I was reading a blog post (A New Generation Gap) in which Mike Neiss, a baby boomer, discusses his perspective of how the boomer generation "failed to build a solid foundation for those who will follow us. We have made a mess. We are not the victims of changing economic conditions, we created them." He goes on to say "the next generation may be the first in a long time (ever?) that are not better off than their parents. I think we baby boomers own that."

This is an interesting concept and question. Are we, the children of the boomers, worse off than our parents? Is Gen Y going to be remembered as the first generation that had it harder than our parents did?

I think NOT! In fact I think quite the opposite. I think we are at an advantage:

• We want it all and we are willing to do whatever it takes, including not sleep. When we are passionate about something we are full steam ahead and that’s really the only attitude that’s going to work right now. In your twenties you can get away with not sleeping.
• We aren’t worried. Nisha Chittal sums it up greatly, those that have been successful "are the ones who stopped worrying about that which they can’t change, and started taking action to change what they do have control over."
• We are willing to make the most out of a less-than-ideal situation, take ownership of our role in our company and excel just for the sake of learning. Since we haven’t experienced 20 years of life being a different way we just make the most of what we have.
• This is the perfect opportunity and time for innovation and new thinkers. The way I see it, whether our current economic state is all on the boomers or not, something hasn’t been working. And when something isn’t working, really the only option is to change it. Who better to make these changes and redirections than a fresh set of eyes.
• We are at a time in our careers that we are hitting the ground running and we are eager to take on the world. My mom said to me the other day "I really don’t have the motivation to set the world on fire anymore I did that in my 20s".
• Our world is smaller. Because of our experience with technology and growing up on the web our view of this big vast world isn’t as overwhelming. I can just as easily contact an developer in Australia as I can my dad 20 miles away. In a matter of moments I can take an opinion poll on most any topic and provide instant feedback to anyone who wants to know. I personally have used this connectivity several times to create direction on a project and build relationships that turn into business.
• What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. I think if there is ever going to be a hard time in a career cycle I’d rather it be at the beginning - it creates tenacity and resilience. I see jumping into the deep-end of the pool and trying to figure out how to handle it, as a challenge and much less stressful than spending 30 years in the shallow end and then being shoved to the deep-end.
• We are being taught valuable lessons about money and overcoming circumstance at a much younger age. I know for me, because of the current uncertainty, I’m very conscious of where and what I spend my money on. I read books like I Will Teach You To Be Rich instead of romance novels and celebrity gossip magazines. I’d rather drink my $1 lattes from Big Lots and donate what I would have spent at Starbucks to a much bigger cause.
• We use every opportunity to learn. What I think is great about Gen Y is that we can use any situation as a chance to learn and grow. Ryan Paugh wrote a post about how the bar scene teaches us to do social media the right way. While others may be using the bar as an escape from the stress of work Ryan, like many Gen Yers, is a creative thinker and is always on the lookout for an opportunity to make his business better.
• We are willing to help each other out. I am blessed to have an awesome network of like minded people always willing to help each other out. I think Gen Y never outgrew the sandbox mentality. I find myself sending my friends links that would help them in their business or search for a job and they do the same in return. We send referrals back and forth and whatever else we can think of to make a difference in each other’s lives.

An additional piece that found interesting in Neiss’ post is his ending thought "I believe that our parents unwittingly made us soft. We had our needs and wants indulged by parents driven to make sure we had more than they had had as children. We can’t leave a great legacy without honest-to-goodness hard work." I find it ironic how similar this sounds to what is being said about Gen Y and not being willing to put in the work.

Call me an optimist or call me naive, but those are my two cents and for now that’s the attitude I’m stickin’ with. I’m proud to stand in excitement for what’s next instead of fear of the future!