It’s a buzz word, it’s a generation, and it is who employers are looking for.

There are webcasts, blogs, YouTube videos, and conversations over coffee about this generation that was born between 1981 and 2004.

Who are these Millennials? Are they the “Generation Me,” as Jean Twenge calls them in her book by that name?  Are they confident and tolerant, as well as entitled and narcissistic? Or are they a generation trying to find themselves, as those before them have done (but with more technology!).

At the Jan. 26 Aurora Chamber Women in Business meeting, Anastasia Button presented Inside the Millennial Mind: How to Lead Those Who Are Lost. She explained that Millennials want authenticity, creativity, and to be challenged and inspired. She also talked about how fear can hold all of us back from our individual purpose. And that it is our purpose that leads us to our authentic selves. She offered that Millennials are often ‘lost’ because of fear, and how important it is to find help and to block fears. It was inspirational to hear Anastasia say that “people are the greatest resource,” given the amazing technological resources at our fingertips.

Anastasia has a written a book, #NewJobNewLife that goes into depth regarding Millennials’ game plan for success. Her book is in good company with much research, a multitude of articles, other books, and yes, blogs about Millennials – as they will soon be taking over the workforce. They are smart, confident, and savvy about technology.

Each generation needs to learn from those before them as well as from those after them. It’s certainly easy to focus only on our own “space and time,” but that won’t make the world a better place. The Millennials will soon rule the world for a period of time, and they will hopefully learn that the past is ‘prologue,’ and that their purpose and future is hopeful.

Anastasia Button, speaker and author of #NewJobNewLife