To My Fellow Millennials: Stop Complaining And Actually Do Something For A Change

As I observe my peers within my generation, via social media, in the workplace, in public spaces, I notice one daunting characteristic that we all have in common – And that is our overwhelming need to complain…about everything.

The “Millennial” generation has been studied, surveyed, and researched by older generations and they are often baffled by our random spending habits, spontaneous decisions in career path, and overall fleeting hearts when it comes to knowing what we really want.

And while we are on that journey to discovering what we want, we like to complain about every single struggle that we face. We complain about the difficulty of the process instead of sitting down, shutting up, and putting in the work to get there.

Instead of finding a solution, we find a shortcut. Instead of handling a situation, we run away from it. Instead of doing the work, we go on vacation.

We are reliant on our parents, we are hesitant to make long-term commitments, and we even joke about being inept towards learning how to be an adult.

Millennials, and those who are younger than millennials, have acquired a certain Peter Pan-like state of never growing up. Like children, we whine and cry when we don’t get what we want or if things don’t happen on our terms. We exaggerate about the sorrows of “adulting”. We point fingers at others and don’t take ownership or responsibility for our own flaws. And in doing so, we expect our hands to be held the whole way through as if it is such a tragedy to go through life this way.

As I grow older, I’m realizing that the pieces of advice that my Mother gave me are actually meaningful and applicable in work and in life.

That one piece of advice that I received from my Mother, which I wish was more compelling to my generation, is to STOP COMPLAINING.

As I sit quietly on the train, or at my desk, or am just simply out to dinner at a restaurant, I can’t help but overhear the conversations that consistently involve a solution to a problem that is as simple as applying the Nike slogan of “Just do it”.

I’m in awe of our unwillingness to learn how to do things ourselves.

This is an open letter to my generation.

In such a time as this, where our society is desperate for humanity and desperate for change to be affected, this is where we need to step up to the plate and be the ones to act as a catalyst towards a greater future.

If we continue to complain, and to avoid our problems, then we are sealing our own fate which could have been so easily solved by just shutting our mouths, and taking action.

Let us rise up and be the ones to turn the tide.