Listen Up Gen Y! Advice for Professional and Personal Growth from Gen X

Those born from around 1982 until around 2000 are commonly referred to as “millennials”. They represent the largest growing segment of the workforce today. It is estimated that 45% of the workforce today consists of millennials, and that number is projected to grow to about 75% by 2025. That means that millennials will soon be running most of our businesses, creating emerging business trends, and influencing the social direction of our society. So listen up millennials, I have some advice for you about the single best way for you to prepare to take the reins from Gen X.

I recently wondered if I’ve ever had a thought or idea that wasn’t already thought of by someone else. So, as a self-proclaimed Knowledge Enthusiast, I did what I always do and turned to Google for some insight. Ironically, I found that I am certainly not the first, or millionth, person to wonder about unique ideas. The Original Thought Theory suggests that anything anyone can ever think of has already been thought by someone else. Of course, this is only a theory because it cannot scientifically be proved or disproved. But, it seems logical to me that unique ideas must exist because someone has to be the first to have an idea, right? I don’t believe that the human race’s collective pool of ideas is finite; therefore, while original ideas are probably rare in the scope of things, they must exist.

I believe that what IS unique to every individual thought or idea, even if it is recycled, is its origin. An idea is a culmination of the bits of knowledge floating around in our brain. This knowledge is obtained from data, information, and perceptions about our experiences. My body of knowledge is not the same as that of anyone that has ever or will ever live. And my ideas are simply two, or more likely hundreds, of these morsels of knowledge colliding in Big Bang sort of way to create a new thought.

My advice to millennials (and every other generation, for that matter) is to strive to constantly expand your own body of knowledge. In fact, devour knowledge! Learn about factual information but also explore, consider, and form your own opinion about the ideas of others. We all have technology at our fingertips. In today’s world, you can find a blog, a book, or an article to read about someone’s opinion on any topic. You certainly won’t and shouldn’t agree with everything you read or hear, but even as you assess the validity of someone else’s idea, you are expanding your own pool of knowledge which spontaneously leads to personal and professional growth.

Knowledge begets ideas. Ideas beget innovation. Innovation begets growth and progress. Growth and progress keep our society moving forward.

So, get out there and stockpile as much knowledge as you possibly can. The next great idea might just be floating around in your head waiting to be born!