Fourteen principles to help you find your worthiness on your twenties

Vinícius Maia Silveira
Nov 7 · 4 min read

As soon as I finished my reflection that drove me into writing the 14 principles, I wanted to share it with people, but with who, it might be principles you can rely on any time, but there are a special people who might need it more than most and to figure out that I simply look into who I am and why those principles helped me achieve what I have achieved in my life. Truth be told, those principles might won’t apply in a specific situation, or might contradict themselves depending on the view, after all, they are principles, and it depends on individual perspective.

I’m starting the third decade of my life, and most of those principles helped me since my twenties when questions such as who I’m, where I’m going and what I’m building often came to my mind. That does not mean you can’t use them if you are older. When I first share it, I had some older friends reaching out and thanking for the information, but the development I will follow might bring examples and life experiences not often lived if you are older.

Also, since I was never married, most of those principles are applied in general for young adults who are looking for guidance as individuals. I have been on several mid-long term relationships, and even more, short term relationships and some of the principles I bring on are strongly related to relationships, but at the end of the day, the focus of each principle is to help you individually.

I’m a guy, and the articles I will bring later are developed from a man perspective, I do believe tho, the core needs of a person are the same, independent of gender. There are gender-related needs, but I expect the principles on this material to be applied despite your gender needs. After all, if your goal is to have an amazing family, to be a mom of incredible kids and stay home to make sure it happens, it is a worthy dream to fight for and the principles will help you to accomplish that.

A final consideration, is really important to point out, these are principles and not laws, I have a huge frustration when it comes to messing principles with laws, probably it comes from the time I lived on small strong religious communities where people would say you can’t drink because is bad to your health but would shove their faces into sugar.

Principles, when understood and well applied, will make you feel like a rock of your own morality, and despite time, space and situation, help you to find your answers, laws are strict, outdated and robotic, principles are flexible, adaptive and spiritually growth-oriented, like us, humans are.

I will keep sharing articles for each of the principles in the future, I hope it to guide you and help you take actions towards a bigger and better version of yourself, I believe doing that you will add to your community, to your country and to society in general, because at the end of the day, our progress as collective, depends on our progress as individuals.

The principles are:

1. Use the fear of stagnation to beat the fear of taking calculated risks. Nothing will make you regret more than look back and feel you miss a clear opportunity of progress and growth
2. Calculate your risks and assume responsibility for the results, nobody else has more right to take care of you than yourself
3. Trust your guts and your heart, but keep close friends who are trustworthy, honest and with similar principles, they will help you find your answers when your feelings and thoughts can’t find it themselves
4. Money will help you to experience life positively, to help others around you and to accomplish goals in life, but if you need to choose between money or any of those things, never pick money.
5. Go for the girl who smiled back, insist on the one who rolled her eyes when you said hi is such a waste of time and energy.
6. Any time you spend on letting go of situations and people who don’t value your presence is time invested in developing yourself for the new. Practicing what is necessary to let go and move one is what will build your strongest self.
7. Be the friend you expect someone to be for you, cheer for their accomplishment, listen when they cry, help when they need and always be honest, even if it costs them walking away.
8. Respect your loved one limits, but don’t accept friendship from someone you desire romance or are in love with, that is self-torture and will delay them from finding what they want.
9. Dream big, fight for your goals and don’t hide it, be a warrior when it comes to your dreams, don’t step back even to get an impulse, and if you fall, the only way is to keep going, so fall forward!
10. If you get beat, rely on your family and friends, but don’t expect them to suffer your pain, sometimes the only way up is crying on the ears of your pillow and hoping the next day will be easier.
11. Whenever you are on a job you don’t like, you are learning some skill that very likely will be necessary on your future, and not surprisingly linked with what you really want to be doing.
12. God will manifest in your life in many different ways, be open, pray, have a close relationship with Him, be open with your spirituality, but don’t become a fanatic, religions are a tool, not a weapon.
13. Be on a relationship is constantly growing together, share and be selfless, but never let a loved one force you to be someone you aren’t or do something you can’t.
14. If a friendly dog bites you, you are wrong.

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