What generation do you fall into? I have found that exploring and understanding the different generations can help us to appreciate each other more and also help us to communicate better. This is important to me as I had my kids at a later age than most, am on the cusp of a couple different generations and employee staff of various ages.
To make things a bit more clear, I have outlined the generations below by birth year and a few characteristics that might stand out.
- The Silent Generation - 1925 to 1945 - Born during the Great Depression. Grew up expecting a hard life with few frills. They worked very hard and learned how to save money. They were not loud in terms of protests and did not take risks. Family values and traditions were important to this generation. They were loyal to their country and their employers and respected authority.
- Baby Boomers - 1946 to 1964 - Known to have a strong work ethic, be extremely independent, goal oriented, disciplined and competitive. These individuals are also very resourceful, mentally focused and team oriented. They have an “anything is possible” attitude.
- Gen X - 1965-1979 - These individuals are independent, resourceful, and self sufficient. They value freedom and responsibility in the workplace and embrace a hands off management philosophy. They are technologically adept, flexible and value a work/life balance.
- Gen Y or Millennials - 1980 to 1995 - The largest generation in western history. They are technologically savvy as they grew up being connected. They are civic-oriented, entrepreneurial, authentic, adventurous and compassionate. They are the “we want it now” generation.
- Gen Z - 1996 to 2010 - The “internet experts” who would rather have a digital conversation than a real-life one. They look up to YouTubers and send messages through Snapchat because they are more private and don’t like the idea of a permanent post. They tend to turn their hobbies into jobs are self starters and are more accepting of others differences.
Maybe you are considered a “cusper” which means you are within 2 to 3 years of a generational age range. Cuspers can usually identify with the values and behaviors of two generations like myself who is on the cusp of Baby Boomer and Generation X.
I believe that it is important to realize that all of these different generations bring beautiful things to our lives in terms of values, tradition, aspirations, understanding, acceptance and our future. As a Mom with kids that are two generations apart from me, it is not always easy to accept and understand the way they do things today which is so different from what I did at their age. I constantly find myself questioning how they think, feel and function, but I have come to understand that I need to embrace the differences in our generations, stay up to speed on technology and encourage them to learn and grow their own way so that they too will enjoy a beautifulife!
My affirmation for you this week is;
“I embrace the ideas of other generations and know that we all contribute something special in shaping the path to a beautilife”.
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