paper is non-perishable (thank God, because that would be disgusting), you may as well go ahead and buy a whole bunch of it at once. It saves you money, cuts down on future toilet-paper-purchase expeditions, and guarantees you will never, ever have to leave your house at 5 AM with a digestive system that is on the march."
Step 35: Do not leave to crust for tomorrow what may be wiped up today
"Here is something that I am so, so embarrassed that I had to be told not six months ago, as I somehow had never absorbed it in childhood: When there are little spills or splatters, wipe them up right then… Seriously! It will never be easier to wipe up something than right when it is fresh."
Step 88: Watch ya mouth
"You know that terrible feeling where you have put your foot all the way in your mouth, and saying sorry will not smooth things over? It's awful, right? And it gives you archival mental footage for when you're reviewing your own personal worst moments, to be sandwiched between that terrible day in eighth-grade gym class and the time you begged that guy to take you back. I do it all the damn time -- mouthing off, at least. I am always, always, always saying something I shouldn't, but as I've gotten older I've learned it doesn't have to be this way."
Step 93: Do not RSVP "maybe"
"When someone asks you to do something, you have three options:
Option A: Say yes.
Option B: Say no.
Option C: Say ‘Gosh, that sounds wonderful, but please let me check my schedule,’ then get back to them within twenty-four hours with Option A or Option B.”
Step 107: Don't tell strangers about your problems
"So boring. So drab."
Step 330: Be cool about being single "A few people really love being single. You don't hear it much from them, because people who are actually happy with singleness don't spend a bunch of time telling everyone how great it is. They are too busy going out dancing and having exciting sex with attractive strangers. Or they're the kind of self-fulfilled, joyful people who have an all-consuming yet productive hobby, like yoga or parasailing."
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