This article isn’t going to tell you how to live or which morals are right or wrong. This is just an insight to how I live my life, and which morals follow in that life. Throughout my 20 years on this beautiful planet, I’ve learned so much, but I also know that there is much more to come. These are my personal life morals for now, so please proceed with ultimate kindness.
- People Change People
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Can I tell you a secret? I got this line from a kid’s tv show (shhh don’t tell okay?) but ever since I heard it, I have really embraced all that it means. I believe that life is all about people. Humans want other humans in their life — plain and simple. Although I believe that we all have “People” in our lives that are here to truly help you grow and flourish one way or another, I also think that strangers on the street can change you. A funny face by someone’s child or a couple yelling on the bus can certainly change the way you see the world. So before this paragraph becomes a little too cheesy, I’ll end it by saying that you should look at the people who you surround yourself with. Because sure, there are always going to be the random acts of kindness by complete strangers that will change your life, but look at the people you are choosing to have in your life. Are they growing you for better? Or for worse? Because people truly change people, but it’s up to you who your People are.
- Inside Everyone is True Kindness and Humanness
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So this was actually my first true moral. I strongly decided in senior year of high school that this was it. I still regret not including Ellen DeGeneres’s saying, “Be kind to one another” as one of my senior quotes because that’s the way I like to live my life. I believe that inside of everyone, there is true kindness and humanness. People look out for each other, take care of one another, and help their loved ones no matter the circumstances; there is good in the world and in people. I think that the world, or sometimes what adults call “the real world”, can build layers of protection around you. These layers of protection lead to a sense of coldness or lack of empathy for the world, because if you cared it would hurt you too much and that’s not “worth it”. But here’s the deep dark secret that everyone is hiding from you–you are kind and you are human. In that kindness and humanness there is a person who cares deeply for the world. So let them out. Just care – care when no one else will because the world will thank you for it.
- Do Good
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This one touches my heart the greatest. My late grandpa used to tell me this all of the time, and since his passing I have really thought about what this meant. I’m not sure if he intended for me to overthink this phrase this much, but either way I have and it’s been wonderful. I really try and do good in my day to day and in my overall greater considerations for the future. Try to tell the people that you love how much you care for them, throw away the trash on the floor that wasn’t left by you, or make conversation with your cashier at the store when no one else will: big and small scale — it all adds up and it’s all so good. I think doing good is trying your hardest to be the best human you can be. Doing good for others, doing good for the planet, and doing good for yourself–it’s truly the only way to live.
- You Are Where You Need to Be
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My freshman year of college, I had a 4×4 pink-background black-lettered photo printed stating, “You are where you need to be” on my wall. Every time I doubted myself or where I was my first year, I looked at it and honestly? It helped me immensely. When I’m not feeling my best or even out-of-place, this is the reminder I tell myself. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and say you are where you need to be. Now looking back and thinking about all of those times, this mantra is entirely true: you are where you need to be. Although doubt and fear can easily creep in, I remember that I’m taking the classes that I’m meant to, going to school where I’m meant to, and have the relationships in my life that I’m meant to. So for anyone out there doubting anything about any part of their life – you are where you need to be. This is all how it’s supposed to be. You can do this. I hope this serves you well.
- If You Would Regret It, Then Do It
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So this might seem a little dangerous, but let me tell you — it works wonders. I find when I’m struggling between making a decision or not, I turn back to this statement to help me through it. It’s interesting because no matter the size of the decision, big or small, it makes it for me. From debating whether or not to ask the employee at the grocery store a question to telling a friend a secret that I’ve been keeping in for months, this statement helps me decide. At the end of the day, no one wants to live a life full of regrets. What’s the fun in that? So the next time you are deciding whether to go up to that cute person in that random cafe to talk to them – DO IT. ‘Cause you know you’ll regret it the next day if you don’t ;)
Like I told you at the beginning of the article, our morals shift, change, and grow as we do so ourselves. I hope at least one of these struck your heart today, but if not, try and write down a list of your morals. Take a moment today to see what statements you live by or want to incorporate into your life. I know it might take some time, but I promise you it’s going to be worth it. There’s something about writing down what you believe in that makes it truly possible.