From From A Millennial To A Millennial: 5 Tips For Professional & Personal Success!
This post goes out to my fellow Millennials, those of us born between the early 1980's up until the early 2000's; we are the dreamers, the tech savvy, the optimists, the debtors, the confident, and we are so much more. We are one of the biggest generations at roughly 80 million strong! We are nearing half of the workforce population and we are shaking things up! We are challenging the way things are done and pushing the envelope to create the life that we love. I wanted to take some time to acknowledge my fellow Millennials and give some advice for success. I thought what better way to give some advice than through songs that Millennials know and love!
1. "Don't Stop Believing" Journey
Are you having trouble "believing" or "holding on to that feeling"?Are you unhappy or in transition? If you're answer is yes just know that it is okay and totally normal, you are not alone. Did you major in something that is no longer of interest to you? It is okay to change career paths. You are not bound to commit your life to the major declaration you chose when you were 18. I know most of us are in debt, as 65% of us graduated with student loan debt, and the amount of that debt can be overwhelming. Instead of beating yourself up over where you are today, start asking yourself where do you want to be in the future? Do you want to own your own business? Work for a non profit? You can do any of those! Do you want to discover your passion, purpose, and possibilities? Work with a coach or write a journal entry and ask yourself "If I had a million dollars, what would I do differently?" Trust me you can, you just have to believe and create a plan to get there!
My Challenge: Empower yourself to pursue choices that come from passion not choices fueled by fear.
2. "Independent Woman" Destiny's Child
All the women who are independent throw your hands up at me! My fellow Millennial ladies, the gap in pay between Millennial men and women is closing. In fact, it's closer to 93 cents of every dollar earned. This does not mean that the battle is over but it's a great sign that the workforce is moving in the right direction. Want to create a strong woman presence in the workforce? Find a female mentor and ask them if they would be interested in mentoring you. If you don't have a mentor at work check out some books of notable female leaders and get to know their success story then adapt these skills and be the female leader your business lacks! A great read is Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In. If you haven't heard of her she is the COO of Facebook and just joined the billionaires club! Her book inspires women to lean in and succeed in the workplace and at home. It's a very easy read and may just leave you wanting to emulate her leadership style.
My Challenge: Find a mentor and use this mentorship as an opportunity to sit in the passenger seat and learn! Learn what they've done to get where they are, listen to their tips and advice, it will only make you stronger and a great leader for future generations of women!
3. "On Top of the World" Imagine Dragons
Many graduate college feeling "On Top of the World" but as they enter the workforce some realize that the job, the company, and the people weren't what we expected. Funny thing is there's a chance that the job, the company, and the people are feeling the exact same way about you, believing that the Millennial generation isn't what they expected. A recent study performed by Bentley University found that "59% of business decision makers and 62% of higher education influentials give recent college graduates a grade C or lower for preparedness in their first jobs". What does that mean for you? Well it means that there are a lot of companies and leaders that believe Millennials are missing the soft skills necessary for success that the other generations have. Why? Millennials spent more time as a generation focusing on the hard skills and not realizing that the soft skills are really the determinant of professional success. Here is a list of some soft skills employers believe Millennials are lacking: communication skills, writing skills, speaking skills, and a consistent positive attitude regardless of their feelings about their work. In addition to perfecting your soft skills, get to know the characteristics of the other generations you are joining in the workforce. You'll be working side by side with people from Generation X as well as Baby Boomers. You may find you have a lot of differences with these two generations, but you may also be surprised to find a lot of common ground.
My Challenge: Get to know the expectations of your management team and understand the work culture. Set yourself up for success by being open and up front but respectful of the work culture and individuals that were there before you came. They can be invaluable to your career growth!
4. "Virtual Insanity" Jamiroqui
The Internet is a wonderful, strange, and fascinating place but it can cause a bit of "virtually insanity". With social media it's easy to network, learn new things, become inspired, virtually travel the world, and so much more! But as you are peering into other peoples' lives through the news feed of Facebook it is easy to begin to compare yourself to others and develop feelings of inadequacy. Human development researchers have started to devote their research on individuals and their interactions with social media. Results from these studies show very real links between social media use and anxiety, depression, and even suicide.Crazy, right?So the next time you are perusing through your news feed, instead of envying the travels of a friend or feeling sorry for yourself for not having what your friend has, take a moment to step back and look at the things that you do have. Be grateful for the fact that, first and foremost, you are alive! Or be grateful that you even have access to Facebook or the Internet. Whether it is for something big or small, practicing gratitude can have a profound effect on your life.
MyChallenge: Practice gratitude. For 21 days write down 5 things that you are grateful for and before you know it you may realize just how amazing your life is.
5. "Where is the Love" Black Eyed Peas
People killin', people dyin', children hurt and hear them cryin'. Can you practice what you preach, would you turn the other cheek? Where is the love? Millennials see the wars, hate, and social destruction that is happening and want to help! Millennials have been described as optimists and service oriented and with today's technology we are truly able to make a greater impact today than we ever could before. Want some examples of Millennials doing great things? Check out Olivia Wilde's Conscious Commerce non-profit or Shiza Shadid's Malala Fund. Those are two well-known examples but look around you. Millennials are doing great things. A study by Walden University and Harriss Interactive found that 81% of Millennials have donated money, goods, or services. Just as a personal testimonial, my birthday one year, was spent among friends, all Millennials, volunteering at a food shelter. This situation is not unique to my friends we are simply Millennials that take great joy in serving others. Whether it's hearing about it through friends, the news, or social media there are countless examples of Millennials doing great things in our world.
My Challenge: Get out there and volunteer! Most online newspapers have sections with volunteer opportunities or just use google to find these opportunities! You can even get your friends involved and make it a group activity! Millennials doing great things, now THERE is the love!
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