Millennials have a bad reputation for being emotionally distant, lazy and unfulfilled. During my time here at UF, I have tried to counteract this generalization.
This week, I turned 21. As I reach this milestone in my life, I have learned about what it means to be an adult and figure things out on my own. Here are a couple life lessons to take into account:
The first lesson is simple: Mind your business. You will find that the majority of problems you encounter can be avoided by simply staying out of things that don’t concern you.
This may sound harsh, but staying out of drama and avoiding the urge to pry into other people’s social or romantic relationships will give you free time to do something more productive.
Next, be proactive. Ask that special person out on a date. Text the friend you fell out of touch with first. Be quick to apologize and ask for forgiveness. If you think something is cute, wear it — nobody of importance will hate it anyway. Remember you have the same amount of time in the day as Beyoncé, so act accordingly.
The next lesson: Words mean things. We have all messed up and said things we shouldn’t have in our lives. But the true test of character is what you do with that.
For example, Don Lemon on CNN told a sexual assault victim there were ways she could have stopped the assault. The victim blaming was clear in this case, and he received major backlash for it. Later on he apologized for it.
One thing I realized is that if you know better, you do better. As people grow, they will come to know what should be said and what shouldn’t be said.
Maya Angelou taught me the next lesson. She said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”
First impressions and interactions are really important, especially when it comes to relationships. When you see red flags and something is telling you to go in the other direction, don’t ignore that voice in your head.
And finally: Love yourself. Being authentic 100 percent of the time is both the easiest and hardest job in the world. Nobody is going to love you the right way if self love doesn’t happen first.
This is especially difficult when society expects you to live up to harmful stereotypes and generalizations. Loving yourself includes not comparing yourself to other people and their achievements.
For example, many college students get depressed seeing Facebook statuses of their friends hanging out and having a good time.
Facebook only lists people’s accomplishments, not their failures, and no one can truly know what people are going through just by looking at their online profiles. Compliment yourself. Admire and be proud of your body. Take tons of selfies.
Long story short: You’re allowed to be happy. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
With these ideals in mind, you should also accept the fact that some days will be better than others, and that is OK. You’ll eventually see positivity as a result.
By following these simple instructions, I believe that millennials across the country can lead better lives. Oprah Winfrey once said something I’ll never forget: “Not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
Harold Joseph is a UF political science junior. His columns appear on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 8 on 11/21/2014]
