Is Gen X "Waking Up?" - Part 3 in my 3-Part Series on What I Learned Going TikTok Viral

I went viral-ish on TikTok this week and learned something about my generation.

I was talking to some of my very smart friends about three months ago as I prepared to launch Called For Adventure.

One them asked me if I would be “targeting” Millennials or Gen Z. It was a good question. And since the mission is to help people find their calling and live a great adventure, on the surface it would make all kinds of sense to focus on younger people who are at a place of trying to figure out “what they want to do when they grow up.”

(Please don’t be offended, I was saying that until I was 49.)

I told them that I was targeting Gen X.

My generation.

I said that felt like we were about to wake up and I wanted to be a part of it.

This is me with my friends in high school

Here is a huge massive disclaimer to everything else I am going to say after it:

I deeply love Millennials and Gen Z. Most everyone who has worked for me in my career were from those generations. I loved their passion, creativity, commitment to a holistic life, value on relationships, etc. My kids are Gen Z and I love them and their friends so much. If you were born after 1980 know that my work is for you as well. If it resonates, it’s for you. We need you here! We need your perspective.

My TikTok videos are going “viral” because they are about GenX.

There is a community of GenXers on TikTok who talk a lot about our generation. It means different things to different people, but the phrase “GenX is waking up” has been trending for a while now.

I didn’t know that was happening on TikTok until six days ago.

But I felt it in my heart.

I’ve seen that some of what they are saying is bashing the generations older and younger than us.

I have no desire at all to do that. Zero.

I want us to honor the older generations.

They did their best with what they had.

I want us to support the younger generations.

By earning the right to be their mentors.

I am just one guy. I’m no movement starter. But I have no problem getting into a movement early on and carving out a space for like-minded people who want to ride that wave.

Here is a video that I did recently about why I believe this is happening for GenX:

@calledforadventureWhat does genx is waking up mean? #genx #genxtiktokers #genxwakingup #genxrising #genxcrew #genxtiktok

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If you were born between 1965-1980, or always felt like you should have been, I’d like to ask you to consider committing to the following ideas that could radically transform everything.

1. Commit to radical empathy. Do your very best to try to understand people of other generations, other religions, other races and other lived experiences. Approach life curiously. Seek to understand WHY people are the way they are. Assume most people are good and more like you than you realize.

2. Believe you have a “second half of life” calling. Know that there is something that only you can bring to the world. Do the work to define what that calling is. Let it be a calling that serves others more than yourself.

3. Start a great adventure. Lean into that calling. Make changes. Do not buy into the lie that you are too old to do anything you’re called to do. You might have 50 years left or more! Commit that those years will be about living and not waiting to die.

4. Call others to adventure. Wake others up. As you go, encourage the other members of our generation to break from their slumber, love others, find their calling and say yes to their adventure.

If you’re in, let me know!

You can be in at age 17 or age 97 and still commit to this.

Age is just a number.

I am really talking about a spiritual awakening of sorts. That comes at all ages.

I want everyone to join us who desires this.

I just want to specifically call my GenX brothers and sisters to WAKE UP.

LFG.