Some workplace phenomena that I don't want to talk about:
- Elite individuals: They may have become executives early on, earned enough money, and now rely on their wealth to make more investments. They don't really care about work anymore.
- Middle-aged people who are neither advancing nor declining in the company. Their competitiveness is slowly decreasing, not necessarily due to a lack of ability, but rather a matter of cost-effectiveness. They have established long-standing work habits and are less sensitive to new things. Compared to young people, their advantages will become smaller and smaller, mainly due to the increase in productivity brought about by new things.
- Young people. Some young people don't know their direction, while some middle-aged people know their direction but won't say it because the competition is too fierce. Some young people are excellent at utilizing new things and new productivity, and they improve quickly. They soon become comparable to those who have been working for many years. In this age of easy access to knowledge, there is not much difference between someone who has worked for 6-7 years and someone who has worked for over 10 years in a particular field. For most people, there is a limit in a certain field. Some may reach it in 6 years, while others may take 10 years. After reaching a certain level, the difference is not significant.
The elites speak with money and don't care much about social etiquette. Once they have earned money and can manage people, that's all that matters. After working for a certain number of years, ordinary people gradually become similar in terms of income, so it's reasonable for older people to only earn a little more than those a few years younger. Feeling unfair, or younger people thinking that older people are not much stronger and only have a little more money, are all just illusions. It's just a matter of time and space. Sooner or later, the positions will change. Younger people will become middle-aged, and middle-aged people will leave. Ordinary people are actually in the same group, competing with each other. The intense competition only pleases those who pay. The reason why elites can stand out is definitely not because they want to earn a little more or work extremely hard. So if you want to stand out, it's definitely not by squeezing out middle-aged people who earn just a little more than you. It must be something else.
Understanding these things, both middle-aged and young people can complain less. It's normal for middle-aged people to feel that they haven't earned much because their abilities are actually similar. It's also normal for young people to think that middle-aged people are not competent, but they have chosen the wrong comparison target if they want to stand out. That middle-aged person who earns just a little more than you is not your target. Think about other things. If you can't surpass them, you will end up just like that middle-aged person. So have a more calm mindset. It's not that opportunities won't come, it's just that the time hasn't come yet. If everyone understands this, there will be more harmony in the workplace.
Middle-aged people won't actively say to young people, "I'm just like this." Young people think about moving forward all the way, but in the end, most of them will become middle-aged people whom you currently look down upon. Those who can fulfill their expectations are actually very few. It's like the top picks in the NBA, not many of them actually perform well. But they start off with high salaries, don't they? So if you have a high salary, don't be upset and think that what you're doing is meaningless. Having a high salary is good enough. You can find meaningful things to do on your own. Generally, high salaries don't necessarily mean more work. Many companies that offer high salaries have a strong position or have something that may not seem impressive internally but is impressive compared to the outside world. If that's the case and you want to do something meaningful, then make good use of your time.