Gen Xers and Millennials: this Gen Xer is with them

I get so weary of hearing complaints that Millennials are lazy. Guess what?! I have heard that before…and it turns out that we Gen X’ers were also grossly underestimated.

Some of the hardest working people at our office are our Millennials. I’m a Generation X’er whose generation was called the “lost generation” and the “lazy generation”. During the 80’s and 90’s, we were criticized for being directionless, shallow, apathetic and cynical. Well, “Roll over Beethoven!” We turned out to be responsible for tremendous sociological and technological advances on a broad global scale. And that’s not even touching on how our “MTV Generation” transformed digital art, media and music.

I admire how the Millennials demand meaning and social responsibility in their work and the world. I respect that they don’t just blindly sign up for the bull they’ve inherited from us. We’ve got lots of room for improvement and they insist upon it.

I think the Millennials make us better and will rise up and will surprise their critics as my Generation X did. I look forward to living in the world they are already shaping.

For an enlightening read, check out this wiki page. It is humbling when you consider how completely our Generation X was underestimated. It’s a mistake to underestimate our Millennials. Let’s respect their gifts, embrace their ideas, and unleash their potential.