Millennial: The New 4-letter Word

I have been blessed. I'm not a deeply religious person, but I know that I have been given many opportunities - some I can explain and some I cannot. I have, however, busted my ass to this point to make sure I'm successful and don't fall into the stereotype of a "Millennial". 

There have been numerous times where I've been told/complimented in an open forum that I'm "not the typical Millennial - I get 'it'". This has come as a compliment only because of the alternative - that I would be an entitled, lazy, job-hopping 30-something that has the perspective that I know more than everyone else. 

Every opportunity I've seized as an adult has been directly caused by my internal drive to be more successful than the guy sitting next to me. The "everyone gets a trophy" nonsense has killed the competitive spirit in many people in my generation. James Harrison's social media post of forcing his children to hand back their participation trophies had me smiling from ear to ear. Jeff Walz, the women's basketball coach from Louisville, spoke to this trophy phenomenon and how losing doesn't mean you get a trophy... it means you are a loser and you need to work your butt off to win the next time you compete. See below (5:24 mark). This coach and I have this in common: the hate of losing. My wife and I have an agreement that when I play a sport, I have 15 minutes to be pissed if I lose. That's it - hating losing is something I hope I never lose, but at some point, you have to know priorities and sports in my life aren't at the top of the list. Like Coach Walz says, "It's not about winning basketball games; it's about winning in life". 

Participation trophies have been the prime example of entitlement, but it's an interesting phenomenon for me - who gave these to us? Millennials have been labeled because of the parents that raised them, the Baby Boomers, and I think this is one of the main reasons why the Baby Boomers are now focusing many efforts on making sure Millennials are ready to succeed them in the workplace. We are all products of our environment: Baby Boomers were raised by parents who went through the Great Depression, so they were raised to work hard and not spend more than yours means. Gen Y is somewhat the forgotten generation, but this serves us no benefit as they will actually be the ones succeeding the Boomers in the near future. 

What every Millennial should do is seize the opportunities that are provided them by the older generations who are in some ways fearful of their potential. I've been included in committees and organizations that I was under-qualified on paper to belong to, yet I was given that opportunity because I represent diversity in age and I speak up. Also, I am consistently "raising my hand" to be involved. If I were to be passive and wait for the opportunities to present themselves, I can't say that they would have by now. Lots of people in the workplace and community see me as having my whole life ahead of me - they're right, I'm 31, but that competitive drive I spoke of before won't allow me the time to let people "discover me". Frankly, my mindset and drive are unique and I thought it wouldn't be. I'm not fighting through the sea of Millennials to get the opportunities I'm seeking, and I thought the environment would be the opposite. Often the thought passes my mind that 'if I don't do it, who will'.

Lots of my peers are getting married and having a family, and they immerse themselves in their families. That's a noble cause, and I'd never question anyone for focusing on their family because children raised in supportive and encouraging learning families will have the greatest potential for success in the future. Education isn't supposed to stop when the bell rings, and much of my success to this point could be attributed to my parents and their willingness to involve me in nearly all activities I desired and to constantly provide educational opportunities in the downtime. 

My call-to-action would be this, if you find yourself reading this and wondering the point I'm trying to make on my soapbox: get involved in something and drive to be the best at what you do in every way. I'll leave you with this:

"Patience is a virtue, but there comes a moment when you must stop being patient and take the day by the throat and shake it. If it fights back; fine. I'd rather end up bloody at the end of the day, then unhurt with no progress made, no knowledge gained. I'd rather have a no, then nothing. I'd forgotten that about myself.” (Laurell K. Hamilton, author)