Skip to Content

The T.R.U.T.H acronym

TRUTH

T- Travel often to find the facets of life that invigorate you.

R- Remember, you are your own best friend and worst enemy.

U- Unravel your passions, interests, and hobbies.

T- Take the time to care for yourself.

H- Help others find the T.R.U.T.H. to their lives!

Living truthfully is not merely good advice, it’s a standard everyone should live by. All too often we’re caught in the sticky web of listening to others instead of listening to ourselves. Influences strike us from every facet of our busy lives: school, work, friends, family, religion and society all pressure us to behave, think, and feel certain ways. Often times, such pressures cause us to lose sight of who we are and the path we are set on. Luckily, there is a way to sift through these pressures. That is, by refusing to sugar coat anything in life and always following your own soul, you will fulfill the pillars of T.R.U.T.H. and thus, live life to the absolute fullest!

T- Travel often to find the facets of life that invigorate you.

Traveling can be more than a hobby. It can actually become a regular part of your lifestyle, if your desire and funds permit. Traveling is the surest way to expose yourself to the world we live in. By traveling the world, you’ll learn to develop a strong appreciation for other cultures. Understanding another country’s language, customs, norms, and social behaviors can teach you how others live. Additionally, your appreciation for pieces of foreign cultures may be customs you take back home with you, to mimic in your own environment.

Traveling is also useful because it teaches you that you’re not the center of the universe. Getting caught up in the daily routine of work, school, relationships, and more can make it easy to feel like you live in a bubble. Due to these restrictions, we don’t usually step outside of our comfort zones. Traveling, on the other hand, forces you outside of the familiar, pushing you into new places of different sights, unique cuisine, unacquainted people, and foreign customs. Stepping outside of your bubble encourages adaptation and teaches you to take chances, thus finding what invigorates you in life.

R- Remember, you are your own best friend and worst enemy.

The one person you talk to at all times is yourself. Your non-stop mental voice accounts for all of your internal commentary. Knowing this, you’re in complete control of what you talk to yourself about. Rather than carrying on in a negative mental monologue, which can have a tremendous adverse impact on your mind, body and soul, try keeping your mind fresh with positivity. Optimism is a state of mind. Truly being an optimistic person involves looking at the world through an upbeat lens. Rather than immediately pointing out all of the negatives about your day, try positivity on for size. For instance, when you’re en route to class, instead of dreading long lectures and seemingly endless piles of homework, try being thankful for your opportunity to earn an education because there are so many people who lack the funds, resources, and support. Of course, you can apply this optimistic technique to anything in life.

While negativity causes you to be your own worst enemy, positivity empowers you to become your own best friend. Learning to control your mental buzz by filtering out the bad and holding onto the good is a powerful way to maintain upbeat mental monologue. Carrying on such optimism inspires you to live truthfully, because when you’re in the right mindset you cannot help but be honest with yourself.

U- Unravel your passions, interests and hobbies.

In order to really live truthfully, you must identify and be committed to your hobbies, interests, and passions. Far too many people discover their passions and abandon them for fear of rejection or failure. Additionally, many people forsake their hobbies and interests because more pressing things, such as work and school, replace these pastimes. Don’t let that be you! When you uncover activities that bring out the best in you, embrace them! Whether it be painting, athletics, writing, photography, sewing, cooking, or any of the other endless pastimes, don’t forsake the things that put a smile on your face! If you don’t have any hobbies quite yet, find your passions! To really live truthfully, you need to fuel your passions, wholeheartedly!

T- Take the time to care for yourself.

Life is exhausting. Between working long shifts, meeting the demands of classes, entertaining a relationship, spending time with friends, and dedicating yourself to extracurricular activities, it can be easy to forget to take time for yourself. Whether this means engaging in hobbies, as aforementioned, or caring for your body and mind in others ways, such as exercising, eating healthy, sleeping a reasonable amount each night, and just taking a break from the demands of everyone else, it’s detrimental to care for yourself. Living truthfully involves setting time aside for rest and play. You cannot perform at your highest potential if you’re not fully rested and optimistic. During your twenties, life seems to be on fast-forward mode. We’re always under the go-go-go mindset, with no breaks. Do yourself a favor and hit the pause button once in awhile!

H- Help others find the T.R.U.T.H. to their lives!

Once you have met each facet of the T.R.U.T.H. acronym for yourself, it’s essential that you remind yourself to help others. Support is an infectious dose of inspiration. It’s an act of kindness that not only defines you as a good person, but also leaves lasting effects on others. Consider supporting a friend along his/her scholastic endeavors. Encourage your siblings to make the right choices. Congratulate your peers and/or coworkers when they do something extraordinary. Thank your parents for caring for you, because without their hard work and guidance, you may not have been as well off. Support others as often as you can, because it not only leaves you feeling purposeful, but support also spreads contagious smiles on other peoples’ faces!

By fulfilling each pillar of the T.R.U.T.H. model, you will certainly view the world through a different lens. Living truthfully involves traveling the world, swearing by optimism, committing to your passions, caring for yourself, and choosing to aid others in their attempts to find the truth to their own lives. Pledging to the T.R.U.T.H. model is your oath to do what is true to you. Remember twenty-somethings, this isn’t merely good advice. Living truthfully is a way of life! Be authentic. Be you. Be truthful.

About the Author

Rachael Warren (Tulipano)

Rachael is a University of Southern Maine graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a minor in Sociology. She remotely works full-time as a Senior Content Marketing Specialist for Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. In her leisure time, Rachael enjoys traveling with her husband, finding the next Netflix series to binge, and taking too many photos of her dogs Jax and Kai. Rachael is obsessed with chapstick, favors the Oxford comma, and is a proud Mainer. You'll likely find her exploring New England + beyond.