I am not entitled, self-centered, or greedy.
Understanding. Why is it so difficult? Maybe because it is impossible to understand what someone else is going through. Yes, actually impossible. We all have different experiences (i.e. childhoods, upbringings, relationships, trials, triumphs) that contribute to our emotions and opinions. Hello, politics. And instead of understanding, we jump to conclusions.
The Millennials. Everyone wonders "where did they come from?" Sounds complicated but it's quite simple. Generations before us struggled, like us. Our great-grandparents experienced The Great Depression. Everything was rationed, meaning there were a select few of necessities including food, toiletries, and most importantly, jobs. So our parents grew up in households where families were worried if The Great Depression would happen again. They lived life with a safety net and never thought to live outside of their means. Smart, smart people. And now onto our parents. Our parents were taught and determined to strive towards a corporate ladder. With this their safety net was benefits, insurance, job security, tenure, etc. We watched our parents succeed. We saw them work hard, come home tired, and run out the door the next morning. Even with a forty hour work week, they made time for us. We were told we were special, loved, and if we worked hard in school we could succeed just like them. We believed them. We were special. We were smart. We could be just like them.
As we got older, we realized there were kids a lot smarter than us. We realized that other kids were special too. We realized that we were just like all the other kids. Originality wasn't praised, in fact, we changed the word to "weird".
And then we ran.
We didn't want an 8am-5pm for thirty years. We wanted something fresh, new, and different.
We judge. It is not anything new. In fact, it's one of the few human qualities that make sense. We throw labels before meeting someone and often times we find ourselves saying "I thought you were different when I first met you".
Unfortunately, we are not all stellar at making first impressions. I find myself holding a spot at the very end of the Millennial generation, and there are some days I'm scared to admit it. I've heard it all, Millenials are ruining the workforce, want to be catered to, and are wrapped up in their one world making it difficult for them to understand what's going on around them. They have also been called the "Me Me Me" generation. Ouch.
Instead of accusing the millennial generation of what they aren't, let's focus on what Millenials are.
Millennials are creative.
They are changing the way work is done, goals are met, and progress is made.
They value relationships.
With co-workers, family, and significant others.
Millennials strive for job satisfaction rather than paychecks.
I know, money is absolutely a motivator. Previous generations are known for working at jobs for more than thirty years without a promotion, change of position, or change of co-workers....because job security = continuous paycheck.
Millennials struggle.
According to Vox Magazine, there are more than five million college students struggling with mental illness. Five million. The future of our world is swimming in the same waters suffering from depression, anxiety, and too many rough days to count.
Millenials are adventurous.
Gone are the days when people strived for a husband/wife, three kids, and a dog named Skip. Millennials ( like you ) want happiness, which comes in many forms.
They are open and honest.
Remember when struggles were swept under the rug? Of course this doesn't apply to everyone, but millennials are open with their trials and triumphs. We are in a time when every thought can easily be put into words and tweeted to millions of people. There are many sour aspects of that, but there are positives too.
