I've often heard people who have worked hard to reach a decent level of "success" say that young people these days expect to have everything happen for them. That they expect too much, too quickly. That it takes 10 years to build a career in anything. That they are entitled.
These comments aim to teach young people the virtues of patience and hard work. For the ambitious and entitled alike, it is likely to make them angry that they have to wait before having the exceptional life they desire.
While being exposed to this view may be good for some, helping them to avoid the pitfalls of lofty, visions and the consequences of acting on them, for others it holds them back from their potential.
It is difficult to know which side you sit on. Are you the delusional millennial who has an inflated view of themselves, or are you someone with a clear picture of the world, on the cusp of realising your potential?
One way you may have thought to determine this is by asking yourself some questions: Do people tell me that I have great insights? Do I win competitions, get scholarships, or obtain other levels of objective success?
Even if your answer to some of these questions is "yes", should you believe them? What if people are lying or just trying to be nice? What if you're that big fish in a small pond? What if your social circles are filled with delusional millennials just like you?
At the end of all of this thinking you need to ask yourself, "how can I succeed either way?"
I believe you should optimise for learning, for with learning you will gain a better understanding of the world and be able to act with greater wisdom in the future. If you are entitled, you will get closer to realising so and correcting for it. If you are ambitious, you will love the opportunity to learn and maybe make something out of it. Learning is something that everyone wants, if you're not learning and growing, you are unlikely to be truly fulfilled.
Luckily, some of the greatest learning experiences are those that both the delusional and ambitious think they want to do.
So, either way, take the leap and learn.