“Here are some broad descriptions about the generation known as Millennials: They’re narcissistic. They’re lazy. They’re coddled. They’re even a bit delusional.” This short, accusatory excerpt comes from TIME writer Josh Sanburn and echoes the same condemnation that we college students are so accustomed to hearing. Namely and redundantly, that we suck.
By now, we’ve come to terms with the disapproval of grayer generations. We’ve learned to ignore the scoffs of our grandparents as we absentmindedly refresh our multiple feeds and the shaking of heads from our parents while we inescapably sink deeper and deeper into a slew of Netflix episodes. Such criticism is merely white noise. As long as our Lo-Fi filtered sunsets accumulate sufficient likes and our dads continue to replenish our bank accounts on a bi-weekly basis, why should we care about distaste of our elders? Maybe because it’s easier to hide behind the self-absorption of our digital smokescreens than face what our generation so desperately needs to hear: the truth.
In a series of studies gauging psychological entitlement and narcissism conducted at the University of New Hampshire, Professor Paul Harvey concluded that Generation Y is 25 percent more self-obsessed than subjects in the 40 to 60 year old range and a startling 50 percent higher than adults over 60. Results also yielded evidence that characterized Generation Y-ers by a “very inflated sense of self” that leads to “unrealistic expectations” along with “chronic disappointment” and an “automatic, knee-jerk reaction to criticism”.
Let’s be honest; this verdict is hardly shocking. You probably didn’t need statistical evidence to recognize the extensive vanity ruling our generation’s collective self-perceptions. Just scrolling down your duck-lip cluttered Instagram is verification enough. There’s no doubt about it: We really like ourselves, or at least, the personas that we portray upon the social media platforms of our various devices. So what’s the problem? Confidence is what propels people into higher success, right? Sure, self-assurance breeds self-fulfillment, but narcissism breeds entitlement which in turn, breeds skepticism. At what point does over self-confidence lose its positivity and instead, cloud our vision to a fault?
From an inside perspective, entitlement and vanity become problematic the second you let your egotism takes the wheel and put your perseverance on autopilot. Thanks to the ever-growing digitized promotion that permeates our daily lives, everyone is now on self-important missions to live with reckless abandon and flip the bird to anyone who doubts our worth. But here’s the brutal truth: You’re not going to get anywhere by “giving zero fucks”. Give them and give them frequently because nobody else is going to give them for you. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use resources like employment connections at your disposal to move up in the world. I simply mean that, at the end of the day, nobody owes you anything. Your 400 likes cannot and will not leverage your work ethic or put you ahead of anyone.
Call it cliché, but hard work is the most valuable contribution that you can make to yourself and to society. Attempting to mask passion with egocentricity is a lost cause when it comes to achieving whatever might be your definition of success.
Lower your expectations, learn from criticism, and recognize that nothing worth getting comes easy. Stay humble and learn from every experience that you confront because, as humans, that is the only way to achieve appreciation when affluence finally knocks on your door. Don’t delete your song-lyric inspired selfies or curse your reflection. Instead, stop refreshing your newsfeed and refresh your perspective on the integrity of your self-confidence.
