7 Rules For Millennials In 2014

The millennial generation is obsessed with living an open and public life. Unfortunately, this constant exposure to each other has led to a generation of people basing their happiness on comparing their lives with others. To combat this toxic environment, 2014 needs to be the year of selfishness. This doesn’t mean ignoring our loved ones, or being rude to others, but rather prioritizing our own mental well being. We must stop caring about doing what makes others happy and start focusing on what will make us happy. With that in mind, here are 7 resolutions to live a happy 2014.

1. Focus more on living your life, instead of documenting it on social media.

Rather than looking like you’re having a fabulous time for the cameras, have a good time for no one but yourself. You do not need others’ validation to feel as if you have an interesting life and our generation’s obsession with documenting our lives leads to a culture of jealousy and unhappiness. Enjoy your life offline for yourself and to combat this unhealthy culture of jealousy and FOMO.

2. Read the newspaper (or an online newspaper). Work on becoming a more interesting, educated person.

Stay informed of more than just what’s on Thought Catalog and Elite Daily. While the millennial generation is full of a wealth of interesting things, there is a lot of important stuff going on in world.  Being informed expands our world and gives us perspective.

3. Love your body.

Make choices that will make you feel good about your body. Do not vow to work out more or eat healthier for the sole purpose of losing weight. Feel free to do these things, but only with the right intentions. Vowing to lose weight often leads to disappointment and frustration. Make decisions about your body based on happiness, not arbitrary standards of beauty. Health and happiness have much more to do with a state of mind, than numbers on a scale.

4. Do one thing just for yourself every week.

This may be getting a massage, going shopping, or just sitting on your couch and doing nothing (I believe you should do that more than once a week…). Do this one thing a week without feeling guilty that you should be studying, applying to internships/jobs, working on your resume, or just generally being a more productive person. Everyone needs to recharge and I cannot stress enough the importance of happiness. Without a reprieve from daily stress you will be less productive and less happy.

5. Prioritize sleep.

While many people forego sleep to get more things done, sleeping less actually decreases productivity as well as focus, efficiency, and quality of work. Sleeping less also decreases your immune system and makes it hard to lose weight. In 2014 we should all prioritize sleep, because it feels damn good, but also can lead to any number of definitions of success because of the benefits it lends our work.

6. Stop comparing yourself to your peers.

Applaud their successes, but do not allow them to devalue your own. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself to adhere to current standards of success and realize that current standards of success are bullshit. Success should not be measured by material wealth but by whether or not you are happy with how you’re leading you’re life. If you’re not, do not feel bound to doing what others think you should, but find what makes you happy and do that.

7. Do not make rules about what you can and cannot do and what you should and shouldn’t be doing.

Rules like: I must go to the gym everyday, or I won’t eat junk food today, or I will finish an amount of work that is not humanly possible in this time period lead to disappoint and stress. Making arbitrary and unattainable rules cause us to hate ourselves unnecessarily.  Rather than making rules regarding these things, work hard and reward yourself accordingly. Realize there is no exact formula to success so don’t get worked up over eating an extra cupcake or skipping out on the gym.