Rooftop Book Club - "How to be a Grown up"

The main inspiration for me starting to write online (on hopefully a serious and regular basis) is an event I went to on Thursday 6th April 2017. Advertising on Facebook, the Rooftop Book Club in association with Glamour hosted an evening where two authors came to talk about their books but more importantly about life for millennials and the issues they could face. Daisy Buchanan who wrote "How to be a grown up" which is in bookstores now and Grace Victory's "No filter needed" which is being released on the 27th July both spoke about the ups and downs within their lives that helped them come to realise that nothing is perfect and that self care is the way forward...

We (myself and two of my closest friends) decided to go to this event mostly because of the name and what was promised to be spoken about: 'How to Be A Grown Up In A Millennials’ World.' It grabbed our attention straight away and it meant that we could have an evening out whilst hopefully learning a little bit about ourselves in the process.

The setting couldn't have been better. Imagine an amazing view of the river and a minimalist yet chic rooftop garden. We were invited to look around the outside space, take photos and take in the view with refreshments and nibbles before the talk started. I never get bored of the river view and so I was in my element whilst at the same time being very jealous of anyone who worked there and got to enjoy the view full time.

Once inside, the host, Lisa Harvey introduced the two speakers and got straight into asking the tough questions about their books, the experience of writing and how they tried to be grown ups. Every subject was covered from the expected (work, sex and relationships) to many unexpected topics (taxes, childhood and mental health and self-care) and the candidness with which the subjects were approached definitely made me realise that it is okay to be discussing issues such as these on a more open - broad scope.

I felt fired up by Gracie whom made me want to kick the arse out of my goals and actually achieve them and I felt reassured and comforted by Daisy when she spoke about her experiences of struggles in the work place knowing that if my plans do not go 'to plan' then I have not failed at being a grown up. All of the women complimented each other well and the conversation flowed, bouncing from one to another, allowing the whole room to feel at ease with a great atmosphere.

One of my main reflections from the evening was that I may not have a house or a mortgage in the next few years (or even understand completely what a mortgage is) but I now know that I am not the only one out there feeling vulnerable about these sorts of issues that everybody is going through. Even on the tube journey home, we opened up more on a smaller scale and spoke about how the events of the evening related to our individual lives. Goals are there to be achieved but hard work needs to happen and things still may not work out straight away.

Now almost a month on, the talk and the wisdom of all three women, still resonates with me. Whenever, I'm having a 'down-day' and do not want to get out of bed, I think back to that evening and it helps to remember that lots of people, no matter what lifestyle that have can feel like they are losing control. Rather than thinking in a negative way, I am trying to let these feelings of doubt encourage me to take back some control and most importantly, be happy with myself and my life.