Y’all, I read this over a week ago and it’s still floating around in the old noggin. I can’t seem to get a consolidated version to post here so you’ve got to click on “read the full conversation on twitter” and scroll. Sorry for the extra labor but it’s worth it so as the Nike folks like to say just do it. Go on, I’ll wait.
My brain is still trying to sort through the concepts. I may be struggling because I came up in a time when everything was work ethic driven. We weren’t exactly encouraged to think critically about our endgame, y’know? It was all work as hard as humanly possible to be the absolute best in your field. Put in 120%, earn your place, it’ll pay off when you’re older.
Except sometimes working 80 hours a week doesn’t get you to the top. Or maybe it does but then the top has a stressed out workload of a different sort.
Any thoughts? I’ve been stewing on this for days and days.
Riddle from the Middle 
“doing the minimum” could be the updated version of the minimalist lifestyle. Hopefully it does not go so far that taking a shower would mean stepping outside when it rains. The minimum effort to get clean. If it does the next generation is going to get smelly. lol If it did go that far. What would be the name of that generation?
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This is an interesting extrapolation.
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Oh, I understand this perfectly, as I have 2 Gen Z daughters. The children are not here for our passed-down shenanigans. I remember my youngest was going for an interview. I asked her if she had prepared. She said, “No. I’m just going to go be myself and hope for the best.” I was like hmmm…and she got the job.
Some of their behaviors are worth paying attention to. I’m off to read the Twitter thread, now.
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Just found your comment and nothing resonates more than “I’m just going to go be myself and hope for the best.” I hope to be this wise more often.
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I hear you. I’m convinced they came here with this wisdom.
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Doing the minimum has become the latest mantra. It’s going to hurt both the new and the old generation
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The hubby and I have this conversation a lot. What is doing the minimum — which by its phrasing denotes laziness — and what is meeting job expectations while protecting personal peace. Whether there is value in not under performing but in choosing not to over perform.
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It’s hard to judge what is what for whom!
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So so true. A great deal is intention and we all tend to see that through our own lens.
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Yes, some people are workaholic and ruin their personal lives running after work, while some are on the other extreme
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Quiet quitting
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I struggle with the quiet quitting concept as well. What we call quiet quitting is often someone doing their work according to their wage. (Unless they’re actually, you know, quitting quietly.) Let’s say you hire someone for $35,000 a year with a well articulated job description. If that person meets those requirements, even if they don’t do extras, isn’t that someone who is successful at their job?
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it is such an interesting construct –
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I think neither work ethic is better or worse. People and situations are as many & different as the sand at the beach. What works for one doesn’t work for the other and sometimes people change from one to the other. Everything is in flux now and I suspect all we can do is to ride the wave 🤗
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This is a great explanation. I’m not sure why I heard it differently from “everyone is different” but it resonates. Thank you for adding your thoughts!
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I think maybe the problem of today’s society is that everybody is “forced” into a generalization. If we can allow different ways for different people we might all be more successful 😇
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Well put! I think this is from decades of what a “successful” workforce member looked like. There’s a lot to be said for recognizing there are many ways to be successful in life.
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Doing the least possible has become the norm. Look at all the quiet quits. Kinda sad that people don’t want to work to their potential. I read the string, and the daughter is working her butt off. Gotta respect that.
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It looks that way to us but here’s the piece that really has me stewing. The son is a straight A, top of his class student. He’s planned out his college scholarship strategy (and given his grades I’d assume school choice/applications too) and is achieving what he needs to make that happen. He has the same goal as his sister but is going about getting there differently. If our society traditionally defines “success” for high school as outstanding grades and getting into a great college (bonus points for scholarships) then…isn’t he successful? Why does he have to drive himself into the ground?
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Good point.
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