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11 Pieces of Advice Every Millennial Should Hear

“Millenials,” writes Jesse Carey of Relevant Magazine, “are in a challenging phase of life: navigating professional challenges, long-term relationship choices and spiritual questions, all while trying to live up to the social expectations of what an adult should be.”

Crosswalk’s Trending blog has covered quite a bit of advice given recently to the young adult generation. We shared thoughts on 20 Things Every Twentysomething Should Know How to Do and the slightly more forward-looking 20 Things You Should Know Before You're 30. Today’s advice is more generic, and, I’d wager, pretty applicable to folks in any age range

11 Pieces of Advice Every Millennial Should Hear begins by reminding us that “No one ever ‘arrives,’ so enjoy where you are right now.” 

“No matter how successful you become, there will always be more goals you’ll want to accomplish. There’s nothing wrong with looking ahead to what’s next in your life, but don’t let plans about the future prevent you from living in the moment.”

It goes on to point out that the internet never forgets, it’s never too late to start a new adventure, it pays to be careful with credit cards, and never be afraid to ask for help.

Sounds pretty wise, no matter your generation! But definitely a piece of advice the Millenial generation struggles with moreso than our parents and grandparents is to turn off our phones. Carey writes:

“According to new research, modern smartphone users check their devices up to 150 times a day on average. Clearly, we have a problem. In his now famous rant against smartphones on a recent episode of Conan, Louis C.K. says it best: “You need to build the ability to just be yourself and not be doing something. That’s what the phones are taking away—is the ability to just sit there ... That’s being a person, right?” Don’t lose the ability to observe stillness. Sometimes being alone is uncomfortable—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

From looking at these advice pieces, it seems that the young adult generation tends to struggle quite a bit with busyness, distraction, and discouragement. Crosswalk author Whitney Hopler, in her review of Kevin DeYoung’s new book Crazy Busy, writes:

“Acknowledge that simply being busy doesn’t mean that you’re really serving other people well. In order to truly help people God calls you to help, you need to set priorities so you can focus your time, energy, money, and other resources most effectively. Ask God to guide you to figure out what’s most important for you to invest in, and to base your decisions on those priorities. Set daily goals for what you will and won’t do, to help yourself stay focused on what matters most to you.”

Felicia Alvarez tackles the topic of discouragement, prompting readers to

1) Discern whether their discouragement over a specific issue is truly worth it
2) Ask themselves if the loss is real or merely imagined
3) Find a trusted counselor to talk with
4) Dive into Scripture reading
5) Pour energy into others 
and
6) Rest in the Lord.

Does this advice resonate with you? What advice would you give to the young adults in your life?

Debbie Holloway is the Family Life Editor for Crosswalk.com

Publication date: October 23, 2013