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People born between the early 80’s and mid 90’s get a pretty bad rep when it comes to our place in today’s society. We get called things like lazy and entitled, when in actuality, we’re picking up the slack that the generations before us left behind — financially, politically and socially.

We’re the most educated generation in history, yet we’re the most in debt.  There’s an obvious disconnect between the baby boomers and Gen Y because most people born in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s can’t accept the fact that we choose happiness and peace over money and status.

Today, we’re combatting some of the false beliefs that baby boomers and Gen Y have about millennials. With all the madness happening in the world today, it’s pretty crucial that we work on bridging the gap.

 

1. We’re Entitled

How many times have you heard someone older say something like “kids today think everything should be handed to them easily.” But the opposite is actually true. We’ve been fed the American dream that if you finish high school, go to college, get a degree and life should be smooth sailing from there. However, once you’re a 22-year old fresh out of college and thousands of dollars and debt — you realize that you’ve been sold a dream all along.

Then you get a job (or internship) at the bottom of your career field for little to no pay. But do we complain? No, because some of us do believe in working our way up the ladder.

2. We Have Unrealistic Life Goals

Happiness is our meter of success, so in this era of viral sensations scoring number one records on the Billboard charts and aspiring models becoming the First Lady of the United States — you can’t really blame us for shooting for the stars. The worst that can happen is that we land on the moon.

3. We’re Addicted To Technology

It’s not our fault that we grew up in the information age. But what most people have wrong is that when millennials are on their phones or laptops, they think we’re just fooling around or sending memes in the group chat. Although sometimes that maybe true, we also have social sites like Twitter that helps us get news in real time and widen our personal knowledge to discover things we never knew before. Back in the day, they use to call that “learning.”

4. We’re Lazy

Statistics show that millennials earn 20% less than their parents did, with almost triple the debt. So excuse us for not wanting to work extremely long hours for little to no pay, with the daunting shadow of college loan debt looming over our heads.

5. We Have Commitment Issues

Smaller incomes and higher debt levels may have played a role in how millennials view marriage and partnership. Being able to swipe right for your next date hasn’t helped the issue either. But the gag is that most millennials really want a committed relationship — so being able to commit is not the real issue.

Most of Generation Y prefers quality relationships over quantity. We know our worth and refuse to settle just to be in a relationship. Plus most us are still trying to find ourselves.

6. We’re Dependent

Just because some of us are still living with our parents or asking asking them for money, that doesn’t mean we’re dependent. With all that’s happening in the world economically, politically and socially, it begins to weigh down on a young person’s confidence in life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

We just opt for peace instead instead of unnecessary stress. If only we could make the money we feel we deserved, we wouldn’t have to depend on our families for it.

7. We’re Quitters

There’s this myth that when the going gets tough, millennials just give up. Quite the contrary. Most of generation Y has discovered that our personal energy is the real currency — so we’d rather spend our energy on investing in ourselves than wasting it on someone else’s dream.

8. We’re Narcissistic

Whoever started the rumour that millennials only care about themselves must be living under a rock, because with all the turmoil happening in the nation, it’s been the young people in the streets protesting, boycotting and bringing attention to the issues. Do the names Bree Newsome, Deray Mckesson and Patrisse Cullors ring a bell? We’re not just tweeting hashtags — we’re the demographic that these changes directly affect, so it’s our duty to revolutionize.

But one thing we have learned from the generations before us is stand up for what we believe in. Resilience and unity are the keys to win any battle — as long as the result of it all is happiness.

 

8 Things People Get Wrong About Millennials  was originally published on globalgrind.com