Millennials are doomed, but it is not their fault. The majority of the generation has grown up in environments that have failed them. As a result, many are self-centered, entitled and, for the most part, incredibly difficult to work with. The generation has also fallen short in their ability to develop deep relationships that have a sense of meaning. Millennials were doomed from the start, and will eventually pay for it.

Millennials grew up being told that they were special and that they could have anything just because they wanted it. There was little need to work for anything because daddy could it get for them. That sounds nice, but once they reach the real world they will realize that daddy cannot get them the promotion that they want, that they are not special and that if they want something, they will have to work for it. Look at the ideology of the participation trophy: telling kids that they are special even if they do not win. There is a huge problem with that because in the real-world the losers are losers, and they do not get rewarded.

In contrast, social media, which is riddled with filters, is destroying some Millennials’ self-esteem because it makes everybody’s lives look better than they really are. They do not see that, though. All they see is that they are not having as much fun, they are not as happy or they are not as good looking as their friends. The world that many Millennials have grown up in has given them a false sense of identity, one that the real-world is bound to shatter.

The other issue with Millennials is that they lack the ability to develop and utilize meaningful relationships. Their relationships, for the most part, are superficial. Millennials are notorious for choosing to abandon plans with friends if something better comes up. They lack a genuine dedication to one another.

They are built through the meaningful, face-to-face conversations that show that they care about the other person and what is going on in their life. Millennials do not know how to have those conversations. As a result, they have no one to turn to when they are stressed or feeling down; no one that they feel like they can share their problems with. Instead, they turn to the phone, which only worsens their situation. Eventually, they will find themselves depressed, unmotivated and feel empty.

Not all Millennials were raised under the same circumstances, but the fact is that children are growing up in different environments than they used to. Parents teach their kids to shoot for the stars. What they don’t realize is that shooting for the stars requires hard work that they have little experience with. In addition to that, something about the world Millennials grew up in made them desire to make an impact. The problem is that they have this idea of “impact,” but they don’t know what it is. Many will fail to see that impact in their workplaces, but many won’t quit because they need their jobs to survive. So, they will go through life and never really find joy; everything in their lives will just be “fine.” Worst of all, the environments of the real-world, which care more about the numbers than the people, are not going to help them find their purpose or sense of confidence.

Millennials can make an impact on the world, but for many, that starts with changing how they see impact and purpose. The way that they can find them in what they do is by finding something that they are passionate about and pursuing it. They will have to understand that meeting their goals and making an impact can’t be done in a matter of weeks or even months because sometimes it takes years of hard work and dedication to get remotely close.
In short, the Millennials were just dealt a bad hand and how they were raised. Many will suffer because of that by going through life without and meaning. Those that actively pursue a purpose, rather than expecting to find it sitting on a silver platter, will likely end up living happy, fulfilling lives.