Entitlement or Ambitious?
October 5, 2009 at 2:32 am 2 comments
Make a difference. As a member of Generation Y, the latest working class in society – I’ve been noticing several patterns around work ethics that resonate with many members of this group. One of the more important themes is, work life balance – ensuring that what we are doing is fulfilling, allows us the ability to discover ourselves & make a difference.
Need to grow. With what limited time we have in the workplace, it is of sincere importance to find a place that fosters the ability to use the skills a gen Y possesses as well as gives him/her the ability to enhance them. Once that need is satisfied and a new interest is peaked, it is very normal for a generation y to consider his/her need for growth and impact on the final outcome over the need to be loyal. Which in turn causes strife amongst other previous working generations who see this behavior as spoiled & undeserving entitlement – how can they consider switching jobs when the economy is in the dumps? Because those of generation Y don’t see their jobs as the purpose in life – it is a work to live philosophy vs. the one that lives to work.
Entitled or Ambitious? I don’t think we are entitled, I think we are ambitious. There is so much we want to do, so much we want to challenge ourselves with and know that there is only so much time to do so before we are entrenched in a multitude of obligations. Those within the generation Y group are thinkers, innovators, doers (‘I want to do that, so I’m going to do it’) & inventers – with more entrepreneurial spirits than any other previous generations – I can only hope that we continue to foster these characteristics in hopes of continued societal advancement.
Are you living to work or working to live? What are your life goals & are you on track?
Entry filed under: Generation Y. Tags: ambitious, balance, entitlement, Generation Y, Life, work.
1.
Anthony Mazzaferro | October 9, 2009 at 9:44 am
I think that here in western society there are far and few people who are ‘living to work’; myself, like the majority are ‘working to live.’ We find employment, we work, we make money, but are we really happy with our lives? Is it because we are trying to make ends meet or are we never satisfied with what we have? For myself I think I fall into both categories! I never feel satisfied with what I have so I work like I can’t make ends meet. Nothing seems to be good enough, I will work towards a goal, get half way there and raise the bar again. So really I have never reached a goal because the closer I get to it the more I increase it or try to make it better. That may be the entrepreneurial side of me, where I need to live on the edge yet make every decision a logical one! Now how do I separate work from my personal life? Has work taken a toll where I know make business like decisions for a personal level?
When visiting family and friends in Europe, they definitely live life first and then work. Once their shift is over or they lock the doors at night to their business; THAT IS IT! They are not thinking about work anymore, they live a more stress free and relaxed life. It seems as though work never ends here, before we arrive we are planning our day and after we leave we are thinking about what we still have to do. Do they have the secret to living life and we are living in a dog eat dog type society where there is little room for failure.
How can we measure happiness? With money, love, friends or family?
To answer your question before I rambled off, I am working to live. My life goal is to be living to work. I may be on track, but I will never reach my goal.
2.
angielim | October 27, 2009 at 10:27 pm
Anthony, thank you for your insight and you’re right – there is something to be said about the working culture here – whether it be that we are more ambitious, more entrepreneurial in nature, it certainly makes it hard to draw the line between business & personal – hence, the issue when it comes down to what is really working and what is really considered living? If I worked for myself, 24 hours a day, but doing what I really truly loved, many would consider that living to work – but for me, I am doing what I LOVE and that is most important – and I would consider myself living. Living my dream. Perhaps the expectations here are much more stringent than what you find in other cultures – perhaps its the fact that many people do come here to pursue the “American dream” so they already have set expectations on what they need to put in to achieve this. I think as long as you are considering what makes you happy when you define this goal & working towards it – you are already on your way to achievement.