15 Things Millennials Need to Stop Doing Right Now

     I know, technically, my age group is a "Millennial" but this is a very hard thing for me to grasp. I am 31, (old as dirt, I get it); and even I catch myself saying, "kids today...". For real though, anyone who classifies themselves as a "Millennial" pay attention!

     1) Stop taking life seriously. This isn’t totally the fault of Millennials. By the time you are 17, you are up against a wall asked to choose your life path or die. That is absolutely absurd. However, ya’ll need to stop buying into that crap because in reality, no one knows what the hell they are going to be when they grow up until they face 30k in debt, discontent with their jobs/life and/or contemplating living on an island and selling coconuts. Just have fun until you are forced to pay rent.

     2) Stop bitching about stupid shit. Ok, so your roommate used your shampoo, or your “bae” didn’t text you back………guess what? LIFE. GOES. ON. Buy NEW SHAMPOO, GET A NEW BOO; this isn’t rocket science. Pick your battles because when you’re old you realize how much time and energy you wasted on unnecessary drama, your petty annoyances are the least of my concern. Oh, and if you REALLY want to get into semantics on stupid stuff, you owe me $13.36 for that lunch that one time at that one place...

          3) Stop bitching about shit you can absolutely change. You hate your job? FIND A NEW ONE. Your friend is doing or saying something you don't like, don't bitch about them to other people, TALK TO THEM.  You’re not making enough money, GET A SECOND INCOME AND FIGURE IT OUT. Complaining is like nails on a chalkboard; not to say you are not allowed to voice your grievances, but constantly complaining…just stop. My dad used to tell me you could either smile and face the situation or be mad and face the situation; either way you have to face the situation. This is so true. If you are not happy with something in your life, only YOU have the power to change. Don’t expect anything to change for you.

          4) Stop bitching about shit…in general. Whether it be your relationship, your friendship, politics, how bad TV is, your hair, your job, your slow wifi connection…JUST SHUT UP. Understand how EFFING privileged and blessed we are, regardless of socio-economic status to just have a dang roof over our heads. Just remember, if you think you have it bad, there is always someone who has it worse.

    5) Stop feeling entitled. HAHA I love this. So you think you can just graduate college and walk into a job that pays 50k? THINK AGAIN! You may be the most brilliant, talented person at your specialty, but the cruel reality is, you need to EARN the money you are given. Well, you SHOULD earn the money you are given. No one owes you anything. In fact, you are probably indebted to someone.  Also, stop expecting people to automatically give you the respect you think you deserve. Remember, you DESERVE nothing; give respect and you will receive respect.  Those of you spoon fed by parents, a sugar daddy, what have you, disregard. Even at 31, with a genius IQ, dual Bachelors degree and 10 years of experience, I am selling used cars. Yeah, you let me know when you find that hand out so I can sign up…

    6) Stop feeding into societal stigmas. You don’t want to be called a dumb "millennial",  do everything you can to prove them wrong. You don’t want to be called lazy, don’t be lazy, you don’t want to be “labeled”, STOP USING THE WORD “LABEL”. Be better than what others think you may be. 

    7) Stop caring about what others think. Going along with the above, this is the most clichéd, yet true, statement I have come to learn and love. I could give two you-know-whats about what others think about me; yet I do care how I present myself. Two different things. Take pride in who you are; which doesn’t mean finding the  nearest protest or taking to Facebook to update your status with your “strong opinions” on an election you know nothing about. Be yourself and love yourself  but remember perception is reality.

         8) Stop taking the small things for granted. If someone at work changes the toilet paper roll, thank him or her. If your mom pays a month of rent because she knows your hopes of getting that 50k job out of college are dead, thank her. If someone does anything nice for you, whatever it may be, THANK THEM. The words “Thank you”, are so incredibly powerful and can honestly change lives. Also, just BE NICE to people. Respect others, live by The Golden Rule. Those of you who don't know what The Golden Rule is, "Treat others the way you want to be treated". Always be kind, pay it forward and live everyday as a blessing, not as a way of life. Keep in mind it can all be taken away in a split second.

         9) Stop depending on others. Here is a little wake up call for all you early 20’s kiddos, NO ONE BUT YOUR PARENTS LOVES YOU NO MATTER WHAT. Sometimes not even that. At the end of the day YOU are who takes care of YOU. Learn how to change a tire, how to cook, how to spoon feed yourself; when you get to be in your 30’s and start to weed out people in your life because you have to, you will be lost if you don’t know simple life skills they were providing for you. 

  10) Stop spending money on stuff you can’t afford and pay attention to your credit score. Self-explanatory. My credit score basically says I exist and funny enough, I have no student loans, no mortgage and have never owned a credit card. I was just an IDIOT about putting bills off. Don’t be me…seriously. You don't realize how much credit matters until you are on your own. Stop putting spring break trips on credit, start saving money, buy what you NEED not what you want. I wish someone would have told me this 10 years ago. A little treat yoself is ok now and then but buying an $80,000 car when you can barely make your rent payment is just a bad decision.
   

        11)  Stop relying on autocorrect. As I click the red squiggly line under “autocorrect”. Ironic. Learn to punctuate and spell correctly. Please don’t let society actually become like the movie “Idiocracy”. It really should be common knowledge how to spell “believe”; and understand “i before e except after c”, but common knowledge isn’t that common anymore. If NOTHING else please, I am begging all of ya’ll (I am from Texas I can say that), know the difference between “your” and you’re”, and “there”, their” and they’re”. Just please.

 12) Stop being selfish. It is ok to be selfish every now and then but something as simple as NOT BEING ON TIME when you say you will, is 110% selfish. Start being more empathetic…#realtalk

 13) Stop one-upping. Ok, so your friend snowboarded down a double black, now you climbed Mount Everest? No. What are you trying to prove exactly? Talent is silence.

       14) Stop speaking uneducated.  If you honestly have no clue what the hell the policies of the Democratic GOP nom is, Don’t TALK ABOUT IT! Ya’ll have Google now, you can literally get edumacated in five seconds.

 15) Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t be scared to voice an opinion, but OWN IT. Speak up, but have ammo to back it up. Don’t be someone you are not, EVER. You save a lot of time and effort realizing who loves you for you and who sucks.