Millennial Meltdown

The other day I was recruited to help out on a project that some people in my company were working on. I arrived at my designated time and place, and was greeted by some enthusiastic co-workers. I was told that my help was needed in putting together and packaging some materials for an engagement project, and after a quick tutorial I was put to work. My task? Rolling a piece of paper into a scroll and tying ribbon around it.

I’ll admit I was a little taken aback by my new job. “Wait, rolling papers? Really? This is what you needed me to do?” I thought as I sipped my latte and wrapped the scrolls with blue ribbon. With every roll and every ribbon bow I found myself getting more and more frustrated. I kept thinking about all the things on my desk that needed attention and all the big projects I wasn’t working on because of the scroll situation. “Who do these people think they are? I have REAL work to do. I have more important things on my plate than rolling some pieces of paper.”

It was right about the time that that entitled thought flashed through my mind that I got a damn hard slap in the face from reality. My jaw fell open, I dropped the ribbon that was in my hand, and I realized a truly horrific thought. “Oh my god, I sound like that girl that got fired from Yelp.” But even worse off, I sounded like every whiney millennial that I so passionately condemned. I took a sip of my latte and let that all sink in for a second. Then I took a breath, shook off the shame, and went back to my work while giving myself a very stern pep talk. (Yes I talk to myself in my head and sometimes out loud, so sue me).

I thought back to all my event planning classes and my old jobs, and I reminded myself of the philosophy that defines me professionally, and that I hold close to my heart; There is no job that is beneath you, you do what needs to be done no matter what it is. You are not better than any job out there.

I talked myself down of my high and mighty ledge, and quickly calmed myself down as I realized something important. I realized that I am not one of those awful, stereotypical millennials that make life harder for the rest of us, but I am human. There’s nothing wrong with being imperfect, in fact I’m actually pretty amazing at being imperfect, maybe I’ll list it as a special skill on my resume…

But anyways, the point I’m trying to make is that there’s nothing wrong with having a little millennial style meltdown, as long as you can bring yourself back from it and remember what’s important to you. Figure out what those key philosophies are for you, and write them down. On long days, or during tough times I think it helps to have a little reminder of the things that make your heart happy, and the beliefs that define you.

Millennials have a bit of a bad rep, but if we’re willing to work hard, we can change that.