120 Millennials

[Martin Hash]

Only 10% of Millennials, those born roughly between 1980-2000, have completed the Big 5 Goals In Life, which are: spouse, career, children, house & education by the time they are 30, verses 70% for Gen-Xers, the previous generation. If you talk to many Millennials, the reason why is obvious, those things aren't what's important to them, maybe because they seem unobtainable to most Millennials, or maybe because they are not being forced by circumstances to dedicate their lives to making a living. In fact, the values of the previous generation may not even apply: Millennials may not want to be the economic powerhouse of the World, nor the World's policeman. Many would be satisfied with a National Stipend that would take care of basic needs so that they never had to work.

Millennials want self-actualization & to think what they're doing "makes a difference." They travel, do extreme sports & gather together multiple nights per week to hang out. Entertainment is made by them & tailored for them. The new “family unit" seems very similar to the family unit of old: a couple generations living together, or multiple Millennials all sharing the same living space & costs. Millennials live where they want, do what they want, many do not get married, and only a faction have children of their own. Millennials are ideally positioned to take the pleasures from life, not spend the majority of their time chasing ephemeral goals. I sometimes wonder if I would have pursued my life as single-mindedly had I that option, or would I have simply opted out, like Millennials do?