The 2016 election is finally over and Donald Trump will be our next president. Needless to say, this has a lot of Millennials in shock and number of my clients calling to ask if everything (not just their money) will be okay. So, to them and to all of my fellow Millennials, let me say it – everything will be okay.
The most important thing we can do right now is to remain calm and focus on the things that we can control. The goals we’ve established for ourselves, along with the work that we put into accomplishing them, should not change. If anything, we should be that much more dedicated to achieving them. Our optimism should not falter because of who we elected. Our optimism needs to remain in tact because of the future that we can continue to create together and because of the unmistakable and positive impact that we must have on our country.
Moreover, we should remember that there is very little to gain through pessimism and doubt. I believe that negativity breeds more negativity, and I refuse to participate in a downward emotional spiral. I hope you feel the same way, too. No matter who you voted for, let’s all keep our chins up and our hustle strong.
While the outcome of the election has taken many of us by surprise, what I find even more surprising is the sympathy that some of our older cohorts have been offering our generation. Their sympathy is rooted in their belief that our generation will be worse off than theirs, while theirs will be just fine or will get by unscathed. This attitude is something I noticed even before the election results, but it has certainly increased leading up to and after Election Day. My belief is to the contrary. There is no doubt in my mind that we are all in this together, because the success of all generations will be dependent on the success of our generation. Our participation and increasing control of the workforce coupled with our ability to generate productivity and consumption unlike any group before us are the cornerstones to our mutual financial and economic success. Period.
A call for unity.
Yes, we all now need to come together, because this election has divided us in more ways than one. I am far less concerned about our political differences than our generational difference. Elected officials come and go, but we as society, young and old, are bound together. Let us all do what we can to extend our hand to the person sitting across the table from us, whether they are younger or older than us. There is much we can, and will, need to do for each other.