People screw things up. It is unfortunate, but ultimately unavoidable. People mess up, whether they do it to act out in rebellion of their upbringing or are honestly just too stupid to see things clearly. Bottom line is, it happens. The important part about screwing up is how you handle it after the fact. How someone reacts to losing tells more about their strength of character than winning ever could.

I was winning for a while, more than a while honestly. But pride comes before a fall, and here are my musings after taking a fall:

• Ethics Means Doing The Right Thing Even When No One Is Looking. Your public image is an important thing to keep clean, but even coins have two sides. Keeping your public and private lives clean through responsible actions will make you a drastically better person than just having a good public image ever could.
• Boys Will Behave As Boys, But Men Should Behave As Men. I was not familiar with this quote until recently, but it speaks volumes to the current generation that is obsessed with showing off through illicit activities. Everyone will have a point in their life during which they have to either step up or step out. Whether you do what is needed or what is right, these are the decisions that will define what kind of ethics you truly have.
• We Create Our Own Demons. You really are your own worst enemy, nothing bad will ever happen to you that you didn't have at least one chance to stop. Opportunity does not exist without means, and you are the means to every bad opportunity that comes your way. Whether you just continue your current course, or start to better yourself instead is all on you- just know that every action has a consequence.
• It Is Never Too Late To Change. You are not a perfect individual, therefor people expect you to screw up from time to time- and that is okay! What is unacceptable, however, is screwing up over and over, but never changing your habits to anything better. You only get one life to live. You might as well give it some worth and be remembered for something good.

You may have a lot of atoning in your future, but know that you aren't alone. The first step to betterment is realizing you have a problem, afterwards it becomes that much easier to fix it. The final bit of advice I could give would be that whatever you do in life, make sure you #ShineOn.