Today I’m sharing a few habits that I think everyone should start working on. I’ve been thinking a lot about how much life has changed since graduating college. A lot of these habits are ones I’ve been working on, especially since graduating, but really it’s never to early to start!
1. Ask for Help
I am the absolute worst when it comes to asking for help. I’d honestly just rather not. But I know I need to. It saves so much time and a lot of headaches in the long run. Even just asking for advice (from a trustworthy person) can help. Put aside your pride and maybe even embarrassment and just ask.
Ask for directions. Ask for guidance from parents. Ask for help from your professors. Ask your doctors the questions you’re worried about. Ask away!
(And don’t forget to be there for your friends if they need help too.)
2. Use What Mom Uses
Let me just say that I’ve learned this one the hard way. Mom really does know best. That laundry detergent with the “cute” label? It doesn’t work like the one your mom uses. I don’t even bother trying most things because I know what my mom used while I was growing up and she never steered us wrong. I imagine she experimented with products over the years and figured out what works. So yep! I’ll take that, please!
From insurance (same company she’s used since she was in her 20s) to paper towels. Mom seriously knows what’s best.
(Side note, but related. Garrett and I ordered a bunch of these Amazon Dash buttons. They. Are. Amazing. Whenever we reach for the last roll of toilet paper or we’re down to the last Clorox wipes, you just push the button and a delivery will be on its way.)
3. Daily moisturizer
I was a very, very late adopter of moisturizer and I seriously wish I had started sooner. Honestly, it should have been my nightly routine from middle school onward. If you’re not moisturizing… START NOW. You’ll never regret starting early.
Not only will it help your skin as you age, it transformed my skin in general. I get way fewer breakouts now that I moisturize on the regular. It’s worth spending some time figuring out what works for your skin. (I personally highly recommend Origins Night-A-Mins renewal cream. I’ve been using it for over three years now and just love it.)
4. Saying No and Saying Yes
So this goes both ways. (And let me just fully admit right now that this is probably my hardest habit to get into.) It’s so, so important to figure out when to say no and when to say yes. Sometimes you have to say yes as a favor and that’s okay. And sometimes you have to say no for your own sanity and that’s also okay. You don’t have to overextend yourself, but listen to your gut.
Know when you should say “yes!” to that job interview even if it terrifies you. And know when you should say “no!” to something that goes against your values. It’s something you should constantly be checking in with yourself about.
5. Asserting Yourself
I am FINALLY learning how to assert myself. It’s taken me forever. I’m typically a passionate person and I have no problem standing up for things I believe in or standing up for a friend in a pickle. But when it comes to asserting my self? The worst. I turn into a wall flower.
One of my biggest regrets at my old job was not standing up for myself when someone with a lot of authority put me down, inappropriately and completely out of line, I waited for someone else to stand up for me instead of saying something myself. It still haunts me. (And my friend coworkers still apologize for clamming up too!)
Even after that event, I still struggled to assert myself. I feel like this year I’ve really found my voice. With my new blog redesign, I wasn’t loving the first iterations of the logo. I couldn’t sleep for a few days and finally just decided to put my qualms aside and say what I wanted. It ended up being the easiest thing (once I finally said it) and the results were just what I was looking for.
6. Tipping
So for this, I think tipping is really important but it’s also personal. There are certainly “best practices” but ultimately it’s up to you and what you feel most comfortable with. I only keep cash on me for tipping reasons. Every time I deposit a check at the bank, I pick up some cash for tips. I keep twenties but mostly ten, five, and dollar bills. I hate that feeling of not having cash on hand for tipping at coat checks, valets, nail salons, Starbucks, the dog groomer, etc. I typically keep about $100 on hand (no more than that because I’m convinced that’ll be the day I get mugged), but when I’m traveling I’ll keep even more on hand.
7. Building Credit
Last but not least, if you haven’t started building your credit yet, you should. Start NOW so that when you need credit (like when you decide to buy a house or something down the line), you’ve been building healthy and great credit over the years. Whenever I have a credit report run, my score is always lowered because I don’t have enough credit! You basically should start proving yourself now!
I’m going to do a longer post about this from actual experts, but here’s my personal recommendations for the time being. I recommend going to the bank to see what credit card will make most sense for you. (I have a Chase Sapphire Preferred card and love it.) Look for ones with no annual fees and a good point system. Treat your credit card like a debit card and it pay it off in full, on time, every month. It’s also important to keep a balance that’s less than half of your limit. (You can always ask for your limit to be raised after you’ve been consistently been paying your statements!) When I bought my car, I actually financed it so that I could have some “good” debt. It really kind of annoys me that you have to have debt– I’d rather not have any– but in this case, it’s considered “good.” I put down 60% of the car in cash and now have a car payment that I pay automatically every month. (Trust me, that really helps as a good argument for when you start applying for mortgages!) You also don’t want to open up a million credit cards. If you want to get a card for, say, a retailer, see if they have a debit card option. That way you have the store benefits but doesn’t affect your actual credit.
(This is also a note for anyone who owns their own business… get a business credit card as well!!! I put everything on the card to start building credit for my business as well. If you ever needed a loan at some point to grow your business, it’s just as important to prove that your business has good credit too. And just like your personal card, pay it off monthly in full and keep the balance well under the limit. It’s also amazing because you end up getting points back which can be a great way to earn extra “cash” for booking travel or converting to gift cards.)
Any good habits you’d add to the list?
xoxo
These are really great points. I need to start moisturizing and asserting myself. Have a great trip to Ireland! Can't wait for all the recaps!
These are great tips! I'm trying to accept that asking for help is okay. I totally agree with the second tip, mom always knows best!
Princess Kaiulani | http://www.princesskaiulanit.blogspot.com
I would like to disagree with the "Mum is always right" option. I love my Mum, but she is from a different generation than me, with a totally different world growing up (in the interests of full disclosure, I am not from the US, so my experiences will be different to some). Her attitudes and values are different to mine in many ways, and she raised me that way, to think for myself and to make my own decisions.
An example, I would have loved to be able to buy my first property at the same age that my parents did, but the cost of living is so much higher now than it was when they were my age to start with. The unit they bought when they first got married (nothing fancy, just a two bedroom unit, an hour commute to the CBD where my father worked) recently went on the market, for almost 1.5 million dollars more than what they paid for it all those years ago! It hasn't even been renovated, it is the same fittings, just older. What worked for them to get into the housing market, will not work for me. My world is different to theirs, I have to make different choices to my mum just to get my foot in that door.
I can't use the tampons that my mother introduced me to in my teens, we inherited a screwed up environment and they are landfill, so I did my research and have swapped to a cup.
I have a different insurance company to my parents/mother, she is married with kids, I am single, no kids, super active so I need something with great coverage for physio (and acupuncture), and the best deal for me is with a totally different company to my mum. If I had just followed her, I would be paying significantly more, for things I don't need/use and would be paying out of pocket for what I do.
We live in a world with so much access to information, and so many opportunities, take them by both hands!
We are strong independent women, and to meekly follow without doing our own research is doing a disservice to ourselves (and those women who came before us and opened the doors for us!). Yes, ask for advice and suggestions, but do your own research and make your own choices.
Something I find terrifying is meeting women who are unable to make a choice, or do something for themselves because all their lives they do what their parents, then husband did, if they suddenly have those things/people taken away from them, they can not function. We should be teaching our girls to make their own way, to grab life with both hands, to kick arse and take names. #soapbox
Mums are great, and I am so glad I have mine, but it is my life, not hers.
Loved this post! Especially the one about always carrying cash to tip! I always forget when I'm at the carwash!
Jordan @ NorthShoreProper.com
This is great! Thanks for sharing. All valid points and things that I start working on, then stop, then start again. It's hard to stay consistent, but that's what eventually makes it routine.
Allie | http://www.coralseahorse.com
#1 is something I've been getting better at but still need to work on. When I need help is the most is when it's hardest to ask for it :/ #6 I will tip, but I don't like doing it T_T Often times I won't order delivery because I don't like tipping, but I will tip whenever I do order. Tipping wasn't a thing were I lived, so when I came to the States, I found it such a hassle. But now that I'm in college and I have friends working jobs from which they rely on tipping to earn more money, I've become more at peace with it and understand it a little better. -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey's
Your tip about building credit is SO important and something people overlook until it's too late. My dad works as a loan officer and meets with recent college graduates looking to buy houses all the time but they don't have any credit. Getting a credit card and paying it off every month is a great place to start!
Absolutely loved this list!!
xo, Syd
anchoredinthesouth.com
LOVE this list- I totally agree on tipping!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
Totally agree with #2 – mom knows best! Love this list, I try to follow all of these myself.
Best,
Kristin
http://www.kristinhecker.com
Such great tips overall, but I love the moisturizing tip and can say it is so totally true in my mind also. I started using oil (argan to be exact) and I use oils for everything now- so natural and it really matches up with the natural oils on your skin. So many people with oily skin are afraid to use moisturizers which I actually just making their skin more oily! My skin has also changed for the better since this too, Carly.
Still working on being assertive with myself, and I think that also just comes with age… maturity, experience.. It's so important!!
I would also add consuming enough water and getting 8 hours of sleep to the list… I cannot function without these two literally they everyday so great! If I don't make sure I do these two, I feel horribly tired, cranky, and just not as "perky".
Such great tips overall, but I love the moisturizing tip and can say it is so totally true in my mind also. I started using oil (argan to be exact) and I use oils for everything now- so natural and it really matches up with the natural oils on your skin. So many people with oily skin are afraid to use moisturizers which I actually just making their skin more oily! My skin has also changed for the better since this too, Carly.
Still working on being assertive with myself, and I think that also just comes with age… maturity, experience.. It's so important!!
I would also add consuming enough water and getting 8 hours of sleep to the list… I cannot function without these two literally they everyday so great! If I don't make sure I do these two, I feel horribly tired, cranky, and just not as "perky".
Learning how to ask for help was a really hard one for me, but so important to learn!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com