I read an article about Millennials on The Muse the other day.  It began with this quote, “Millennials are entitled. They’re narcissistic. They’re spoiled and they’re lazy.” You can see the article here.

This article really struck a chord with me.  I’m a Boomer, born in 1950 — the exact middle of the baby boom.  As we were entering the workforce, people said that we were entitled, narcissistic, spoiled and lazy.  Amazing huh?

Reminds me of Socrates’ thoughts on the younger generation of his day.  “The children now love luxury.  They have bad manners, contempt for authority.  The show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.”

The more things change the more they stay the same.

This brings me to my main point.  Are some Millennials entitled, narcissistic, spoiled and lazy? Absolutely.  So were some Boomers.  So were some Ancient Greek youth.

But you should avoid characterizing an entire group by your experience with a few of its members.

All Millennials are not entitled, narcissistic, spoiled and lazy.

All Boomers are not old white guys who can’t stand change and are hanging on too long blocking promotions for young folks.

All Mexicans are not murders and rapists.

All Muslims are not terrorists.

In fact, very few of the people in these groups exhibit any of these characteristics.

Take people for who they are as people.  Don’t lump then into groups.  We are all unique human beings. When you take the time to get to know people for who they are — not what they are — you’ll be better off, and the world will be a better place.

Your career mentor,

Bud

PS: I write this blog to help people create the life and career success they want and deserve. Now I’m going one step further. I’ve created a membership site in which I’ve pulled together my best thoughts on success. And, as a reader of this blog, you can become a member for free. Just go to https://budbilanich.com/join to claim your free membership. You’ll be joining a vibrant and growing community of success minded professionals. I hope to see you there.