The 9 Morals Every 20-Something Needs To Live By

By definition, morals are "a person's standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do." As we continue on this journey called life, we shape and flesh out our values and principles based around what we find to be most important.

So what morals should you carry with you every day?

We're all made of flesh and blood.

Who are you to act superior to someone else? Unless you possess the ability to shape shift into a Chipotle burrito or Beyoncé, I will regard you as my equal. Our generation acts so entitled and for what purpose? I don't care how many cars you have in your garage or what affluent suburb you come from. Stay humble; no one likes a prick who thinks he or she is better than everyone else.

Life is funny.

Life is funny, if not hilarious. Imagine you ate sh*t on some stairs; the best way to get over something so embarrassing is simply to laugh about it (laughing releases endorphins, you know). Don't take anything too seriously — you'll be glad you didn't, as drama queens are no fun. "Like ohmygod why is he getting with that other girl?" Shut up. No one cares and no one wants to hear that story (because we've already heard it 100x).

People are constantly changing.

Whether it's hair color or growing out of a goth phase, people change. Judging someone for who he or she was a year ago is as unfortunate as premature ejaculation. Change is inevitable — it's happening right now.

If it doesn't make you happy, then why bother?

No one is forcing you to wake up every morning and live a life that makes you feel worse than how Jessica Cabani felt at the Grammys when Bruno Mars dedicated his award to his mother. If you're miserable doing something, then don't do it. Do what makes you happy — people say it all the time, and with good reason.

The world is a critic.

To accept that you won't agree with everyone else's opinions is the equivalent of growing another layer of skin — you're toughening up. Although mostly supportive and loving, people also possess the ability to be unkind.  Understand that when you give someone the ability to appraise your life, you may not get the response you were hoping to hear.

Life is too short to diet.

If eating your slice of cake [plus your friend's slice (plus your friend's friend's slice)] makes you happy, then do it.  We won't be on this earth forever and who wants to look back and think, “Damn, I should've pigged out more.”  Rather, we want to look back and think, “I ate some damn good food in my day.” Snaps to you if you're one of those people who actually enjoys dieting and eating low-calorie foods, but excuse me while I reach for the nearest bag of beef jerky.

If something looks or sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Question everything. From your boyfriend's guilty conscience to a certain someone's sudden over-the-top kindness. It's good to be curious, just don't let it kill your cat or whatever that saying is…

If it's meant to be, it will be.

Playing the “what if” game will result in nothing but a tub of Nutella and a movie marathon (with a box of tissues as your companion) or a migraine. Either way, it never ends well, so spare yourself the trouble of over-thinking what could have been. “What could have been” also could have been something else had you chosen another road to take, however, you chose this road and here you are.

Everything happens for a reason.

(Oh, the clichés!)  Although I do not believe in fate, I do believe that life has a funny (and sometimes cheeky) way of working out — it will and always does work out. We all battle with thoughts like, “Why does this happen to me?” and “Why do I feel like this?” but it is better not to dwell on these questions.  Acceptance is key; growth is vital.