Why Gaining Success Early Is Bad For Millennials
Everyone knows I’m an overachiever. I’ve never wanted a mediocre lifestyle, so I never had a mediocre mindset. Sometimes I feel like the word “success” is such an abstract word because there isn’t a set definition. Although I have my dream job, own apartment and an abundance of freedom, I still struggle to call myself successful.
I think a lot of people my age need a nice thick serving of humble pie (myself included) sometimes. I talk to my peers who work amazing jobs but they still complain about not getting a specific opportunity at work or that their job titles seem too low. It’s a bit ridiculous. Why can’t we be happy at the stage we’re in?
WE DON’T TRULY VALUE EXPERIENCE
We’ve been told through our parents, internships and teachers to gain as much experience as possible in the fields we want to pursue. This is a great message but gaining experience and valuing experience are too different things. I’ve seen so many people I went to college with complete internships just to list it on their resumes. They didn’t make long-lasting relationships there, they didn’t shadow or talk to other departments, they just went in and out when they were scheduled. Too many millennials complete a task without accomplishing much of anything.
WE HAVEN’T REALLY STRUGGLED
A lot of my friends are TV reporters working in good markets. I sit on the phone and listen to them whine about not getting the opportunity to anchor at their stations. They don’t see that it’s such a blessing to be in your mid-20’s, working on-air covering major news stories. This took so many people years of experience to accomplish in the past. I feel like the “struggle” we claim to be going through is really minuscule compared to the real struggles our parents and grandparents went through when they were young. We have to start putting our situations in perspective.
WE AREN’T BEING SUCCESSFUL FOR OURSELVES
There’s a term called: Do it for the gram. This means do something show-worthy for Instagram. Believe it or not some people book vacations just to brag about it on social media. I know…so sad. Some people want to be successful for their families approval, to impress their friends, to get the attention of strangers. At the end of the day I think authentic success that you can enjoy has to be for yourself first.
Stay driven.
