Did COVID Kill the American Dream?

In the words of the movie Team America: “America, Fcuk Yeah”

Yes, I realize that suggesting there’s truth in the headline may be seen as heresy by some. However, read on; you may find yourself curious about what’s happening in the world of talent and why we’re in the Great Resignation.

For decades the mass media have exported the belief in the American dream to the rest of the world. Many Americans and none-Americans came to believe that the American Dream is a path to freedom.

For various reasons, things have dramatically changed in recent years, and there is no doubt that COVID has been a tipping point.

These changes may not be what we have been told, there’s much more below the surface, so bear with me.

It seems so long ago, but remember back before the COVID-19 pandemic, talk of burnout was rife? This was particularly so for Americans, jobs and titles had become the way most people self-identified. As employees and leaders, who we are has been central to who we see ourselves as; with that mindset, comes the idea; we are what we do.

Did you notice that everyone seemed to be exhausted and yet bragged about it? Yet, very few were willing to exit the hamster wheel. People wore their burnout like a badge of honor.

The sad truth of our post-modern world is that before the COVID-19 pandemic, a large majority of people complained that they were working more (not less). So many of us were operating in a burned-out state while swimming in denial of it. Rush hours of lonely people filled the streets and offices, hustling in a sea of anxiety. Some of us looked on, wondering when the collective emotional-mental dam would burst.

The Power of Pause

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