People searching the term“quarterlife crisis” started finding this blog. While not quantified in medical journals, enough 20-somethings experience something akin to a midlife crisis for the term to have gained traction.
Now comes the movie, Frances Ha, which is, as one film critic described it, “a refreshingly contemporary film, exploring 20-something hipster ennui with accuracy, empathy, and humour.”
I marched through my twenties accomplishing one goal after another: marriage, house, baby, business, and did not experience ennui. It wasn’t until I was almost 30 that I started to question the meaning of life. Today, 20-somethings struggle with their sense of identity and purpose.
A Tale of Two Generations: Millennials & Boomers
Having written about both Millennials and Baby Boomers, research bears out distinct differences between the generations, but both generations' angst revolves around finding purpose in life and in work.
Society has given Millennials a bad rap for their seeming sense of entitlement when they want to find meaningful work and make a difference in their everyday life. Boomers, with their strong work ethic and sense of self-worth, don’t always understand the job-hopping tendencies of 20-somethings.
Conversely, in this tepid economy, Boomers haven’t been as flexible at redefining themselves or acknowledging the way work has changed as the Internet Revolution seems to have passed by many of these 50-somethings.
I look back at my 20s and, while I accomplished a lot, I admit I wasn’t present for much of it. While the last 20 years have flown by, I now relax in the moment mindful of the present because that’s all we ever have.
My wish for those experiencing a quarterlife crisis is to “look deeply into the present moment.”
