A challenge to my generation

I have been thinking about this post for awhile now, and there is probably no better way to start it then to tell you where I got my inspiration from. A couple of months ago, a very successful and hard-working entrepreneur, Derek Johnson (CEO of Tatango.com) created this video that critiqued the state of our current generation.

Being a recent graduate, I first took some offense to this video because I see myself as a “hustler” (as Derek describes) trying to make things happen for me and not waiting for someone or something. But, I soon came to realize how dead accurate he was.The video got me thinking about my generation, the generation raised or influenced by technology, beer pong, Facebook, Myspace, the iPhone and Lady Gaga. The generation that takes things for granted and whom believe success is served on a platinum plate. Day in and day out, I see so many students just passing life by with the same routine: school, pizza, gym and party (sometimes not even school). We are turning into a generation whose best trait is laziness. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase, “I was way too hungover to make it to class this morning.”

Our generation, my generation is defining itself with low ambitions; which is something that kills me inside. Just cause you show up to something doesn’t mean you’re going to be successful. Unfortunately, I don’t believe many people realize this.

Hopefully I’ve got you thinking now.

With this being said, I want to propose a challenge to you, actually to our generation. I want to challenge you to look at your life and envision where you would like it to be in 10 to 20 years. I can bet that you have some sort of general idea of what you want to accomplish or have. Now, I ask you, what are you doing NOW to get there? What steps/plans are you taking right now to get you to where you want to go? How are you motivating yourself to do the things you love?

Stop waiting for a moment to come. Instead, create your own and make sure it’s something you’re proud of and it means something to you.

This isn’t just any generation that he criticized, this is our generation, our peers, our ambitions and our future. So what are we going to do to turn things around?

{Note – I know many of you are working hard day in and day out (hustling like I am), and I applaud you on your ambitions and hard-work. Obviously, this post is not directed to you. However, I’m curious to here your thoughts about our generation and your observations. Am I right or completely wrong?}