An extremely millennial problem
We grew up believing in the tech companies who promised to bring the world closer together, but they just fragmented the world even more
We cheered the rebel entrepreneurs who forged their own path, only to learn that they were doing it by screwing over their workers to gain fame and profit.
And the brands we flaunted on social media as sharing our values of inclusion and equality, were just pandering to the ideals of a demographic without any real principles of their own.
Unless you count making a profit.
Let’s face it, guys, we live in a world where trust requires regular verification.
We’re the post-truth generation.
Is it any wonder then, that we’re constantly disappointed to find that our employers don’t seem to have a grand purpose?
Call me a cynic, but many companies don’t have a purpose beyond hitting their sales targets for the next quarter.
Honestly, most never really had one, despite their lengthy manifestos.
I’m not even demanding that every large business commits to solving problems like world hunger or social inequality. Just paying their fair share of taxes would be a great start.
But that change doesn’t start with a system designed to reward self-preservation.
It starts with the individual.
With you.
Make your purpose your platform.
You, dear millennial, need to live your purpose out loud so that others who share it can find you.
And your purpose doesn’t come from a rarified position or by working for a rarified brand. It comes from doing a rarified job.
Your job is a platform for you to do things differently.
As Winifred Gallagher wrote in her book Rapt:
“Who you are, what you think, feel, and do, what you love — is the sum of what you focus on.”
Live your purpose no matter where you are.
No matter who you are.
That’s the only way to transform your job into a platform and attract those who share your passion.
And who knows, maybe by finding our tribes and coming together, we can start building the type of brands that we’ve been searching for all along.
