Making the best out of life as a Millennial

Usama Sajid
Sep 4, 2018 · 12 min read

“Like everyone in my generation, I am finding it increasingly difficult not to be scared about the future and angry about the past”-MICHAEL HOBBES

Source: https://pprww.com

Millennial or Generation Y is a generation which demographers mark by births between early 1980’s and late 1990’s. Although Millennial characteristics vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions, the generation is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies.In most parts of the world, their upbringing was marked by an increase in a liberal approach to politics and economics.This generation has also been marked as the most technologically adaptive of all times.

While humans have always resisted changes and have been known for seeing the generation that follows as less efficient and less diligent , millennials have taken the generation gap way too far to bridge under any circumstances. Criticism has been a major part of every millennials life . To perceive matters more deeply ,try and understand the contrast that follows:

Our grandfathers at the age of 19 were capable of fighting wars thousands of miles away from home, while a teenager today might suffer depression because he has less than 1000 followers on Instagram.

The Great Recession has had a major impact on this generation because it has caused historically high levels of unemployment among young people, and has led to speculation about possible long-term economic and social damage to this generation. The generation is highly sensitive to stress and are hardwired as impatient human beings. Millennials are said to be the laziest generation until now by researchers and historians .

Some Statistics (Because criticism wasn’t enough)

We’ve all heard them. We are delaying partner-marrying and house-buying and kid-having for longer than any previous generation. Mention “millennial” to anyone over 40 and the word “entitlement” will come back at you within seconds.

  • We’ve taken on at least 300% more student debt than our parents
  • We are almost 1/2 likely to own a home as young adults were in 1975
  • 1 in 5 of us is living in poverty
  • Based on the current trends , majority of us won’t be able to retire until 75 years of age.

Closing In

I am a late 1990’s born Indian. I share the tittle for one of last and the youngest millennials, or the last millennial batch. Contrary to older people ,only a couple of years ago have I acquired enough intellect to read and understand about my generation. Naturally I should(and I am) one of the most confused of all my contemporaries.

I am waiting for adulthood to kick in , I am almost always resisting myself from distractions , I plan more and do lesser(thanks to the laziness in my genes) , I get overwhelmed easily and just a little stress than usual gives me generalized anxiety. I am impatient and wonder how our forefathers manage to stick to a venture they didn’t like.

Although I am in the same race as everyone reading this article(supposedly)but in the quest of becoming better everyday and holding the spirit of being successful in every goal I set, I have figured out some really important theories that apply to all of us.

Please note that I have deliberately mentioned the word Theories and not something like hacks , because there is no quick fix for getting where the majority around you are failing to get to .The only way is long and consistent pain taking efforts. Now, If you are someone who feels like closing this article and going to something that gives results quicker, believe you me , you really need to read this article till the end.

1. Outsmart your Smartphone

We know that engagement with social media and our cell phones releases a chemical called dopamine. That’s why when you get a text – it feels good. It is similar to a pleasure sensation in the brain usually associated with food, money and sex. Dopamine has a numbing effect, similar to alcohol , and sadly we have no age restriction on smartphone use.

Be it Microwave Ovens or Contact Lenses the society has never fully accepted a technological change and has militated against its initial use. Smartphone is something that has targeted all age groups equally. Only last month ,after a dinner, 3 of my cousins took out their cell phones to split the bill amount into 10.

We crucially have to learn how to use our smartphones smartly.

  • Turn off notifications-this is something that I have been practicing for more than a year now and believe me it has worked wonders. Our average attention span is presently 5 seconds, while the goldfish has an attention span of 6 seconds, so the in this distracted world we are competing with goldfish and the sad part is , that we are losing. For a day don’t clear any notification that you get, and at the end of the day go through all of them and analyse which notifications could you have managed without.(specially considering the social media notifications) Turn all notifications for those apps to off, do this to the maximum.
  • Set Countdown Timers- So this is a method that I incorporated from a blogger that I follow (pickuplimes.com). It requires setting up a timer for 5–10minutes before opening Instagram/Facebook or any other casual time demanding application. This will prevent you to gain control over the time that you spend on social media daily. While idealists promote the notion of quittig social social media , what I suggest is imbibing conscious and active use of all such media. This way you can avoid infinitely scrolling from one website and one post to another uselessly.
  • Calls over chats:- While the instant messanger evolution has made it super easy to stay in touch and follow up with people, the problem is itself that it has been made super easy. It requires little effort so it leaves little impact. Be it a business conversation(apart from acquaintances) or a conversation with your loved onces, a call connects you at a deeper level of underdstanding and emotions. Things naturally get easier when you have better terms with people around you. Just making this small change can make us grow into a generation with better relationships, lesser divorces, bigger business deals and higher social esteem.
  • Use productivity applications:- Our grandfathers stood a chance to forget to file the taxes in time, we do not. With applications like reminders, to-do lists, notes, promodo timers, stop-watches, countdown timers at our hand we have naturally become more productive. While elderly people advise not to depend that much on the phone, I have a different school of thought. I say that depending on your phone for keeping track of meetings, deadlines, diet, etc. you are freeing up your mind and making it available to matters that actually require your attention moreover living a stress-free, efficient and smart lifestyle starts with decluttering your daily thoughts.

2. Buy an Alarm Clock

While 60% of 16–34 years old use their phones as their primary time-piece I highly object using it as an alarm. Weather it is working for you or not , waking up to your smartphone is a very bad start of the day. They say- “Conquer your mornings to conquer your life”, starting your day with distractions such as news, social media posts, viral videos and trending hashtags; you are paving a difficult way through your day. Also, the phones by your side while sleeping has a subconscious effect, it degrades the quality of sleep and make your hyperactive throughout the night.

I personally recommend and practice charging phones out of your bedroom at night, leaving them half hour before you plan to sleep and checking them half hour after you wake up in the morning. Depend on your alarm clock to wake you up, It was always meant you wake you up, the phone was not.

3. Tame the Instant Gratification Monkey

For those of you who are new to this concept, the Instant gratification money is a fictional charter representing the feeling pertaining to which we procrastinate and delay tasks that are difficult. In his book ‘Eat that frog’-Brain Tracy suggests to start with the most difficult task instead of keeping it for the last(and then possibly never doing it).

Generation Y has grown up in a world of virtual reality, you need not go through lengthy time taking procedures to get satisfaction and happiness.

You need a new dress? Just 3 Clicks and you get it delivered to your doorstep! or maybe you want to watch a movie, logon and watch a movie. You need not check movie times and travel to the theater.

If the above wasn’t enough evidence: You want to go on a date? You don’t even have to learn how to be socially awkward on that first date. You don’t need to learn how to practice that skill. You don’t have to be the uncomfortable person who says yes when you mean no and no when you mean yes. Swipe right — bang — done! You don’t even need to learn the social coping mechanism.

While many see it as just regular technological advancements, It is making us more and more lazy, we don’t want to go through slow, meandering, uncomfortable and messy processes to achieve a goal. We just want a short-cut, which unfortunately does not exists, either you take the regular difficult way or just stay where you are.

We have to keep in mind that the real world is slower, we have to maintain patience and believe in ourself for long, before we achieve success. Giving up early is the most grieving problem of our generation. Our minds have been dealt a bad hand while getting nurtured, they are fed with ideas that you get a prize as soon as you start and everyone gets a prize no matter what.

However, the above are just circumstances and not consequences. Being well aware about our nature we can very easily implant the idea of pushing beyond our comfort zones and to continue even when we feel that things aren’t working out for the good-because in most cases they will, eventually. All we need to do is every time we feel like quitting or abandoning our dreams, we should re-consider the thoughts from a non-millennial angle(which is possible with just a little more effort in evaluating our situation)

4.Trail and Error is old school, just Stop and Inquire

Back in time people were of the thought that trail and error was the best thing to get ahead with. Try whatever comes to your mind, in the process learn what errors you have made and never repeat them. While this method works, it is a very time consuming approach, the same time if you would have invest in doing the right thing you would be way ahead than your peers.

So millennials know for a fact that for virtually everything you want to do has already been done(or maybe something close to it), moreover there are books and courses on how to do it. Better yet, just a phone call away are people who’ve already successfully done what you want to do and who are available as teachers, facilitators, mentors, advisers, coaches, and consultants. When you take advantage of this information, you’ll discover that life is simply a connect-the-dots game, and all the dots have already been identified and organized by somebody else. All you have to do is follow the blueprint, use the system, or work the program that they provide.

Just don’t think twice before asking someone what they have done to get to where they are today or to achieve a particular goal. Don’t worry about being seen as weird or immature, or any other the thoughts the other person will have about you. The truth is that people don’t really think about anyone else, they are too busy to do so; unfortunately people realise this too late in life, studies show that it is at 60 years of age that people realises that nobody had been thinking about them all this while . Make this a point in life, no matter how small your goal is just start inquiring, reading, watching content that depicts something similar being done already. The next time you come across a business person, an artist , a good public speaker, or any other profession that you admire-traveling in the same train, training in the same gym, maybe during the interval at a movie theater, or anywhere else ; just approach that person and initiate a conversation.

“Believe me people love talking about themselves”-Dale Carnegie

Ask them about how they have made up to what they are today, what mistake have they made through their course, how do they plan their next step in life,etc. Also briefly explain to them your position in life and ask them for tips. Maintain a dairy & write down the entire meeting in it, highlighting what you have learnt, what you plan to do differently then on-wards , what made you admire that person and why would you like to be like him/her. Go through these writings time to time and track how are you going about your goals.

Also, start reading self help books, they might be boring at the beginning but believe me every minute dedicated is worth. I started reading around 1 and a half years ago and have just read 20–25 books, which is pretty less compared to many ardent readers but I can proudly say that I have imbibed the essence of these books as much as possible, and I also regularly re-read the books to absorb even more from the content. I suggest you to start slow, and gradually increase the pace that you are comfortable with.

5. Remember it is easy

It is well known that things get a lot quickly and easily done if we are in higher spirits. Being positive make our body and mind to go much more than their comfort zones.

People worry too much and the powerful phenomenon of auto suggestion makes it difficult for them. The most successful and efficient people are full of positivity and confidence, they make it a point to pass on enthusiasm, gratefulness and clarity to everyone they meet. It is that admiration which they gain in return that drives them to do even better things in their professional lives.

Make it a point to one thing everyday that gives you your daily dose of happiness and positivity, it can be talking to your dear ones or watching a inspiring speech or maybe as small as writing down 5 things that you are great full for. Just be as proactive in fulfilling your positivity appetite the as you are when you have food on feeling hungry. No matter how well you eat a particular meal time, you need another meal soon to keep you going, similar is the scenario with positivity.

It is very heartbreaking to see someone young feeling helpless about a situation in his/her life. The biggest asset that you possess is that you are young, you have such great potential in you that the elderly don’t and would never again have. Youth is metaphorically analogous to 10–11 AM of a day, the sun is about to reach the zenith, the time is perfect to start with anything and everything. You have more than required time to correct any mistake that you are likely to make today, everyone is wide awake by now and you can seek mentor-ship and help from virtually everyone. The more you are ready to explore the more the world is ready to provide you to explore. You have the entire afternoon and the entire evening before the night sets in and you can write them to your credit, just go out and seize the day.

Usama Sajid

Written by

Life Balance Weekly

Making life easier and fulfilling.

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