I know we’ve all seen one of those Twitter memes of an 18-year-old couple moving into a house, having a car, and being financially stable enough to take care of themselves. As funny as they can be, in the back of your head you’re caught comparing yourselves to them. The comments always will say something along the lines of “I’m 23 and can’t even afford a hamburger” or “I still live with my parents.” We get caught up in all the posts of seeing people our age married, with kids or living their dream jobs. It can be motiving but also discouraging to compare yourself to a position that you’re ready for in life.

We live in a society, especially in developed countries where independence at a young age is praised so highly. Once you graduate high school, its suggested to either go to college or move out of your parents’ house and fight for yourself. When the reality is that most kids at our age cannot afford to. Times have changed, the way your parents could live and work as a young adult is different than young adults now. In the 1980s, college tuition cost around $1,000 a semester - you could earn that working at McDonald's for the summer. Not until now, at 21, was I able to grow out the dorm lifestyle and into a house and I’m still struggling on how to learn how to adult.

You transition from having a ton of =support and guidance to learning how to do taxes, remembering to change your oil and all the other adult scenarios on the list. It takes adjustment, and it's okay if you still need help from family at times. I do not feel ashamed because I know eventually I will be able to support myself fully and I am doing everything in my life to reach that goal. These years are for struggling, making mistakes, and deciding what you want in life.

So please stop calling millennials lazy. We're tired and working hard to catch up with the failing economy that baby boomers altered. The solution to this is being more aware of adult things; such as the way you finance yourself. Take time and learn how to budget, to balance work and school and all your responsibilities, and to focus on your goals. Be a smart young adult so there are only positive reactions that follow you when you’re older. Teach yourself things that others cannot. Whether you are supporting yourself at 18 or still living with your parents, remember that life is not a race, and we all just want to be happy.