Not Good Enough: Why Millennials are Obsessed with Self-Improvement
The desire to improve is a serious business for millennials. We cannot deny that their determination is something to admire.
A survey conducted in 2015 revealed that 94% of millennials were committed to some form of self-improvement as a new year resolution. To compare, Boomers stood at 84% while Gen X at 81%.
Millennials demand much from themselves. As such, they have often been criticized as self-entitled. But this is expected. They are a generation that has existed in a world of information. Globalization and social media has made them consume more information than generations that came before them. The existence of social media has further increased the level of connectivity making them feel more similar to their peers.
What’s Driving the Improvement
The fact is, for 24% of millennials, the quest for self-improvement is about improving their mental health. 32% are concerned about improving their general well being, 27% are focused on attaining better health outcomes, 23% use it as inspiration and only 7% are in it for social media bragging.
Social media has made it possible for us to compare ourselves. We are always looking for the one that has the best and latest car model. Who among us has a flourishing career. Who has that body to die for. The spouse that everyone would wish to have.
I can say, the feeling of not being good enough is what is pushing most millennials to self- improvement. We are striving to rank higher when it comes to the comparison curve.
When done to a considerable level, comparison can help us evaluate our achievements, skills, and personality. Aspects that are key in any self-improvement journey. However, it is also the source of our deepest frustrations. When we start doing it for others, it becomes a clear indication that we have lost it. The end goal for self-improvement is for our betterment, not for Instagram and Facebook likes.
In the past, self improvement was for people who were dissatisfied with their lives. But today millennials are doing it, we are doing it to develop our qualities, skills, and attributes. Improvement has become an important marker in the lives of millennials with the majority choosing to focus on professional, moral, financial, health, physical, mental, and aesthetic improvement.
Even though millennials have an obsession for self-improvement, we can say it is coming from a good place. And there is nothing wrong with working towards becoming a better version of ourselves.
However, it is important for us to ask ourselves what is driving the need for self improvement. Is it to compare with your peers? Or is it because you want to become a better person?
Your answer to these questions will give you insight to where your need for self improvement came from and will provide a guide for making better self-improvement decisions in the future.
