The Millennial's Survivor Guide

So I was inspired to write this week's blog while I was perusing through the long corridors of this strange place we call "The Internet". While I was on this virtual journey,you know I seemed to make a wonderful discovery! What I discovered was that we millennials love to use the internet to vent our frustrations. Some might argue that this is a fault, but that is an argument for another day!
 
 However, what I did notice was that the majority of my contemporaries had frustrations that all centered around one basic idea: "We millennials are having a hard time making it in this society!" . You can easily find posts or article written by 20-somethings who just seem to be having a hard time surviving out in the world. The problem doesn't seem to be limited to any specific type of millennial, married, single, college-grad, non college grads, male or female are all represented amongst those with complaints.

So that's why I decided to create.....

The Millennial's Survivor Guide!

1.) Just Get A Job

This one is really the first and simplest way you can start to make your life better. Do you have passions, do you have plans or ambitions? If you do, then that means you really need to get a job. I recently saw someone post online about how unfair the job market is towards millennials and how she was so unhappy because she can't find work. She stated that she has received several job offers that pertain to the degree she has, but they weren't her dream job. So she decided to move back in with her parents until she can figure things out. Good luck.

As my father-in-law once told me "Everyone has to eat crow when they start out." and it's true. How many of our grandparents, or parents had to go work a thankless job for years and years before they really felt comfortable? Lot's of them. Yes, I'll admit things have changed today, but one thing hasn't changed: You get what you work for.

A few ways you can easily change your life and start working towards "the dream" :
-Go work the oil fields.Entry level workers can make a killing.
-What is your city's biggest job source? The port of Houston is a huge one here that someone could find steady entry level jobs at.
-Become a firefighter.
-Become a police officer.
-Military.

No matter what type of job it is, go get one and start working your way up the ladder.Start saving, stop spending as much, and work hard.

2.) Stop Complaining About Our Predecessors And Start Listening To Them

 Another issue I see a lot of my peers talking about is dealing with the stubborn baby boomers.
I get it, they don't like our beards, they don't like our clothes, and they probably don't like our desire for independence. This doesn't mean that you have any right to resent them, or to ignore them.

We have a lot to learn from the people who came before us. This doesn't mean agreeing with everything they say, it means trying to learn the best they have to offer. Think about your parents, you can probably easily think of 10 behaviors your parents have and say to yourself "Gosh, I never want to be like that.". But can't you also think of strong qualities you've seen in them? Haven't you( By this age I hope you've started) started noticing more and more how valid your parent's advice growing up was? I started trusting the advise of older people more and more because I've started to see how easily it bites me in the butt when I don't.

Spend time with them. Show them respect. They have a lot of wisdom to offer us. You may have to filter out about 70% of it, but what you'll be left with are life lessons worth their weight in gold.

3.) Pair Your Decisions With A Healthy Dose Of Perspective 

 This one could also be called "Don't be an idiot" . Sounds harsh, yes, but sometimes we need to call ourselves on the idiotic stuff we do. I think that's a form of maturity, right?
You can see examples of the obvious ones, almost everyday. A DWI. Kissing random strangers at SXSW. A face tattoo. But we also make other, seemingly smaller, decision that need some perspective as well.
 For instance, being that person who supports every letter they add to the LGBT alphabet. I'm not going to discuss why the LGBT community is wrong, I'll simply state that they are. However, when thinking about these sorts of issues, put yourself in the shoes of your great grandfather. Do you think he would have ever met someone who identified as binary? (Yes, this is a thing now.) And if he had, what do you suppose his reaction would be? Bingo. Now, don't try to have the person thrown in jail, but also realize that this binary-individual is not a person with rational thoughts.

The bottom line for this issue is that we millennials feel that we have to validate everyone and everything. Which leads to the most detrimental thought pattern a person can take "If everything is valid, I should be able to do anything I want." . This isn't true. This is the lie.

Sesame Street lied to you, your teachers lied to you. You can't do "Anything you want to do." or "be whatever you set your mind to." . We can strive, we can aspire, we can dream. If we don't pair all those wonderful things with a spoon-full of reality, you will end up ruining your life.

Trust me, if you at least try to do some of this, your 80 year old version of you will be very thankful.*

*- If you don't care about feeling as though you had a full and happy life, then disregard this blog. YOLO right?