Gen Y'ers can find a silver lining in tough times.
Generation Y is known for being optimistic. According to a poll taken earlier this year by Scottrade, Inc., 54 percent of Gen Y’ers believe the economy will improve before the end of the year. But, they aren’t just optimistic about the economy, Gen Y’ers find silver linings in all aspects of their lives.
The recession has made the inherent challenges twenty-somethings of every generation have faced even more difficult, such as finding the first “real” job and obtaining financial stability. Add in the basic stresses and nuances of life in general, and it could be easy to give up or be unrealistically optimistic. But, Gen Y’ers like Samantha Karol aren’t blindly optimistic, they are taking the bad with the good and choosing to focus on the good.
Karol, a 24 year-old online marketer in New York City, says the hard experiences give her much needed perspective.
“So much has changed since last Thanksgiving. It hasn’t been my best year, that’s for sure. But, I am so thankful for the lessons I have learned in the past year, from good experiences and bad. The bad experiences have given me an invaluable perspective that has motivated me to appreciate everything and everyone I have in my life.”
Earlier this year Karol started the Appreciation Revolution on her blog, Life’s Chocolates, to provide her peers an opportunity to contemplate and verbalize all the good that is still present in their lives, rather than dwell on the less desirable aspects. Karol did the same.
“I am thankful for the unconditional love of my family and the close relationships I have with both of my parents. I don’t know what I’d do without my wonderful boyfriend. I am so lucky to have him in my life. I am grateful for friends, new and old, especially for the true friends who say they’ll be there and follow through. New since last Thanksgiving, I am incredibly thankful to have a full-time job, health benefits and a place of my own. Words cannot express how much this stability means to me. I am grateful to be a part of amazing communities, online and offline, and the friendship and support they have given me. I am thankful for each new day and the opportunities that are presented to me.”
Karol, and many of her Gen Y peers, are developing the important skill of finding the silver linings, even when things are bleak. For inspiration to do the same, check out Karol’s Appreciation Revolution and read more Gen Y Gives Thanks entries, (the series was inspired by Karol’s Appreciation Revolution).
For more on “Gen Y Gives Thanks”: Click here to read how the series got started and here to read all “Gen Y Gives Thanks” related articles. Join the #GenYGivesThanks conversation on Twitter and check out what the participants in the series are tweeting about with my GenYGivesThanks Twitter list.
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- Even Google won't find Chuck Norris when feeling lucky
- Gen Y Gives Thanks: Positive business development in a tough economy
- Twilight: The one word Gen Y men hate more than anything
- Gen Y Gives Thanks: Previous generations paved the way for us
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Comments
I liked this article because I really think that all of our difficulties and challenges help to groom us for great things. I've heard it said that if you look hard enough to see the silver lining in your problems, you will see the hand of God. I believe it. So focus on the positive and count your blessings.
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