How To Be An Adult

To highlight the benefits of being an organised grown-up and getting health insurance before you turn 30, HCF health fund proudly present you this guide on how to be a proper adult.

–

For as long as humans have been self-aware, ‘growing up’ has been a drag. We cast ourselves as Wendy in Peter Pan, forever faced with the awful truth that getting older means more responsibility, and that more responsibility means less fun.

But what if there was another way? What if you could somehow age, and still maintain your childhood enthusiasm and energy? What if it was possible to do all the ‘adult stuff’ you had to do — pay your taxes, plan your superannuation, get health insurance, maybe eat a salad every now and again — while still staying awesome?

Well, guess what? It’s possible. We’ve lined up some of the most awesome older* Australians to tell you how to do it.

*(Ok, so over 30 isn’t old at all. But we had to draw the line somewhere…)

– 

Ben Salter; musician

Why you should heed his advice: 
Ben Salter has made music under many guises, in The Wilson Pickers, Giants Of Science and The Gin Club. Tim Rogers (from You Am I) once declared, “I firmly believe Ben to be one of the world’s great singers, and if I weren’t so goddamn competitive, one of its great songwriters.” And you should listen to Tim Rogers, always.

Your 20s are meant to feel chaotic.
“You spend your 20s trying to plot a course between disasters, so to speak. And I think when you get to 30 — and it’s not something that happens in a day, or in a week — but slowly, you realise that I’ve got to worry about me, and about where I’m going, and whether I’m going to keep doing this thing for the rest of my life, so I’ve got to start taking it more seriously.”

–

Claire Collins; publicist/record label boss

Why you should heed her advice:
Claire was formerly the publicity and marketing manager over at Triple J, and is currently the director of Bossy Music, a ‘boutique’ management and PR company with clients like Gotye, Disclosure, the Laneway Festival and Flume.

Do what you’re good at.
“[When I was at uni] I didn’t have a grand plan to be anything.  Or rather, I had a grand plan to be everything and had trouble narrowing it down. I identified what I was good at and what I liked doing — writing, talking at people, giving unsolicited opinions and so forth — and that guided every career move I’ve made, from my choice of degree to where I’m at now. I did have an existential ‘what am I doing?’ career freak-out moment when I started Bossy a few years back so I went to a careers advisor — true. She told me that working in a job that doesn’t suit your personality is as stressful as trying to write with your right hand if you’re left-handed. So my advice is: do what you’re good at and you’ll love what you do.”

–

Matthew Strong; musician

Why you should heed his advice:
Lead guitarist for Custard, one of the best-loved Australian bands of all time, Matt Strong writes better riffs in his sleep than you could ever hope to.

Sometimes you just have to sit back and allow things to happen.
“[After nearly a decade of Custard being broken up and rarely speaking to each other] A phone call to play Queensland’s 150^th anniversary concert got us all speaking again, and we enjoyed playing the show so much we kept taking one gig after another… With age and hindsight comes wisdom and appreciation: we all look forward to spending time together as a band now. No more outside influences, just the four of us. I think we all realise Custard was a band with unique chemistry that we all missed. Every other project felt inferior.”

–

Tony Moclair; radio presenter/comedian

Why you should heed his advice:
Even if you don’t know his name, you certainly know his voice. A radio presenter and comedian who has presented on Triple M, Nova, the ABC and Melbourne’s RRR, Moclair is most famous for his character Guido Hatzis.

Have a Plan B, and find good people.
“Have a Plan B. Have a backup. Do your degree first — in accountancy or something like that. [Entertainment] is an unreliable industry. And work with people you like. It sounds trite, and really obvious, but it will make a huge difference to your well-being and mental health. It pays to have good people around you — good people that you like and respect.”

–

Jain Moralee; festival director 

Why you should heed her advice:
Newly-appointed Executive Director of the Underbelly Arts Festival, Moralee has spent years in the wild world of arts festivals. Formerly the General Manager and Festival Director of Queer Screen, Moralee has also worked for the Australian Film Commission.

Never lose your curiosity.
“Retaining curiosity is key. Never losing that interest and love of life that might take you to places that aren’t very adult. Never stop adventuring. Never stop dancing, and make sure there is lots of laughter in your life. Surround yourself with people who laugh at your jokes, and who make you laugh, and will come out dancing with you.”

–

Hugh Robertson is a Sydney freelance writer whose feelpinions on music, TV, film, politics or AFL you may have encountered in New Matilda, The BRAG and Faster Louder. Briefly on staff at The Global Mail, Hugh is now the Music Editor of Concrete Playground.

–

Being an adult is all about figuring out what you love the most and arranging everything else around it. But as Tony Moclair says, it’s also about “having a Plan B”: a back-up plan for continuing to kick goals when the unexpected happens. When it comes to health insurance, HCF health fund is not-for-profit, which means they give more back to their members.

Join HCF online to get one month free AND get the usual two and six month waiting periods waived (some conditions apply). Get a quick quote now.