Meaningful Work Conundrums

In her quarter life crisis talk, Allison Osborn explains why the Millennial generation feels so stressed out when it comes to meaningful work. The speaker and coach defines a quarter life crisis as a personal identity crisis usually experienced in your 20s and 30s that involves profound angst and anxiety over the direction of your life and what next steps to take, especially when it comes to career. This phenomenon comes from a disorienting sense of unpredictability, resulting in the generation feeling stuck and shutting down over analysis paralysis. This is not only problematic for individuals, but for the world, as almost 3 out of 4 Millennials feel disengaged at work.

The quarter life crisis talk shares three key lessons to change things: get clear on what matters most in your life and work, learn your specific income needs, and just get started. The keynote describes meaningful work as being entirely personal, about alignment and fit, and about changing over time as your life and priorities do. However, the way this is currently taught doesn't take into account the limited nature of your time and energy.