There’s nothing worse than hearing the term, “OH YOU MILLENNIALS”.
Personally, I think being a millennial is pretty cool. We honestly have seen the best of both worlds. We were born in an era where technology wasn’t huge (I mean my first phone was a Nokia, not an iPhone), we still played outside all day every day, and social media didn’t come into our lives till later.
Yet, millennials get bad reputations, and do things that are “different” from the norm. And have you ever noticed JUST how much we talk about hustling?!
I noticed that majority of millennials are all about #adulting or hustling. While this this nothing against working hard (because obviously hard work is VERY important), I feel as though we spend a lot of our time glorifying things that are simply just normal. Growing up and working is a PART of life. That’s just how it works. But I think in the digital age, we’re so focused on making sure we talk about how we’re on our devices 24/7, trying to catch up on emails, and talk about being burnt out as a result.
My question is, WHY?
When did we become so obsessed with trying to one up each other when it comes to WORKING?
People work differently. That’s a fact. Some people thrive off the idea of constantly working. Others separate working with their personal lives. Neither of them are wrong. And neither of them make someone else a harder worker or not.
Sometimes I think we internalize the idea that we should ALWAYS be working and therefore we are hustling. Social media doesn’t help this at all: We typically see people broadcasting the most perfect version of their lives. That’s no surprise. And when it comes to working, we feel like we have to prove something. Especially if you’re doing it full time. When it comes to being a full time influencer, I think it comes down to wanting to prove that this is a real JOB and that A LOT of work goes into doing this. Sure, there are often moments when I find myself talking about ALL the work I’m doing for both my full time job and this business.
In reality, it’s annoying. I’m actually annoyed by myself when I do that. Like, hello, I CHOSE TO DO ALL OF THESE THINGS.
I also think this creates some version of competition: who’s “hustling” more than who? Who’s putting in those overtime hours? Who’s posting the most about their hectic schedule? Who’s connected from 6AM to 10PM?
I PROMISE you, I’m not trying to knock hard work. I believe I’m a hard worker, and I believe that hard work = success. But at what point do we realize this hustle culture creates a lot of unnecessary competition?
At what point do we say, “enough is enough’, and decide to re-prioritize our responsibilities? This not only creates healthier habits when it comes to being connected 24/7, but also allows us to disconnect from the idea of always having to hustle to succeed.