Happiness over Money

“You know what I think? I think we’re the generation with the most stress at work.”

That’s what my husband said to me a few days ago.

I paused — and thought about it.Is it true? And if so: why?

Sure, we’re dealing with a completely different kind of pressure. Phones, emails, the constant availability — our parents didn’t have that in their working lives. Back then, you were reachable from this time to that, and that was it.Today, we send a message and expect an instant reply. A “read” notification, or at least an emoji as a reaction. We’ve lost our sense of time — I really believe that. And maybe also our focus on what truly matters.

I think I broke under the pressure and expectations quite early on.The doctor’s note back then said “burnout.” One of three notes, actually. So maybe I’m not even part of the generation with the most stress — maybe I’m part of the group that couldn’t cope with it. There’s a whole world between not wanting and not being able, isn’t there?

It’s strange, really. Someone came up with an idea of what a “normal” life should look like — and now we’re all stumbling and struggling to live up to it.And if we don’t — because we can’t or don’t want to — then we feel like we’re the problem.Instead of asking if this ONE idea of a functioning life (Mon–Fri, 38.5 hours of work, 8 hours of sleep, workouts three times a week, a partner, two kids, a townhouse, and a leased Tesla) can really apply to everyone. How could that possibly be true?And why do we still look for the fault within us when we can’t keep up?

I believe a lot is going to change. Simply because it has to. Just look at the working world: The baby boomer generation, shaped by post-war reconstruction and a “roll up your sleeves” mentality, is retiring.They’re being replaced by Gen Z, who ask about 4-day workweeks and corporate benefits.And in between? That’s us — Generation Y — the ones who’ve always asked, “But what’s the point?”

We’re the first to value happiness more than money. The ones who don’t care much for status symbols and would rather take six months off to travel. But we’re also the ones whose self-worth is often so fragile that we still try to live the life we were taught is “normal.” And — at least according to my husband — we’re also the ones carrying the most stress.

Whether that’s true, I honestly don’t know. All I know is: everything I do needs to have meaning. I love working. And I love working a lot. But only if it serves a purpose. I’m — to use my husband’s words again — extremely purpose-driven. Yes, I’m absolutely sure of that. Anything else feels like a waste: a waste of time, of potential, and of human energy.

How we deal with this change — as a society, especially in business and education — remains to be seen. I think some shifts will happen too fast, simply because everything before moved too slowly. We’ll get frustrated, misunderstand each other, try to lecture or convince each other …… until we remember: That we’re different. That it’s okay to think, feel, and live differently. And that in that difference lies the future.

Maybe we are the generation with the most stress.

But we’re also the ones in between — between OLD and NEW.

The ones who can build bridges.Who can reach out in both directions. So we can walk into a new future — together. One where we stop forcing people into boxes just so they don’t feel “weird.” One where everyone is simply allowed to be who they are.