Many people only think they have succeeded if they receive validation from the people around them; however, I believe success comes from within. A person can work all their life towards a goal and never feel satisfied with their accomplishments. In fact, Alexander the Great compared himself to the Greek god Apollo, feeling he could never live up to the works of a god. Likewise, Julius Caesar was never content with his achievements, as he compared himself to Alexander the Great. What I am saying is that even the most accomplished figures in history never found satisfaction with their triumphs. Yet, many can argue that this is what gave them the drive to succeed, and I can agree with that assumption. However, in today’s society, not having the ability to find your own fulfillment in your work more often than not manifests itself into burnout, not the expansion of an empire. I have seen so many of my hardest-working peers completely give up on their goals because they never believed their deeds were good enough. The field of study I plan to go into is very daunting, with many years of schooling leading to a shrinking profession with a surprisingly high suicide rate. With that being said, my mindset will give me the ability to get through my schooling and career by finding meaning in the goals I reach along the way.

This Ode to Millenials-gen Z text spoke to me. Every day when I go on social media, I am flooded with different ways the world is ending and how there is nothing we can do to fix it. From global warming to global conflicts, from a collapsing economy to a collapsing government, is there anything that is not going down the drain? While the answer is unclear, one thing I do know is that Millennials and Gen Z are, in fact, resentful. I could agree with the text until the line that states, “Yet, they are absent of resentment while the mature portion of our society resents almost everything.” This struck me as odd. Many people are foregoing college out of fear of student loans; many people are accepting that they may never be able to buy a home; and some are coming to terms with the fact that they may never be able to afford to have children. Everything the older generations got handed on a silver platter, we will have to work twice as hard for, and the younger generations have realized this. However, this resentment does not fuel hate. It promotes change. Instead of fighting to achieve what the older generations had, the younger generations are working to dismantle the systems that put us in between this rock and hard place. Through the use of social media, we are making sure our voices are heard by the politicians in office, by the CEOs of major businesses, and by the elders who try to silence us. Millennials and Gen Z are pioneering to give our future generations the opportunities we wish we had.