Dear Millennials: We Are Worth It

 

“The generation who was told they could do anything.”

This is what they tell us in classrooms throughout our lives. The teachers smile and almost bitterly tell us students about our culture and why we feel the way we do when people ask us what we want to be when we grow up. We feel that we can be the astronaut that reaches a different galaxy, the doctor who will find the cure for cancer, the FBI agent that catches the serial killer, and the Oscar winning actress for the independent movie no one’s heard about.

We were told we could make our dreams come true through hard work and determination. All we had to do was do well in high school, graduate from a university, and not stray too far from societal norms. We we’re given head bands, flared jeans, and plain colored tops with loud and proud designs on them to wear in everyday life.

PlayStation and X-BOX were just the beginning of advancing technology. Little did we know that game creators would constantly try to out beat themselves in making the newest and most improved version of what they created before. The hunger is insatiable for being the best. We we’re told to climb to the top of every mountain, even if it meant missing the scenery. We not only needed to climb to the top, but we needed to be the first ones to do it.

Growing up as a millennial meant that we were given hope as kids that our time would come to live the American Dream. As an adult millennial, we finally realize that we can’t do everything. Some of us might not be smart enough to be that astronaut to find that galaxy, or to be passionate enough to find that cure for the next disease to ravage the planet. And lastly, some of us might not be talented enough to win that Oscar.

Who are millennials then? We are the generation who will never stop trying.

We are the generation who learned that reaching the top of the mountain is nice, like our parents in the 60’s, but some views are priceless.

Lastly, we are the generation who was told we can do anything, because we can. We can do anything we put our minds to, because we are all competent and smart enough. We just have to believe in ourselves more. We need to stop listening to the doubt that is poured onto us like rain.

We are millennials. We are the future, and we will continue to dream.