Blockchain is Game Changer for Gen Exers Sandwiched Between Millennials and Baby Boomers

Gen Exers inherited a professional philosophy that is now dead.

Our Baby Boomer parents were not wrong to encourage us to earn advanced degrees and get on the fast track at big corporations to make lots of money. They were not futurists predicting trends, their urgency harkened back to a climate of war and dire economic times.

So many of us did as encouraged. Generation X defined the hustle and we rocked it.

But we had no idea we were not building on solid ground by putting our eggs in institutions, the establishment, the status quo.

To a large degree, the baton was passed and we began to take our seat at the table. We, however, never expected teenagers and 20 somethings to bypass the system and create a new economy and marketplace, devaluing our corner office.

So here we are. Stuck in the middle.

Boomers have embraced the sharing economy millennials fueled and are leveraging technology at significant rates.

In many ways, these two generations have many similarities — not just in population size, but also their willingness to adopt new innovations. After the infamous cadre of boomers known as hippies put those dreams behind them, they ushered in an era of consumerism — new electronics, gadgets, and appliances.

And in the 21st century, they are rolling up their sleeves to do it again. This time with technological automation to downsize, move about independently, connect with loved ones globally, and streamline their lives.

Boomers and millennials appear to be on complementary tracks, while the trajectory of Gen Exers as a generation is fuzzy.

Born between 1965–1980, we are roughly half the population size of millennials, though our academic credentials surpass them and the boomers.

We are by no means behind the curve.

This is not the end for the visionaries who created rap music and gave rise to hip hop culture, a multi billion dollar industry.

I’m not at all discouraged by the amount of time some of my fellow Gen Exers seem to be take to adopt new digital tools or acknowledge the new power of millennials.

Why?

Because I know what we are made of. We are the ride or die generation.

And we don’t need to compete. We can’t. But we don’t have to either.

Capitalizing on blockchain technology, we can build viable ecosystems and create catalytic trust communities.

With its anchor in transactions, blockchain will not only enable greater optimization and efficiency, the technology removes the middle men, paving the way for control to authenticate, validate, monetize.

The opportunities are limitless for digital enterprises, as well as, entities in traditional sectors, such as freight, real estate, healthcare, and banking.

An innovative case is BitMari, a Gen X-owned startup leveraging blockchain and bitcoin that is transforming the remittance market and fostering economic freedom in communities of color.

It is entrepreneurs, founders of startups, small proprietors and the like that will dominate the industries and markets of the future.

Gen Exers are lean and fierce. As we pivot, we will need to take risks to innovate our existing space or forge new paths.

“For in the vacuum created by the loss of what is most precious, opportunity abounds, influence is maximized, and desire becomes destiny” — a prophetic quote from the TV show Fringe I keep close.

Generation X is still at the table and holding damn good cards. Get your mind right. We have a new game to master.