The Most Important Lesson Gen Z Can Learn from Gen X: Audacity

When I look at Gen Z, I see a generation that is bold, digitally savvy, and unafraid to challenge the status quo. They’ve inherited a world on fire—climate crises, political upheaval, economic instability—and they’re handling it with a fearlessness I admire. But as a Gen Xer, I think there’s one lesson that could help them navigate the chaos even better: audacity.

Now, don’t get me wrong—Gen Z is audacious in their own way. They march for their rights, call out injustices, and aren’t afraid to set boundaries, even if it means breaking with tradition. But for Gen X, audacity wasn’t just an act of defiance; it was survival.

Gen X came of age during a time when everything felt uncertain. We watched our parents—many of them Baby Boomers—lose faith in the institutions they’d once believed in. The economy wobbled, jobs vanished, and in the backdrop was the constant drum of the Cold War. The message was clear: no one was coming to save us. So, we figured out how to save ourselves. We learned that you had to be audacious just to claim your space in the world.

This isn’t about being loud or in-your-face for the sake of it. Gen X audacity was quieter but no less powerful. It was the ability to persevere without recognition. We didn’t expect the world to care about our struggles, but we didn’t let that stop us from pushing forward. In many ways, that ability to move through spaces where we were unseen or unheard became our greatest strength.

Gen Z, you’ve mastered the art of the spotlight. You’ve made your presence known, demanding that society adjust to you instead of the other way around. That’s something my generation could have only dreamed of. But here’s the thing: when you’re used to having a platform, it’s easy to think that being seen is the ultimate goal. And while visibility is important, what Gen X learned is that being audacious is about more than just being noticed. It’s about knowing your worth when no one’s watching.

Our audacity was grounded in a different kind of courage—the courage to keep moving forward when the world didn’t give a damn about what we had to say. We didn’t have Twitter threads, TikTok virality, or Instagram stories to broadcast our truths. We had to show up and do the work in the shadows, often without applause or recognition.

What I want Gen Z to know is that real change doesn’t always come with a viral moment. Sometimes, it’s the quiet audacity to keep going, to keep fighting, even when the world isn’t paying attention. Sometimes, it’s about laying the groundwork for something bigger than yourself, something that the next generation will benefit from even if you never see the fruits of your labor.

Gen Z, your fearlessness is a gift. You’ve got the energy, the voice, and the platform to make massive waves. But take a page from Gen X’s book: don’t just be audacious when the spotlight is on you. Be audacious in your persistence, your resilience, and your ability to keep pushing forward when no one’s watching.

Because the real work, the lasting work, happens in the moments between the movements. It happens when you’re willing to be audacious in the face of indifference. So, if there’s one lesson from Gen X that I hope you’ll carry with you, it’s this: keep being bold, but remember, the world doesn’t always need to see you to feel your impact.

And that’s the kind of audacity that changes everything.