There's this word that I've heard whispered in dark corners, screamed from rooftops, blogged about, prophesied about, and for the longest time I've tried to disassociate myself, doing everything I could to shy away.
But you know what - I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of denying.
It's just time to embrace it.
So. I'm a millennial.
And I've decided that I'm going to use it to my advantage.
Just because talking on the phone isn't my favourite thing to do, and the term "career" gives me chills down my spine, and I run my business from a laptop while traveling doesn't mean that I'm a bad person.
(If you were hoping for something a bit more salacious when you clicked through, sorry, hehe!)
Millennials certainly do get quite a bad wrap for being entitled, lazy, lacking focus, the list goes on. But we can't be all that bad - major businesses and corporations such as Facebook, Pinterest, Lyft, Airbnb, Instagram, Spotify, WordPress, Tinder and more have all been created and built into very successful companies by the millennials that founded them. Here's the list of the 20 most influential millennials in case you want to see what other cool stuff wouldn't be in the world with us kids.
These tech startups probably fall on deaf ears for some of the baby boomers reading this post (hehe!), but have created thousands of jobs, and effect millions of peoples' lives everyday.
And while we're talking about good-for-nothing millennials, let's not forget to mention Serena Williams (1981), Malala Yousafzai (1991), Priyanka Chopra (1982), Prince William (1982),Kate Middleton (1982), Wyatt Roy (1990), Prince Harry (1984), Mhairi Black (1994), Roger Federer (1981), Keira Knightley (1985), and Usain Bolt (1986).
Because yup, just being born between 1980 and 2000 apparently is the main qualifier to be a millennial. I'm a 1986 kid, for those wondering.
It's approximated that there are about 80 million millennials worldwide, which is a rather staggering number.
This article over on inc.com, lists a few of the great attributes of millennials, including passion, risk-taking, work-life alignment (rather than work-life balance, actually pursuing a job which feeds your fire!), adapting to new jobs and pursuits quickly, and broadening of horizons through travel.
Millennials reading this who are looking for a bit of guidance on how to thrive in the workplace? Here it is.
I also really liked this article - outlining a few traits of the South African millennial, such as the desire to run self-funded entrepreneurial businesses, a focus on change and social responsibility, a move away from materialism and a focus on experiences over purchases, as well as the heightened inclination towards healthy eating and exercise.
"Authenticity is a key and emerging value as millennials move away from the very shallow and image focussed South African culture to something more real and meaningful." - source.
And authenticity is certainly something that I strive for on a daily basis in my life and business, and probably one of the main reasons that I like hanging out with little kids so much - they are authentic AF.
So there, I'm embracing it and owning the label (something that millennials apparently also don't like doing, hehe!).
