Yes. You are special. (Some needed love to Millennials)

There has been a lot of 'stuff' trending around the web lately about Millennials... until this point, I stayed quiet and took it. Because I honestly didn't know any better. I swallowed the names with shame: 'privileged', 'lazy', the 'me generation'. Our approach to work, to community, to technology, to politics has been attacked and derided. I've felt attacked over and over again because I was raised 'spoiled', with a hyper-inflated belief in my own potential.

It hurt. I withdrew beneath the weight of these words. They seemed right: I did believe that I was something special, I thought that I could make a difference. But the angry and undeserved rhetoric that I've encountered told me that I needed to stay in my place and keep my mouth shut.

These words often spawn from a clash between generations. I've heard the same clash happened when Generation X grew up beneath the Baby Boomers. One generation didn't understand the next and in many cases reacted with messages of distrust and even hate. It's happening again.

But thankfully, for me, there is an intersection of grace. I mentioned the hurt I was feeling and an older woman took it on herself to tell me that the messages that I was hearing from some of those in her generation were wrong: that they were lies/hurtful names disguised as candor, coming from a place of fear, a feeling of loss of control.

And she told me something else. She gave me a beautiful picture of who my generation really is.

We are kind.
We embrace diversity and tolerance more than any other generation before us.
We are engaged.

We are connected.

We love the wisdom of the generations before us, this is reflected in our trends, our fashion and our music. We embrace concepts of simplicity and authenticity.
We are also a generation of innovation and technology. The conscientious blend of these qualities (a love for the past+a vision for the future) is a critical component for a generation that must stand tall to grapple with enormous global issues.


In a very organic way, I believe that millennials have been well equipped for the task. My friend paid us the enormous compliment of saying that the millennial generation is part of nature's answer to a world out of balance.

Still chewing over that one, but it sure didn't hurt to hear.

Millennials are special. Every one of us. We are ready to overcome the messages of criticism and instead, dare to plumb the depths of our imagination and potential.

Thank you to my older friend, and to those Baby Boomers and Generation Xers who choose to love and nurture rather than to try and dismantle us.

As for the ones who hurt...

Its time to loose the hate and embrace hope instead.

LOVING this song today. :)