I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spent the last few years of my life hearing the word “millennial” being tossed around to describe my generation. Also known as Generation Y, we are the generation raised by “Baby Boomers,” also known as the vessels that carried the term “The American Dream”. We are bright-eye, highly innovative dreamers. We are visionaries who think beyond the box, and we are a generation raised on the foundation of new, high-quality advancements in technology. Never in history have we lived in a place where information is so easily accessible, where communication thrives beyond physical contact and where worlds apart aren’t so far afterall. In this generation, we have it in our direct power to change the world… AGAIN.

"But, as a millennial, do you rise up to the challenge?"

You’ve heard it time and time again; “Get your head outta the clouds...”, or, “Back in my day…” “That just isn’t realistic enough to provide for a family,” or,“You kids and your phones- you don’t know how to put them down.” These words create a crisis for those among the Millennial generation. The kids that grew up dreaming relentlessly are now told that the risk is not worth it. The kids that grew up showing radical empathy to heartache are now growing up to be defined as “too sensitive”. The kids who are creating new and innovative ways to interact and connect beyond a physical state are now being reprimanded for being stuck in technology’s realm. The list goes on, and the Millennial Life Crisis only weighs heavier on its people. Millennials, we are too often discouraged, disappointed and made to feel defeated. But, we need to rise up to the challenge and realize our potential. This is the Millennial life - crisis and calling.

“What exactly is driving our need to use our jobs to define us?”

I’ve had the unique opportunity to learn and experience shifts in education, career and values, even at my young age of 19 years old. We are a generation that is learning to put its investments into things that really matter. That is a culture shock in itself. We are changing the American Dream, and want to learn beyond pieces of paper. We want to travel and experience culture, and we want more than anything to be identified by something more personal than a 9 to 5 job. What exactly is driving our need to use our jobs to define us? What is motivating us to live a life rather than love our life? As a millennial, we are cultivating a life that goes beyond tradition. We are marrying young, taking off from school (or even going great lengths to remain in a state of learning) and openly sharing our opinions and experiences across social media platforms. We are seeking jobs that fill our hearts rather than professions that will allow us to fill our pockets. We seek out degrees and majors that are deemed “unconventional”. Yet, we are still under this pressure to chase a life paying bills rather than chasing passions. They say we don’t know what struggle is. They say we are lazy, entitled and clueless. They say we are too risky, self-absorbed with our selfies and cannot see anything beyond ourselves. As a millennial myself, I believe we are anything but.

We do know struggle: We may not know your struggle, but trust me when I say we have met with adversity. We’ve experienced the tragedy of 9/11, the darkness of Pulse shootings and the difficulty of balancing jobs to pay off our historic amounts of college debt. We’ve lived through controversies of gay marriage, racism and the rise of mental health awareness. We do know struggle, but we are learning that the dust will one day settle. We are the generation that clings to tragedy to talk about it, but we don’t let it numb us or paralyze us from changing the world.

We work. We fight. We know our worth: Lazy? Entitled? Clueless? I am often told that I need to work harder and just stop complaining. I am told that people have it much worse than I do. While I do count my blessings and recognize that I do in fact “have it easy”, I also know that I work extremely hard to have the things I have. Millennials are known for their distinct tenacity to stay in engaged in learning, and are recognized as the generation of “go-getters”. With this being said, connectivity is also something we thrive off of. We work hard and strive to be a direct force, impact and inspiration for those around us. We aren’t entitled to a pat on the back, or a high-five for doing what needs to be done, but we know that our sometimes 40 hour work weeks would feel a little bit lighter with a little bit of praise.

Risky business is what we were called to do: For me, raising a generation of dreamers has always been my goal and a reason I am studying to become a teacher. Millennials are known for their radical fearlessness and ability to live out their “year of yes.” Too often, we are judged on our dreaming failures, and yet we have been called to dare, challenge and disturb tradition. We were called for breakthrough. Millennials aren’t risky- they are simply seeking and seizing new ways to be the change the world needs. Millennials have been raised to know that nothing worth dreaming or chasing is found within your comfort zones.

Selfies and self: The older generations will snicker and sneer at the thousands of selfies we post as a generation. They call it self absorbed narcissism and just being conceited. But, as a girl that is growing out of society-taught low self-esteem, I enjoy knowing that within the frame of taking and sharing these selfies that the person was comfortable, felt beautiful and claimed all they were (or weren’t) with love for the world to see. We aren’t self-absorbed. We are merely competing against what the media defined us as.

Living is giving: The worst stereotype I have ever come across is that the generation of millennials cannot see beyond themselves. Because of technology, we’ve been seen as “too wrapped up." Yet, Millennials are being recognized for giving their time and efforts to causes beyond themselves. They are involving themselves in humanitarian affairs, politics and education in hopes to set the record straight- not for themselves, but for those to come.

“We have a lot to learn, but we also have a lot to teach.”

In the end, we have struggled as a generation to be accepted, valued and respected because we are so radically different from the norm. Like any generation, we have a lot to learn, but we also have a lot to teach.

The Millennial Life Crisis has only just begun- but we must not shy away from it; we must embrace it.