As Millennials, society often thinks less of us. Apparently, we’re lazy and do not like to work. We feel entitled to every earthly possession. We work to live rather than live to work, and oh, let’s not forget that we can’t keep a job. We hop from job to job and are never satisfied. Of course, all of these are pure stereotypes. All Millennials are not like this. Some of us actually don’t mind working and I am one of those people.

I didn’t quite understand why people looked down on my generation at first. I mean technology has changed us. My generation doesn’t know how to have a simple conversation. Marriage seems to be going extinct. The music today is disrespectful in every aspect, and is starting to have no meaning, but the concept that we don’t like to work is just absurd to me.

When I was 16, I got my first job, and let me tell you, I was ecstatic that I was receiving my own coin. Not my mother’s, not my father’s and not my grandparents’, but my own coin. It was a great feeling. I liked not having to always go to my parents for money to buy some clothes. Of course this also meant that I had to pay for other things that I wasn’t too happy about, but at least I could pay for it.

I went to school and worked part-time on the weekends when I was in high school. I chose to. I had to keep making my coin to afford my lifestyle (which was just getting my hair and nails done). I didn’t mind it. I knew that money didn’t grow on trees so I had to make it appear somehow.

So when I heard this stereotype that millennials were lazy, I was baffled, because I for one know that I am not lazy. I may not feel like going to work everyday, but I go. I do know some people who have never had a job before, and to this day they are over the age of 18 and don’t have their own coin, and the thought of working just makes them nauseous. I personally don’t know how they do it. I don’t mind it, but society can’t make a generalization based off of that.

To be honest, I hate not working. I always have to be doing something. I know that may sound cliché, but when I have free time and I am just sitting in the house staring at the wall, it seriously drives me crazy. I need to do something, might as well make money.

Some of my friends get frustrated when they want to hang out and I have to pass because I’m always working. Now don't get me wrong, I do have a social life (I clearly get no sleep), but I need to afford my lifestyle because no one else is going to do it. So I need to get off my behind and go do something with my life instead of spending money that I don’t have or spending someone else's money.

I remember I was watching "Madea's Big Happy Family" the play, and tough, honest Madea said, “Anything that comes in your life fast is going to leave even faster.” Man, that spoke a sermon to me. I receive that with my whole being. I understand that if I want something in life, I have to work hard to get it. I want a lot of things in life, so I guess it’s a good thing that I started working at 16, which is not typical for a Millennial, according to society, of course.

Not only that, but also as a young adult that is working and going to school, I have gained very important values such as determination, humility, patience and discipline. These are values that my parents cannot hand to me on a check. I had to learn for myself.

Adulting is not that bad. It is scary and confusing, but that is how you grow and learn. So all millennials are not definitely not the same. I do not apologize for always working and I give myself a pat on the back, even if society doesn’t want to. So, for the record, I am a millennial and I am not lazy. I actually enjoy working. *drops mic*