Millenials are entitled, brash, entrepreneurial, confident, and disengaged from reality. At least, that is a sampling of what you will hear when conversing across the generations.
While Baby Boomers are defined by their pursuit of the American Dream, Millenials have a similar interest but are more concerned with the journey to that dream.
Two of the most suitable words for defining the Millenials are lifestyle, and belonging. A Millenial wants the monetary benfits of the American Dream but they want to do it in a way that is sustainable, beneficial for all parties, and allows them to work when they want. If a Millenial does not feel like they belong to a group or something that has purpose, they will disengage.
I am in that Millenial generation by birth but not always by ideology. Yes, I want to have a tremendously wealthy lifestyle, give 90% of it away in my lifetime, and own an Audi R8. Belonging to a family has always resonated with me more than an organization or certain friends. I think what the Millenials get right, even though we have the tendency to be highly cynical, is that we want to live for experiences and find joy more than accumulating things that burn.
We have already lived through one recession. I was in high school when the crash of 2008-09 happend. At the time, I was buying my first house and moving out on my own. Thankfully, the neighborhood that I moved into kept its value and I was able to work and pay bills albeit barely.
The recesion spurred my research of monetary history. My dad had helped me accumulate a nice nest egg to fly the coop with but when stocks came tumbling down, I began wondering why these things must be.
Silver and gold were my first research subjects, and naturally in the last year or two, digital currenices have followed. I don't see these opportunities before us as just a means to be wealthy - I'm still young enough to want to make the world better.
The examples in my family are rampant for leaving a legacy. I have an uncle who runs an organic dairy farm, another uncle who runs a third generation multi-national wellness business, and my grandparents who routinely give 5-6 figures to charitable causes.
My example is not the norm but with nearly every Millenial I speak with the desire to see what difference their work is making is prevalent.
Doing Work that Matters
If you have never watched an interview with Simon Sinek or read his book Start with Why, I suggest you get on that.
I am not going to bore you with charts and outlines of what Millenials believe they want in their work/life balance (most of them don't know what that is). What I will leave you with is an interview with Simon Sinek.
This is the most succinct and descriptive piece I have found that helps Millenials put words to what they want, and helps everyone else see what it is Millenials dream about.
My closing thoughts for Millenials are this: put the phone down for a day or two. The Dopamine hit you are craving is not going to solve your lack of direction. Every successful CEO I have ever listened to spends at least 30 minutes a day in silence while they imagine what it is they want, and how it is they are going to get there. You can do the same.
Now, invest the 15 minutes this interview will take, and find clarity amidst the blizzard.
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Sources: Millenials Bloomberg
Simon Sinek Video