A True Millennial?

It has been a little while since I last wrote, and a lot has happened actually. Currently I am in a transition phase of life between two big milestones. Recently I returned from Chile, where I lived for two years as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For the last two years I worked day in and day out to invite others to come unto Christ. Now that is done, and of course I still plan to invite others to come unto Christ in my daily living, but I also have other important responsibilities that will shape the rest of my life. In just a few weeks I will be returning to my second year at BYU to study and progress in the goals that I have.

Of course, as I begin this new journey, I have to change the title of my blog, right? When I first started this blog as a pretentious 14-year old, I titled it "Reflections of a Smart Kid." To be a bit more professional and indicate my assignment as a missionary, I titled it "Reflections of an Elder" for the last two years (Elder being the title given to male missionaries). Now in this new phase of life, I have decided to re-brand my blog as "Reflections of a True Millennial."

But that leads to the question: what is a "true millennial?" To be fair, I didn't coin the term. It came from a worldwide devotional for young adults by President Russell M Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Becoming True Millennials."

In the literal definition, a "millennial" is someone in our generation, born more or less between the 1980s and 2000 (side-note: some define the post-millennial, iGen, or Z generation as beginning in  or around 1995, so I could fall into either category, or possibly both, but for the purposes of this blog, I'll label myself and my peers as millennials). We are known for our skill in technology and innovation, and have pushed the norms on many issues that face our world. Many of us have also faced considerable economic challenges as young adults (with some affected by the financial crisis of 2008), and we are known for putting off major commitments. It is a unique group to be a part of, and we have many opportunities that no other generation has had (conclusions based on data from Goldman Sachs). As millennials, we receive a lot of negative- and positive- publicity. In 2013, Time Magazine had a cover article dubbing millennials as "The Me Me Me Generation," which described us as narcissistic and entitled. But, the same article also defends millennials by showing that these traits are not unique to our generation, and that we have many positive traits such as being positive and kind (Millennials: The Me Me Me Generation, Time Magazine). Of course, some of these attributes don't really describe me or some of you, but they can help us understand the generation as a whole.

But back to the main question: what is a true millennial? In the devotional referenced above, President Russell M Nelson defined it as follows:

The term Millennial is perfect for you if that term reminds you of who you really are and what your purpose in life really is. A True Millennial is one who was taught and did teach the gospel of Jesus Christ premortally and who made covenants with our Heavenly Father there about courageous things—even morally courageous things—that you would do while here on earth.

A True Millennial is a man or woman whom God trusted enough to send to earth during the most compelling dispensation in the history of this world. A True Millennial is a man or woman who lives now to help prepare the people of this world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and His millennial reign. Make no mistake about it—you were born to be a True Millennial.

Now, I know that not all of you believe in God or Christ, but regardless of your religion the basic concept of being a true millennial is knowing who you are and doing what you are meant to do. I know that each of us is here on the earth at this time because we each have a purpose to fulfill. Mark Twain once said that "the two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Well, we were all born on some day in this generation, and we all have such a huge capacity to do good and make an impact, so let us all find out why we are here and chase after that purpose. 

I would invite each of you to find out who you really are. The best way that I know of doing this is through prayer. President Nelson offered the same invitation by telling us to "ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, how He feels about you and your mission here on earth. If you ask with real intent, over time the Spirit will whisper the life-changing truth to you. Record those impressions and review them often, and follow through with exactness." Maybe you have never prayed before, but I would invite you to try it, because there really is power in doing so. At the very least, each of you could take a quiet moment and just ponder about who you really are.

I really hope you will do so. This is a complicated world, but we have the opportunity to use the things we have been blessed with for good. We are not alone in this journey, and the sooner we find out why we are here, the sooner we can live up to our true potential.

And I hope you continue reading as I write periodically about my experiences in striving to be a true millennial and live up to my potential. I hope that by doing so I can help you all do the same.