Experience Wins! 16 Life Hacks Boomers Use to Beat Millennials & Gen Z
They say with age comes wisdom, and Baby Boomers know this better than anyone. Their life experiences have provided them with a great deal of insight.
Millennials and Gen Z may think Boomers are stuck in old ways of thinking, but in more than a few instances, the old ways are best. If the younger generations think they know it all, these life hacks will make them see they can learn a thing or two from Boomers.
1. Take It Easy
Millennials and Gen Z are in a rush to do everything. Even when they’re supposed to be relaxing, they’re always on the go. Their lives are beyond busy.
Baby Boomers understand that they can take their time and enjoy their lives by not rushing here, there, and everywhere. There’s something to be said for taking things easy.
2. It’s Okay to Walk Away
Boomers have learned something many others would be wise to do: permitting themselves to walk away. It’s hard to do, but the payoffs are huge.
It’s one thing to put effort into something you believe in. It’s another to stay after you know there’s no hope. It’s okay to leave a job, a failed relationship, or anything else that isn’t working for you.
3. Save for a Rainy Day
No one can plan for every urgent matter requiring money. An emergency fund can help keep your finances in order and protect you from a hit you can’t afford.
You don’t need much money to start an emergency savings account. All you need is a few dollars here and there, and watch it grow. If you can afford to buy that morning coffee, you can afford to start saving.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Fail
When taking on a new task, it’s only human nature to want to be successful at what you’re doing. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen, and you may miss the mark a little or a lot.
It’s okay to stumble as long as you get back up, see it as a lesson learned, and try again. Not succeeding at something doesn’t make you a failure. It means you’re willing to try, and that says a lot.
5. Patience Really is a Virtue
We live in a culture that demands instant gratification. People want what they want, and they want it right this very second, like a new car or a new house. That’s not how life works.
Learning to be patient and waiting until the time is right and you’re ready will get you further ahead in the long run. If you want something, trust it’ll be there at the right time.
6. Put the Smartphone Down
Smartphones are technological marvels. In many ways, they’re indispensable tools. However, they can also be an unnecessary distraction if you let them. It won’t hurt to put the phone down every so often.
Watching live concerts through a smartphone, photographing your meals, and recording every moment of your life instead of enjoying the experience? What’s the purpose of that?
7. Don’t Engage
No matter how nice of a person you are, someone in your life likely tries to push your buttons. They enjoy antagonizing others to get attention.
The goal is to upset you, get your attention, and engage in a dispute. Don’t fall for it. Instead of trying to have the last word, retain your dignity and leave them be.
8. Learn House Maintenance
When something around the house malfunctions or is broken, buying a replacement or hiring someone to do repairs is easy. Learning to do basic repairs is a little harder but can save you money.
If you have a clogged sink, learn how to fix it. If the toilet keeps running, learn how to replace the chain in the tank. Leave major repair jobs to the professionals, but understand what you can do for yourself.
9. Basic Car Maintenance
Knowing basic car maintenance can also save you money and headaches. Do you need to know how to rebuild an engine or fix a blown head gasket? No, but some things you should be aware of.
Do you know how to check your oil and other fluid levels? Can you check the air pressure in your tires and fill them up to the appropriate levels? Do you know how to change a flat tire?
10. Respect Differing Opinions
If you have a diverse circle of friends and family, there are bound to be varying opinions on different topics. Not everyone shares your beliefs, but you can still get along with each other.
Some beliefs are objectionable because they’re rooted in hate or bigotry. You don’t have to respect ideas that hurt others, and you are well within your rights to say so.
11. Learn to Cook
This may sound silly, but not everyone knows how to make their own food that doesn’t involve a frozen meal and a microwave. Cooking for yourself has numerous benefits, and it’s a skill everyone should know.
It doesn’t take a trained chef to cook at home. Preparing food at home is cheaper than dining out and allows you to eat the food you want exactly the way you want it. Making your own meals is also healthier than fast food.
12. Go Places
Staying close to home is comfortable and feels safe, but here’s a whole world to discover. You can’t enjoy those real-world experiences from the other side of a computer screen or smartphone.
A passport isn’t required to visit a local museum or to take a road trip to another town or state. Day trips are fun and relatively inexpensive. All it takes is a little planning. Your mind and body will thank you.
13. Who Cares What They Think?
Baby Boomers have reached an age where they don’t worry about what strangers think of them. They have enough self-confidence to know whose opinions matter and whose don’t.
Naturally, you want the people in your life to think highly of you. But why be concerned about what random people online or in real life think about you? Don’t waste your energy on them.
14. Communication Skills Matter
In the digital age, we’ve become accustomed to communicating by texting and posting messages online. Millennials and Gen Z do this so much that they’ve either forgotten or never learned how to communicate with people in other ways.
Try calling someone on the phone and talking with them instead of texting. Have a face-to-face conversation instead of using FaceTime. It would be a shame if the art of conversation got lost to technology.
15. Be Prepared
When traveling by car, it’s important to be prepared for different circumstances. You can’t be prepared for everything that may happen, but having some basics handy does help.
Pack a small supply of snacks and bottled water in your car. Keep an umbrella, an extra cell phone charger, a blanket, jumper cables, and a tire pressure gauge in the car. You’ll thank a Boomer for this.
16. Be Yourself
Social media makes it far too easy for young people to compare themselves and their lives to their online peers. It puts a lot of pressure on them to conform and be like someone else for validation.
Millennials and Gen Z must realize that much of what they see online is fake, exaggerated, or edited for clicks. Don’t concern yourself with trying to meet impossible standards. Knowing who you are is enough.
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