What I Wish Younger Generations Knew About Life: My Advice

Here’s my advice: put the phone down and pay attention to the world around you.

Growing up as a millennial, I believe we were one of the last generations to truly spend our childhoods playing outside. We were pre-internet and pre-social media, so we knew what it was like to have a childhood filled with fun activities, imagination, and real-life connection.

Generation Z and the generations after them will never really know what life was like before the internet. They don’t know what it’s like to play with the neighborhood kids until the streetlights came on. They don’t know what it’s like to connect with others in a way that feels natural and organic because so much communication now happens through screens.

Social media wasn’t introduced to me until I was a teenager, with MySpace being the first platform. Sure, it was a great way to connect with friends and show others a little side of your personality, but I still went outside and enjoyed the simple joys of being around friends and doing something active.

I think it’s incredibly important for your mental health to step away from social media sometimes because it doesn’t just waste your day, it can also create a negative self-view after constantly seeing influencers and creators parade their “perfect” lives online.

It feels like everyone in this generation is banking on becoming a content creator.

I just feel sorry for this generation and the ones after because of this new age of technology. AI is running more and more of the world around us. Do kids even still write by hand in school? I know they got rid of cursive writing. How are they supposed to create a signature?

The structure is different. The learning methods are different. Communication is different.

I don’t think people call their friends very often anymore. Most communication happens through texts, DMs, and social media.

I certainly don’t mean to criticize younger generations because I do see so much potential in them. I just hope we can still keep some of the old traditions alive.

Life isn’t about staring at a screen.

It’s about sharing lived experiences.

It’s about trying new things. Going on adventures. Making memories. Living in the moment.

Not just dreaming about life, but actually living it.

That’s the advice I would give to someone younger than me.

Go outside.

Breathe in the fresh air.

Pay attention to the little moments and the beauty around you.

Take care of your mental health and nurture it.

Don’t keep feeding it things that make you feel worse.

Life is happening right now.

Don’t miss it while looking at a screen.

What is one simple moment from your childhood or past that you wish you appreciated more?

“Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”— Robert Brault

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