Saturday’s Saying

Happy weekend, everyone!

Photo Credit: healthmeup.com

How are you spending your Saturday? Tell me about it in the comments section below! I’m enjoying a peaceful and quiet “Friday” morning at the office, and when my work day ends, my fiancé and I will be hitting the gym for back/shoulders/core before heading back home to spend some lazy time together on the couch with our dog. It’s been a really good week!

However, I digress. Today’s saying comes to us from Sheryl Sandberg:

Photo Credit: stylecaster.com

Today, I want to discuss opportunity, risk taking, and stepping outside of our comfort zones. Sheryl Sandberg is the COO (Chief Operating Officer) for Facebook; however, her background lies in social marketing. She ended up taking the job after having sat with her mentor, Eric Schmidt. Sandberg was understandably timid about diving into the Facebook start-up, which was offering her a position that was several levels lower than the other offers she had pending at the time, and caught a lot of flack from her peers about going to work for a then-23 year old; however, the story goes that Schmidt looked her in the eye and said, “Don’t be an idiot. […] Get on a rocket ship. When companies are growing quickly and they are having a lot of impact, careers take care of themselves. And when companies aren’t growing quickly or their missions don’t matter as much, that’s when stagnation and politics come in. If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on.” It’s a good thing that Ms. Sandberg chose to follow that advice, as she is now fully responsible for overseeing the operations of Facebook (including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy, and communications), is regarded as one of Fortune Magazine’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business, and has an estimated annual income of $300,000.00 base salary plus $30,491,613.00 in Facebook shares.

Photo Credit: allfacebook.com

Now, the vast majority of us won’t end up working for the next big Internet start-up (however, that’s not to say it is impossible), but it’s pretty well a certainty that we will all encounter scary professional crossroads, choices that make us question everything we know for sure and ponder everything we don’t know anything about at all. I encountered this a few years ago, when I was presented with the opportunity to interview for the position of office manager at a used car dealership. To be perfectly honest with you, I almost didn’t go to that interview. I’d stayed awake all night the evening prior hemming and hawing over the “what if’s” and the “why not’s,” and that isn’t even mentioning the fact that I don’t drive! Well, it ended up being one of the best interviews of my life – I ended up getting hired on the spot for a salary much greater than what had been initially offered to me. I impressed them enough that they took a chance on me – and they impressed me enough that I did the very same. A year later, I was not only responsible for the administrative office tasks, but back-end finance, inventory, high-end automotive storage and consignment, U-Haul rentals, and bookkeeping. I’m glad that I got on that rocket ship, as it propelled me further professionally (and personally) than I ever thought possible. Was it terrifying? Yes. Was it challenging? Very. Was it rewarding? Absolutely, and I still reap those benefits today. 

Photo Credit: innovativeworkplace.tashalester.com

So, if it is that taking (calculated) risks will usually reap some (if not loads of) professional reward, what is it that’s holding us back from jumping on those proverbial rocket ships without trepidation when they present themselves? Well, I think it boils down to three key fears:
1. The fear of being unemployed forever,
2. The fear that gets between a person and the job of their dreams, and
3. The fear of losing motivation when a fulfilling career has presented itself (we’ll call this the fear of failure for the rest of the article).
Don’t worry though – I have some tips and tricks to help you jump each one of these hurdles with a little less intimidation.

Photo Credit: lifekanika.blogspot.com

Starting with the fear of being unemployed forever, here are some simple ways to help you overcome the woes that come with not having a job and better the chances of that proverbial seat being offered to you:

• Stick to a normal schedule – go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up at a decent one. By setting your alarm clock for 9:00am, one mirrors the mainstream business world and optimizes their chances to stay connected. In addition, schedule the rest of your day (at least from Monday through Friday) – for example, from 9 to 10 am, answer emails; from 10 to noon, hunt for job opportunities online; from noon to one, meet with a  mentor or professional contact. You get the idea – keeping yourself busy and productive rather than allowing the stress of the situation will, in the long run, pay off.
• Be headstrong. Think of your new job as a marketing executive, and yourself as the product. Though you can’t force a company to hire you, you can control and better your job qualifications – remember, you are in control of how much time you spend learning new and useful skills that will make you a more useful, productive person in any future business opportunities.
• Maintain a well-written and formatted resume, as well as a few pre-formatted cover letters which you can send to any interesting opportunities without hesitation or delay. Take the time to compile a list of 5-10 contacts whom you feel comfortable using as references (make sure to contact them in advance to ask them if they are comfortable representing you, and make sure to keep the list up-to-date with current emails, phone numbers, and et cetera). Any and every thing you can add to or improve in your professional “tool-kit” is worth the time and effort to have, keep, and maintain!
• Consider volunteering! Not only are you doing a beautiful thing by getting out there and helping others, you are helping yourself – volunteer work reflects wonderfully upon a person, especially as a component of a well-rounded resume. In fact, the volunteer work I did in high school (I used to work at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary as a Nurse’s aide and at a swimming pool as a teacher’s assistant from the time I was thirteen until I was eighteen. In five years of my life, I accrued over 2,000 hours of volunteer service, more work experience than I could even recognize at the time, and gained some of the most powerful wisdom from some of the most wonderful people I have ever met) still comes up in interviews I have these days, almost a decade later. I recommend looking into programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters, your local hospital, and local animal shelters – they are always looking for good people to lend a helping hand.
• Finally, remember that you aren’t alone. There are plenty of support systems and resources in place to help you through the tough times – if you live in Canada, this is an excellent place to start. Looking for a job is a full-time job unto itself, so it is as (if not more) important as ever to remember to take some “you time,” and relax after a long day of hunting for your next job. There’s plenty of free things you can do to unwind – my personal favourite is hunkering down with a good book and a cup of tea with my puppy on my lap for snuggling.

…and remember, laughter is good not only for the soul, but the body. Laughing for ten minutes every day is proven to lower the levels of stress chemisty in the brain by up to 43%! (Photo Credit: felicitysfelicity.blogspot.com)

Next, let’s discuss some ways to nix the fears that can get between us and the job of your dreams:

• First thing’s first – take a good, honest look at the people you surround yourself with. Are they the kind of people who are encouraging, inspiring, motivated and supportive? If not, it might be time to re-think your social circle. This isn’t (necessarily) to say that you should ditch your entire group of friends and replace them with relative strangers; however, it may be to your benefit to seek out mentors, colleagues, and connections that are upbeat and positive with some wisdom to spare. It’s true that filling your life with affirmative people makes you more apt to be upbeat and positive, as well.
• Secondly, define your dream job. Be specific! What does it entail? Would you prefer to work independently or in a team-based setting? Are you open to travel? Are you looking for something more analytical or creative? You get the jist of it – take some time to really flesh out the qualities you’re seeking in an “ideal” job. Be fiercely honest with yourself, and define any and all aspects and qualities pertinent to the job of your dreams.
• Thirdly, find a mentor working in a position that mirrors your “dream job,” and interview them. Most people are flattered and more than happy to sit and discuss their career with someone who shows genuine interest and passion for it as well. Ask them questions that will provide you with valuable information. Some of my favourites include:
  • How did you end up in this position? What were the circumstances that led you to where you are today?
  • What do you love about your job?
  • What do you dislike about your job?
  • What does an average working day look like for you?
  • What do you find the most challenging about your position?
  • What would you change about your job/company if you could? Why?
  • Do you have any regrets?
    • I should also mention that these mentors can be wonderful networking tools. Remember, every single person you meet can potentially be a key factor in making the impossible possible.
    • Utilize your mentor – ask them if they know about any volunteer or internship opportunities within the industry. Make a good enough impression, and they might even offer to take you under their wing! You never know until you ask, and the worst thing that can happen if you ask is to hear the word “no”.
• Finally, APPLY! Even if a company isn’t actively hiring, inquire where and how they might be able to employ your skill set.

Photo Credit: firstgraderedhead.blogspot.com

Finally, let’s discuss some strategies related to overcoming the fear of failure once you’ve got the job of your dreams:

• First and foremost, take a step back and look at the big picture. What is it that’s making you fearful or anxious about undertaking this job? Are these apprehensions based on fear or rooted in reality? Learn to separate fact from imagination, and focus on what lies within the scope of your control, not what’s beyond it.
• Prepare for your Monday the Friday prior. Spend fifteen or so minutes at the end of each work week straightening up your desk, making to-do lists for the week ahead (I use an agenda, but it’s all about finding what works for you. Lots of my colleagues utilize the calendar function on their computers and upload the information to their cell-phones, allowing them mobile access to their schedule at any time, from anywhere), and tying up loose ends. Knowing what you have on your plate in advance helps to reduce stress and allows you greater control over how you expend time and energy – effectively making you more productive and more profitable as an employee (trust me – employers DO notice these things!).
• Learn to balance your sleep patterns. If your work week calls for you to rise at 6:00 am, and you choose to sleep in on Sunday, you may not be tired at your scheduled bedtime. Try to reserve Saturdays as your sleep-in day so that Sunday you are ready to fall back into your schedule seamlessly.
  • On a related note, learn to stop agonizing over the clock. Set your alarm clock and then turn it away from you to keep you from laying awake all night long. Trust that it will wake you up on time, and enjoy your sleep!
  • Also, if you’re a snooze button addict like me, it might be to your benefit to place your alarm clock across the room, forcing you to physically remove yourself from your bed and begin your day.
  • Finally, I recommend packing your briefcase/purse/lunch bag the night before, so that upon waking, all you have to worry about is coffee, clothes, and commuting.
• Capitalize on your weekends and take the time to truly relax. Don’t over-schedule yourself or burn yourself out!
  • In particular, try your best to schedule your Sundays strategically to maximize tranquillity based on your personality. If you normally feel depressed on Sundays, try to plan a fun outing with some friends or a nice dinner out with someone you love. If you’re typically on edge come the end of your weekend, try to plan some ‘decompression’ time in the company of a good book, movie, or Yoga class. Listen to your body and to your mind – they know you best!
• Finally, take some time to reflect on the positive things in your life. A few weeks ago, I wrote about the things I’m the most grateful for in my life. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with the negatives in our lives, and even five minutes spent meditating/praying/writing/whatever works for you on the unshakable positives can shift our attitudes from cynical to grateful. I try to take five minutes every day to reflect (usually in bed, right before I drift off to sleep) in my head about the overwhelmingly awesome things in my life. Over time, you’ll find that the good does, in fact, heavily outweigh the bad!

In closing, I’ll leave you with one of my favourite Thoreau quotes:

Photo Credit: thegraphicrecorder.com

To read the transcript of the speech in which Sheryl Sandberg’s quote comes from, click here. I highly recommend it!

Have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

-Mel

Mel’s Musings #5: X vs. Y

Happy Wednesday,  everyone!

Anybody else feeling this way today? (photo credit: cracked.com)

Today, I want to talk about generational gaps and how they affect us all in the workplace. What is a generation gap, you ask? Well, according to The Online Oxford:

gen·er·a·tion gap

noun
noun: generation gap; plural noun: generation gaps
1. differences of outlook or opinion between people of different generations.

The generational gap I’d like to discuss today is the one that exists between Generation X (‘Gen-X’) and Generation Y (‘Gen-Y’), as this is the most pertinent correlation to what I notice in my adventures as a young professional. Where are we getting lost in translation; and, more importantly, how is it affecting our success in the workplace? Alternately, how can we work alongside our more established peers and work colleagues in order to improve the quality of our business interactions, to be taken more seriously, and to integrate ourselves better into the business world?

Generation X: Who Are They?

Gen·er·a·tion X

noun

1. the generation born after that of the baby boomers (roughly from the early 1960s to mid 1970s), often perceived to be disaffected and directionless. (definition sourced from here)

Photo Credit: elevenbravotwenty.blogspot.com

In short, for the purposes of this article, we’re going to standardize the GenX population as those born to the post-WWII Baby Boomers, those born between 1960 and 1980. If you’re my age (20-something), then this probably relates to your parents. The most commonly referenced archetypes of this generation include:

-Individualistic
-Technologically adept
-Apathetic
-Flexible
-Value work/life balance
-Anxious

It is important for us to bear in mind the world that our parents (or, the world that you grew up in, or the world your children were born into, respectively) grew up in was a vastly different place than it is today. They grew up in a time of emerging technology – mimeograph machines turned into high speed photocopiers; telex machines paved the way for more modern fax transmission methods; and computers morphed from the size of a whole room to rudimentary versions of the desktop PCs which are now a mainstay in the majority of peoples’ lives. In addition to the technological leaps and bounds, the GenX population were heavily impacted by the political and institutional incompetence of the time. Watergate, Bhopal, Three Mile Island, The Iranian hostage crisis, Iran-Contra, and dozens of other examples of this mark the emergence of this generation, and help us to understand some of the lingering disillusionment and cynicism that remains prevalent in our perception of this sub-populous.

Photo Credit: bl.uk

Generation Y: Who Are We?

mil·len·nial
miˈlenēəl
noun
  1.  a person reaching young adulthood around the year 2000; a Generation Y-er.
 2. an abbreviation for millennial generation, is a term used by demographers to describe a segment of the population born between 1980 and 2000 (approximately). Sometimes referred to in the media as “Generation Y,” millennials are the children of the post-WWII baby boomer generation.

Anyone else? I miss Windows ’95 mainly for the screensavers. No word of a lie. (Photo Credit: memecenter.com)

I was born in 1990, which puts me right in the middle of the Generation Y populous. If you google the term “Millennials are,” the first things that pop up as related searches are:
-Millennials are lazy
-Millennials are screwed
-Millennials are stupid
-Millennials are lazy entitled narcissists

Needless to say, as a millenial, this was disheartening at best. I took this screenshot last week when I began my research on this article and it’s been on my mind ever since.

We grew up in a time of rapidly evolving technology. In my lifetime, I’ve used everything from dial-up internet to high speed wi-fi; I’ve owned a walkman, a discman, a primitive MP3 player, a minidisk player, a first generation ipod, an ipod touch and now an ipod nano as my go-to media player; and I’ve gone from landlines to the old bricks of Nokia cell phones, the Motorola RAZR, an android powered smartphone, an iPhone 4, and now an iPhone 5c as my primary phone line. Basically, in my 23 years, the world I live in has gotten smaller in the sense that I can contact anyone anywhere at (virtually) anytime; however, it has also expanded in ways I don’t think anybody could have predicted even fifteen short years ago. My life has been marked by the perpetual advent of bigger, better, faster technologies – in fact, the iPhone I use on a daily basis is more powerful than the Voyager 1, which made it into deep space in the 1970s (neat read on that here). As soon as I learn the ins and outs of the newest greatest thing, I am back to square 1 when the even newer, greater thing is released. This is the world I know, and the world I love (SEO and social media research and optimization are pretty much the number one things that interest me these days), but it’s a new world – a world that makes even less sense to those that weren’t inundated with it all from childhood.

In addition to the massive technological shifts we have experienced as millennials, we also saw some pretty major political and social events that have marked us as a fearful, overly cautious, and incredibly skeptical generation on the whole. In addition to the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, we have lived through long winded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, watched the Twin Towers crumble on September 11th, 2001, seen Yugoslavia disappear, felt the effects of the “war on terror,” and gone to school amidst headlines revolving around school shootings (most notably Columbine and Virginia Tech). What sets us apart from the Baby Boomers with the Vietnam War is the lack of a clearly unified or even radical reaction to these events. Perhaps what prior generations see as our apathy is actually a reflection of us having grown up in an increasingly violent, security-theatre ridden world.

I was in the 6th grade when 9/11 happened. My parents kept me home from school that day, and I watched both towers fall, live on National TV. At eleven years old, I was not old enough to fully comprehend the political motivations for the attacks; however, I do remember knowing intrinsically that the world I lived in had changed drastically and near-instantly on that day. (Photo Credit: nationalgeographic.com)

Us vs. Them: Generational Gaps in the Workplace

Photo Credit: arma.org

When our parents were entering the workforce and becoming established in their careers, fax, telex, and snail mail were the methods most commonly utilized for communications; receptionists used switchboards, and computers were an emerging technology that were not yet the industry standard that they are today. It’s understandable that for them, the way that communication has evolved is overwhelming; and, though not an excuse, a fair explanation for some of the prejudices that they commonly hold against the GenY employees which are beginning to make a name for themselves in the business world.

Photo Credit: cornell.edu

On the flip side of the proverbial coin, us millennials are now entering the workforce en masse (and by ‘entering the workforce,’ I am referring to our beginnings as young professionals, not our first jobs out of high-school), and come along with our own set of pretenses and prejudices. As I mentioned earlier, we grew up inundated with the perpetual advent of newer, cooler, more advanced (and easily accessible) technology than ever before. We are used to these technologies and we are comfortable using them; however, tend to become easily frustrated by the overwhelming assertation from our GenX peers that our new methods of communicating, networking, and conducting business make us ‘lazy,’ ‘unprofessional,’ and even ‘rude.’ We don’t see it that way – we see it as the norm. Again – it isn’t an excuse; however, it does serve to explain some of our frustrations with older generations.

Photo Credit: worldtvpc.com

Us AND Them: Bridging The Gap

Photo Credit: blog.startupprofessionals.com

By now, you’re probably wondering what the heck this article has to do with anything, let alone this blog. Well, the answer is that it has EVERYTHING to do with my job, and on a broader scale, it has EVERYTHING to do with the way we conduct (and will conduct) business in the future. The fact of the matter is that revolutions in technology (see: the Industrial Revolution) have and will always be shifting the way that business is conducted. Humans are curious beasts, and we are fuelled by the desire to create – something bigger, faster, more effective, less time-consuming – it is the defining characteristic of our species that fascinates and drives me the most.

Photo Credit: fresno.k12.ca.us

Now, I suppose that how a person feels about these changes in technology, methodology and attitude is largely derived from their personal situation at the time these major shifts happen. If you compare myself to the GenX colleagues I have, I tend to be excited about new technologies (as I have grown up with them from early childhood); whereas my older (wiser!) colleagues tend to be apprehensive, afraid, and wholly turned off by the prospect of introducing new, ‘useless’ technologies (in my case, usually social media) into their lives. Where we see exciting new features to explore and play with, they see excess time ‘wasted’ on something that they do not understand. Both of these vantage points are fine and fair; however, somewhere in the middle lies a largely untapped and grossly underutilized wealth of opportunity in which we meld these two very different worlds and create something unbelievably powerful.

Photo Credit: glowgwinnett.com

GenX—>GenY: The Lessons We Should Learn

Photo Credit: 9gag.com

1. “I’ll listen, but I can teach myself.”
Our GenX colleagues are, on the whole, much more solitary at work. They value the challenge of being given a task and carrying it out independently. What we should take from this is the increasingly lost art of figuring things out for ourselves and reaping the associated satisfaction. If we think hard enough about it, fellow GenY-ers, I’m sure we can all remember a time without Google, a time where we actually cracked books open to study with and learn from. While I’m not saying that we should abandon the technology we now have at our disposal, we should take a cue from our older (wiser!) peers and remember (or learn, if that is the case) to do it for ourselves, by ourselves. It feels amazing to accomplish something that felt impossible all on our own.

2. Professionalism Is King
Where we feel comfortable waltzing into work half an hour late looking like we just rolled out of bed (again, please remember that I am generalizing and drawing from stereotypes here – I cannot stress this enough), our GenX peers were raised to present themselves as well-kept, timely, and on top of the proverbial ball. The key here lies in the previous sentence: GenX-ers became professionals in an era where face-to-face communication was practically the only way; therefore, they developed habits that are largely lost on us GenY-ers. We have been fostering our professional selves in a world where we can negate boardrooms in favour of Skype, and set our own hours thanks to the advent of the remote office (note: there is something to be said about working in ones pyjamas, but I digress). We should take a cue from our older (wiser!) peers and remember (or learn, if that is the case) that the way we present ourselves as professionals, regardless of our work situation (office-based, home-based, casual, formal, et cetera) reflects not only upon how we are seen physically, but how seriously we are taken as workers. If you agree to a deadline, meet it. Take the time to brush your hair and don’t wear ripped jeans to the office. Learn how to give (and receive!) a good handshake. All of these seemingly trivial things will only help to further your life professionally.

3. “I expect to be between jobs about five times in my life.”
GenX saw career changes as an integral and unavoidable part of professional development. GenY was raised by GenX to seek out “stability,” and we often feel that our GenX parents rushed, pushed, or even forced us into post-secondary school so that we could graduate by 22, get an entry level job, and begin climbing the corporate ladder, armed with a magical piece of paper that was supposed to protect us from career switches and instability. Well, that is usually not the case – I myself have a degree in neuropsychology, worked in the field for all of a few months, decided that I hate it, and probably will never use that (very expensive, might I add) piece of paper ever again in my life. I understand why my parents pushed me into it right out of high school; however, it didn’t accomplish what I think they had hoped for it to. As an overarching result of this style of upbringing, we tend to be petrified of career shifts, seeing it as a personal failure, where GenX would have seen an organic transition through personal and professional development. We should take a cue from our older (wiser!) peers and remember (or learn, if that is the case) that what we see as failure might very well be a bigger, better, brighter opportunity staring us in the face. Instead of being terrified about what we may end up doing 5, 10, or 20 years from now, we should shift our focus to learning as much as we possibly can from our current situation, and transferring those skills to whatever new opportunities present themselves along the way. Instead of brick walls, we should learn to see springboards.

GenY—>GenX: The Lessons We Should Teach

Photo Credit: locomente.blogspot.com

1. Working Hard and Hardly Working Might Look The Same To YOU…
One of the biggest frustrations as a young professional working within social media and SEO is hearing that “all I do all day is tool around on the internet and waste my (and my employers’) time”. Well, that isn’t the truth, although I do totally see where that critique comes from. It may appear that all I do all day long is ‘play’ on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/et cetera; however, the fact of the matter is that I am simply not. Social media is the single most powerful and advantageous form of marketing, networking, and promoting ones business these days, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. With a well executed Facebook post, I can reach 15,000 people with one mouse click, whereas that same reach would have been viewed as nigh impossible but thirty years ago. What I wish I could tell you is that instead of criticising things which you do not understand, it would be more productive for us both if you would take the opportunity to learn a little bit about the complexities, challenges, and benefits of my job. Though you may not understand these platforms, I do – and I want to help you utilize them to their full potential. I might look like a “slacker,” but I’m actually working my tail off to help us build and promote our company, which I am proud to be a part of.

2. 9-5? I’m Connected ALL THE TIME!
With the advent of the remote office, many GenY employees don’t see the inside of their office building, well, ever. There has been a notable increase in flexible hours, and while our GenX peers often view this as ‘lazy’ or ‘lacking in professionalism,’ what they often fail to see is the fact that we are connected all the time, even if it isn’t necessarily on THEIR time. For example, I have the Slegg Mortgage Blog/LinkedIn/Twitter/Facebook/Email/et cetera synced to apps on my phone. Email comes in at 10pm? I’ll read it. Facebook comment on a Sunday? I’ll reply. Maybe I’ll be out of the office half way through a day (or, y’know, in LA for a week); however, I am constantly able to (and I always do) check up on what is happening, who is connecting with us, and maintain these lines of communication – business communication – 24/7. Where GenX valued a work/life separation, our work/life balance is much more skewed. What I wish I could tell you is that even though I do not necessarily keep “regular” business hours, I am no less dedicated, informed, or committed to my job than you are. Different means of conducting business allow us to work much more constantly, while still enjoying our lives.

3. You Call Me Anti-Social, I Call You Wrong.
Our generation is widely viewed as being anti-social, as we tend to spend our time in relative solitude, even when out in groups (ever seen a group of 20-somethings out for dinner, silent, all on their smartphones instead of conversing? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s where this notion stems from). We are, on the whole, a generation that values our seclusion; however, even when sequestered, tend to be connected globally to friends that we can keep/make contact with via the internet. Good part of the reason why I value Facebook in my personal life is precisely that – I have friends and family worldwide, and Facebook allows me to stay in constant contact with them for free, where that would have been nigh impossible (or at very least, VERY expensive) 20 years ago with long-distance calls and snail mail). GenY is a bit of a misnomer – we’re anti-social in person; however, hyper-social online. This is not a bad thing – in fact, when compared to our GenX colleagues, we tend to be able to work in teams, brainstorm, and come up with solutions as a team much more efficiently and effectively because of our ‘anti-social’ tendencies. Case in point? While writing this article today, I posted a Facebook status to my friends asking them to weigh in on the GenX vs. GenY debate. Within 10 minutes, I had 6 replies from various friends all over the world (plus an email from my fiancé). What I wish I could tell you is that you aren’t wrong, but you aren’t seeing the bigger picture. Of course it is bizarre to you that I text my friend who is within shouting distance; however, just because you can’t see the contact we have doesn’t mean that it isn’t there in spades.

X + Y = Success

In closing, I just want to reiterate that when it comes to this debate, nobody is right and nobody is wrong. It all comes down to perspective. If us GenY-ers can learn to step back and understand where our GenX colleagues are coming from, we will find that there is a lot of great life knowledge that they have to share with us from days gone by. If GenX-ers can swallow the bitter pill that is accepting that there is a lot about the world today that they don’t necessarily understand and allow us GenY-ers to help them understand it better, they will find that we are capable of (and for the most part, actively doing) so much more than just posting silly memes and listening to our iPods.

X & Y is SO much more powerful than X vs. Y. Photo Credit: funnyjunk.com

Together, we are so much more powerful than we are apart.

Both generations need to step back and work together, instead of trying to put each other under microscopes and pick each other apart.

#GenXY

Let’s try something new, shall we?

If you read this and enjoyed it, I want you to share it with a hyperlink and the hashtag #GenXY. My GenY counterparts, use your multitude of platforms as an advantage – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Digg, et cetera – let’s see how many people we can share this article with.

Photo Credit: socialbeaker.com

If you have no idea what I just said, I want you to find someone (likely a younger someone) and ask them to show you how to share it yourself.

Let’s see if we can get this trending worldwide –

#GenXY. Let’s bridge the gap.

Have a brilliant afternoon, folks.

-Mel