Guess what Beyoncé? You didn’t. And the person reading this didn’t either!
It’s not a coincidence that you physically feel good or bad, mentally positive or negative and spiritually full or empty this morning.
Now you may, like me, need a cup of coffee or morning routine to kick start the headspace to where you are going in the next 24 hours. But I assure you, if you are an adult, you did not wake up in the place you opened your eyes with the limitations (or lack thereof) to your future by accident!
What you do in the next 24 hours and how you plan for and execute the goals for yourself will determine what state you wake up in tomorrow and the next… and the next.
A hard pill to swallow for many people in my stage of life is that many of us are labeled… gulp… millennials.
In fact if you are between the age of 25-39 today – this is your people.
Don’t get your defenses out just yet! There are so many benefits and blessings being a part of this information generation!
Now mature adults, we were able to get quick data and therefore results faster than any other before. This has presented an acceleration of learning and broadened the future possibilities exponentially.
I know personally I have never accepted that I am technically in the millennial category.
I came from a household raised by a single mom who was an incredible example and instilled so much value around hard work and independence. I have always been self motivated and driven to succeed.
I remember sitting in a town hall meeting several years back as a new director in a quarterly management meeting. The entire leadership team was getting pumped up by our energetic CEO. There was a contagious buzz in the air about the projections of our next fiscal year.
He started talking about the new generation coming up in the workforce and threw out several statistics and attributes. As he polled the group on year born starting with segments of the baby boomers, and continued into the most recent years, I found a slight panic rising. I ended up with one of the only two hands in the air when he got to the dreaded millennials.
Heads turned. Embarrassment followed.
It seems I am not alone. Only 40% of our group actually identify with the term. This is probably because when you consider the negative generalizations that are frequently applied, like “entitled,” “narcissistic” and “lazy”, it sure is hard to own up to the definition.
What I am able to acknowledge in looking at the rearview mirror of my teen and young adult years, is that I have not easily been able to pin down my long term goals. In addition, I haven’t been great at bouncing back easily from failure. It may not be true for everyone in this group, but growing up in this generation has presented some challenges.
I guess the problem with endless possibilities, is that when there isn’t carefully thought out direction and without the blessings of invested mentorship, many “millennials” have gotten lost trying to find their “purpose”.
What is being lost in the shuffle of the labeling and resistance to the term millennial are the blessings and subsequently the curse of having endless possibilities at your fingertips.
Have you been able to attend school, graduate, or even advance your studies into college or beyond? Has any or all of it been of no cost to you or your family? I have! That’s amazing!
Have you been able to enter into the workforce? Succeeded in moving past an entry level position? Have you gone into various positions, companies and even industries able to change direction or focus on new skills or careers altogether?
What a blessing to be able to change your mind! To go after something that is fluid with your season of life and needs of your family!
For me, I am so aware of the blessings endless possibility has brought. What is harder to admit is that it has prevented me from pinning down consistent long term goals and a directed path for my far away future.
Another thing that may be getting lost with our generation when it comes to these infinite possibilities is that if there isn’t enough time invested in a certain goal, we don’t get to realize the culmination of hard work!
In fact, it has been concluded by psychologist Angela Duckworth that when it comes to success, an increasingly forgotten concept called grit – the ability to persevere in the face of objection and failure and even tedious tasks – is a greater indicator of success than even IQ (!!!)
I know I have not been defined as gritty in my pursuit of success.
This is someone who has a goal in mind and DOES NOT STOP until it is completed. That failure can’t stop them. Setbacks will not either. Even years of tedium and boring positions to move into the right spot would not deter the passion and the persistence that those with grit seem to access.
How many of us are guilty of giving up on a career path, fitness goal or even spiritual investment because things didn’t go or aren’t going our way?
A decade ago, I was extremely confident in my wealth of knowledge. Now I am realizing that the older I get, there is exponentially more and more I don’t know about what I don’t know.
I don’t have all the answers, but I am understanding more and more that:
#1: I need to nail down my long term goals. This isn’t where I want to be in a year. What is the legacy … the story I am leaving behind? What definitive goals get me there? How do I show up everyday to make sure it happens?
#2: In order to be successful in seeing that person come to fruition, I need to be the definition of gritty in face of all that will undoubtedly try to stop me!
Be Honest: Do you have a definitive picture of the future you? Are you gritty enough to see it become true regardless of the roadblocks and setbacks that are inevitably going to stand in your way?
Be Kind: If you’re looking for motivation, the stories of self made success and inspiring personal reformation are out there. As my kids say, “search it up”, and see what’s possible! This should tell you that it’s not inaccessible – yours could be the story we will be talking about next!
I’ll be cheering you on friends and pursuing my own best life alongside you!
xoxo, Courtney
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Love your story! I’ve always wanted to be a teacher and made the career change last year. It was challenging, and I was a nervous wreck just before school started, but I love it! But what is my long term goal? What now? Maybe education reform? I live in a state which is ranked among one of the lowest and teachers are leaving this field in record numbers with the greatest impact on our children.
So excited for your new profession and path! You seem very passionate about it and I love that you love what you do! Keep searching for the long term and don’t forget to be gritty when things get tough! I’ll be cheering you on and working on the same!! xoxo