Do Millennials Have a Work Ethic? Yes, They Can Do Hard Things

Yes – everyone has a work ethic.

But many employers claim that millennials (or Generation Y), those in their early 30s and below, have “no work ethic.”  They don’t want to show up on time, stay until closing, and do the things that need to be done unprompted and without direct supervision.

My high school son works at Five Guys restaurant with a young man in his early 30s who lives at home with mom and dad, can’t drive because he has lost his license, attended college, but is clearly underemployed.  Some would blame this on the government, some on the economy, and others on his lack of motivation.

Enter Do Hard Things, a book written by millennials to millennials urging them to rise above low expectations and accomplish what matters.  One friend told us that her college daughter had decided to minor in French because she was inspired to do the hard thing.  Her friends had urged her to take the easy path and not to tackle the language courses that might challenge her, but she persevered and spent part of this past summer in West Africa speaking French as she volunteered at a mission hospital.

So this Labor Day, let’s celebrate hard work, discipline, and the hope that no generation is beyond an exemplary work ethic when they are inspired to accomplish great things.  Here’s to helping our children Do Hard Things (click on the title to be taken to Amazon to read more about the book or to order it for your millennials).

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Other adults are influencing our children

That heading is self-evident.  We’ve known this since the time our children headed off to school.  It’s been true of the activities they’ve joined, the camps they’ve attended, and the innumerable other venues in which we’ve placed them.

Still, it can’t be ignored when your teenage son suddenly exhibit behaviors you weren’t expecting, only to find out that they are due, in large measure, to the influence of another adult in his life.

This summer our oldest began attending a Bible study with other young men.  The group is led by a 20-something engineering student working on his master’s.

We began to take notice when our son emptied the dishwasher unprompted, decided to get up early to study and read, memorized scripture, and was motivated to be productive in ways not typical for him.

For me, this was a great precursor to next year – his freshman year of college.  It reminded me that we are entering a phase of life where other adults will have significant impact on our children’s lives – at times it will feel as though the voices of those others are more influential than ours.

New voices attract attention.  New voices often articulate the same message you’ve been speaking, but using different words and images.  New voices are interesting – in part, because they are new.

As our children become independent adults, we must be cautious to not quit speaking into their lives, while being prepared that they may hear other speakers more readily for a time.  What we have in our favor is the bond of family, the power of repetition, and the home court advantage.  We’ve just got to be judicious in exercising that advantage and recalibrate our expectations to be realistic.

This time around I’m thankful for the outside voice and am praying for many more like it.

Technorati Tags: new voices,teenage son,adult

Kitty Cam – exposing the secret lives of cats

For all of you cat owners – listen up!

Recently I heard a report on NPR about researchers from the University of Georgia who had attached miniature cameras to housecats to observe their behavior.  They studied 55 cats from the Athens, GA, area and this is what they found:

• 44% exhibited hunting behavior.
• 30% were successful in hunting.
• Animals killed (in decreasing frequency) were reptiles, small mammals, invertebrates (such as earthworms and moths), and birds.
• Although birds were stalked, sometimes for hours, very few were captured.
• The most interesting finding – many cats had second families that fed and cared for them while they were away from their primary residence.

One recommendation the researchers made – purchase a cat bib to keep your cat from being able to pounce on prey (see the picture).

You can hear the report by clicking on this link.

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: small mammals,miniature cameras,athens ga,earthworms,moths,bib,npr,university of georgia,prey,birds,cats,hunting,housecats

Good Intentions Aren’t Good Enough

This past weekend we had 14 people staying in our home – a family reunion of sorts.  My sister and I each provide Myers-Briggs Type Indicator training to organizations and often get into discussions about personality type and its implications.  Since we are somewhat different in our types we bring contrasting perspectives to those conversations.

She pointed out that for many people intentions are real and feel as though they should count for something.  I pointed out that for many people intentions are indications of what may become real but are valueless if they don’t translate into actual behavior and results.

You may have seen the story about the 80-year-old woman in Spain who intended to restore a fresco of Jesus in her church.  Here is the before and after.  I take this as definitive proof that good intentions aren’t good enough.

Think about this as a conversation starter with your children – helping them to consider whether they think intentions should count for something or whether they are focused on results alone. You may learn something about your children’s wiring and how it relates to / differs from your own.  You may also want to sign them up for art classes.

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Yellowstone, The Who, and American Freedom

Three weeks ago our family was in Yellowstone watching Old Faithful spout off yet again.  Afterwards we headed to the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for lunch.  Needing to use the restroom, I headed for the facilities.

The background music was an acoustic version of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”  Now while Pete Townsend is British and his interpretation of his lyrics has evolved over time, it’s not difficult to listen to the song in the context of the early 70s and hear an anti-war, anti-establishment message.

I thought: “I wonder if there are political protest songs playing in the bathrooms of Beijing – more specifically, in the bathrooms of China’s National-level Scenic and Historic Interest Areas?”  (OK, I didn’t really know that’s what they call their national parks.)  When I shared this over lunch, my wife asked: “That’s what you think about in the bathroom?”

So, this July 4th, regardless of your political persuasion and your perceptions of this country’s trajectory, celebrate the freedom to hear protest music playing in the bathrooms of our national parks and pray we don’t get fooled again!

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Thanks for the laughter!

Our family loves to laugh together.  The best laughs come from unexpected places.

Watching this year’s American Idol finale provided a rush of endorphins as we kept laughing at what we saw onscreen.

First were the wardrobe choices made by Fantasia and Chaka Khan.  I applaud those who see beauty in a variety of body images, but not all fashion choices really work. 

Then there was the duet between Jennifer Holiday and Jessica Sanchez – an awe-inspiring vocal performance overshadowed by Holiday’s contorted facial expressions (if you can still find the video online, you need to watch).

Anyway, laughing is good.  Laughing with people, laughing at yourself, and sometimes, if we’re honest, laughing at others who aren’t intending to be funny.

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Television goes to the dogs

My views on TV can be summed up pretty easily:

• Some TV is actually beneficial – educationally, recreationally, relationally.
• Some TV is mind-numbing but probably not dangerous in moderation.
• Some TV is evil and threatening to one’s healthy development as a human being.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that someone has concluded that TV need not be just for humans.  The creators of Dog TV (click on the link to learn more) want to help your canine function more effectively.  For just $4.99 per month ($9.99 for the streaming option) your TV can babysit your dog, providing educational and emotional benefits in the process.

And yes, there’s a website called “Cat TV” (click on the link to read more).

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