The Millennial: A Casual Inquiry

There are a few things I’ve learned since starting my job at a large retailer/bookstore. The first is to never underestimate the power of a triple macchiato before 10am. It is necessary and like Paris, it is always a good idea.

But the second should have been obvious from the get-go. The world has so many books. There is a book about every topic, every culture, every phenomenon. Every idea ever thought up has been touched on in some way by a book. And on top of that, every person, by nature of being human with these thoughts and experiences, can write a book. It’s amazing, really.

What I want to dive into today is a trend, probably not as new as I think it is, that has materialized within the book industry. It is the self-help book for the struggling or not-so-struggling millennial.

These are the books that inspire, that make you feel good, that look just as cute next to your quiche Lorraine and perfectly-foamed cappuccino as your sunglasses do. #SundayFunday, right? They are often written by powerhouse men and women who have made a name for themselves in this new age of technology; where brands find themselves competing with individuals to reach hundreds of thousands of people, I mean followers. They're written by the chosen few who have found a way to turn their struggle into success and swear time and time again that you can do it too.

These books are everywhere. They’re beautiful. And they all say pretty much the same thing. How to be the bad-ass you were born to be. How to have it all and look great doing it. How to reach your full potential. All of them want to be your guide, your go-to, your confidante as you go out into the world and reign, per their instructions.

They value the importance of self-care, they stress the importance of networking, and more importantly, they spend every spare ½ page they can to tell you that you’re not alone.

It all sounds like a great idea. And I own more of these books than I would care to admit. But I’m curious, how many of other young professional, budding twenty-somethings out there actually listen to what these books have to say? How many of these #relatable words inspire action? Are these writers, bloggers, Instagram moguls and "self-care queens" inspirational enough to be aspirational?

This first came up when a number of my friends started discussing how still or mundane their lives had become. How dissatisfied they were with a job, unsure they were of their partners, and how uncertain and uncomfortable they were with the future. My first instinct was to show them to my vast collection of millennial-pink covered self-help paperbacks and encourage them to pick up a copy. My second was to question where exactly their feelings of insecurity and uncertainty coming from. My third was to think about it over and over again in my head to figure out the best advice, the best to-do list for them, and well, here we are. But before I started pulling together any kind of answer for those questioning, before I inevitably find myself writing my own version of a How-To, I want to know exactly what their question is and what measures they have taken to try and find a solution. What do we want and what have we done to try and get it?