People have already decided what Generation Y is going to do. They've decided that we are lazy and don't want to put effort into anything. They've decided that none of us have ever worked hard for anything. They've decided that we are the WORST generation. And the fact of the matter is, the world might be right. So far, we haven't done a whole lot to prove them wrong.
But the thing is, I'm in Generation Y. I know that there are some of us who fit into these stereotypes. I know that some of us are lazy. Some of us don't know the meaning of hard work. But I refuse to accept that we cannot overcome these faults. I also refuse to believe that every single one of us can just fit into these nice, neat little categories. Not everyone in my generation is the same. I have met some extremely hardworking, grateful, and intelligent people that are my age. I also believe that the hardworking people my age can become great leaders if THEY decide to continue working hard in the right areas of their lives. It has to be there decision not the world's decision.
In high school, one of my classes had a brief segment when we discussed what our generation was known for. In high school, almost everyone said that we were known for being lazy and thoughtless. We decided that we were already known as screw-ups and failures. This week, as I was thinking about this blog, I asked a couple of my peers about how they would describe our generation. This time, the response that I got was quite different. I was told that we're the "tech-savvy" generation. One person said that we were "crazy" and "stressed." I don't know if that would remain constant if I asked more people, and so I'm not about to claim that people who go to college are significantly different than people who are in high school. Just asking a couple of people in my classes is not enough to formulate a well-founded conclusion. However, I would like to point out that maybe this has to do with expectations.
We, as humans, have the tendency to live up to other people's expectations. At college, we are expected to become more intelligent, more hard-working, more technologically savvy, and more well-rounded individuals. In high school, most of the teachers seemed pleased if they got the kids to turn in a fill in the blank worksheet.
Because of all of this, I would like to make a statement directed at my generation:
Let's surpass the expectations. Let's show the world that we can be the most innovative, most intellectual, most accepting generation that they have seen so far. Let's break the trend of only living up to the expectation and make the world completely redevelop its expectations for us.
Now there are two more questions to answer.
The first is "How?" How do we go about becoming a generation that the world remembers in a positive way? I think that answer is quite simple. Work hard. Have fun. Some people thing that these are contradictory statements. However, I believe that if you are truly passionate about something, than you can work your butt off without it really feeling like work. When you become passionate about your work, it's no longer work. It becomes an endeavor, or a journey towards something greater, an opportunity to have fun. I have learned this through the few jobs that I've had. When I work with kids and get to interact with them, suddenly my work has a purpose and passion behind it. This is compared to working in food service where I do not feel the same passion. That being said, I have coworkers in food service who are clearly passionate about their jobs and live to serve other people in that way. In this way, they can have fun while they work, because they're enjoying what they're doing.
And the second question is "Why?" Why do we care about the world's expectations and what the world thinks about us? Well, we don't. Or at least, we shouldn't. While we should enjoy our work, this shouldn't be our motivation either. To find this answer we need to be sure we are asking the right question. Colossians 3 states the "why" much better than I can. Basically, our motivation, our passion, our love, and our lives come from the Lord. Live for Him. Let's be passionate about serving God in everything we do. The world might think we've gone crazy when we're excited enough to go about every day like it's a gift. The thing is, every day isn't LIKE a gift. Everyday IS a gift. As I learn to live my life in appreciation for every day, I hope that I am becoming a better light for Christ, so that the world may see Him. This is both the question and the answer to the "why?" Why do we not care about what the world thinks? Why do we want to serve God? Why are we passionate? We don't have to care about what the world thinks because we are free to serve God. We serve God because He has given us our true, eternal inheritance through the holy and perfect sacrifice of his son on the cross (Spoiler alert: He rose 3 days later). We are passionate because we're serving God, and I cannot think of a better use of time than to serve the maker of the Universe.
Living in Reckless Abandonment for Jesucristo,
Jo
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