I Have a Dream

Since starting my entrepreneurial journey in 2015, the “American Dream” has weighed heavily on me. For years I’ve grown more and more disenchanted by the idea and how it misses the true purpose of our work. It puts so much emphasis on:

• The need for success to secure status

• The glorification of financial and material accomplishment

• The constant need to do something impressive

If you’ve been following along the last few weeks, you’ve heard my beliefs that the purpose of our work is less about the things it earns us and more about the personal growth it forges in us.

After a week like our last one, it begs the question, what does it mean to be an American? I’m not going to pretend I can answer that question in totality, but when it comes to the American Dream, and its impact on work and culture, I have thoughts!

When you look up the definition of The American Dream, here is what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary says:

My personal experience with The American Dream has oriented predominately around the last part of that definition - hard work and success. As an entrepreneur, I’ve been in a position to work hard and unlock the American Dream for my family and others.

While I truly believe that the American Dream is intended for good, it is through the experience of owning a business however that I’ve found it to be missing the heart of it all.

A few years ago I came across a book called The Epic of America, written James Truslow Adams back in the 1930s. While the American Dream dates back well before Adams, he and his book are credited with coining the phrase that is so popular today.

Despite coining the phrase, Adams was a voice of caution, emphasizing his belief that we’d lost our way in our interpretation of the American Dream.

To Adams, the American Dream was about aspiring to be one’s best self and to rise above the station to which one was born. It is not about simply acquiring wealth and material possessions. If you read my last article, Your First Job, you won’t be surprised that I resonate pretty deeply with Adams’ mindset about personal growth.

As I was writing this week I found myself reading and re-reading Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Like Adams, Dr. King was imploring us to consider the good of the American Dream, but also where it needs to be rethought or brought back to its roots. Here is how Dr. King himself said it:

While there is much good that can be connected to the American Dream, I believe that for Americans, it is a dream that funnels many of us straight into the YPT. The scariest part to me is that we don’t see it. Or maybe we just don’t want to see it.

As Americans, this mindset of hard work and success permeates deep into our hearts and our minds. The idea of proving something, striving for more, and getting ahead connects us as a nation, but maybe in a way that does more harm than good.

So as we go into a new week, I want to encourage all of us to reflect on a couple of important questions:

1. What would the impact be on our country’s culture if we focused more on becoming one’s best self (Adams) vs becoming our most successful self?

2. What would our communities look like if we focused on the content of our character (Dr. King) vs the accomplishments on our resume?

As you reflect on the questions above, I thought I’d conclude with this. In honor of Dr. King’s speech, I got a little help from ChatGPT to create a YPT I Have a Dream Rendition, focusing on the themes we’ve been talking about for the last few weeks. If you have a few extra minutes - check it out below!

As always, please respond to this email if you’d like to talk and discuss anything from this or prior posts! And if you have any friends who you think might derive value from this - I’d love for you to share it with them.

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With Hope and Gratitude,

Alex

The YPT “I Have a Dream” Speech

Five score years ago, a great vision of the American Dream took root in the hearts of millions. This dream, built on the promises of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, became a beacon of hope—a calling card for a nation that pledged opportunity and equality to all. It was an aspiration that transcended borders, igniting the imagination of generations. But today, we gather not to celebrate its fulfillment but to confront the shadows that have crept into its light.

For too many, the American Dream has become a trap. It has transformed into a relentless pursuit of more—more wealth, more accolades, more consumption—leaving behind the deeper focus on what it means to live a fulfilled life. We find ourselves shackled by the manacles of student debt, the chains of a 24/7 grind culture, and the quiet despair of trading authenticity for a curated façade. We were promised prosperity, yet many are left standing on a precarious tightrope between burnout and survival.

One hundred years after the vision of the Dream was popularized, we still cling to outdated ideals—a house in the suburbs, a stable nine-to-five, a white picket fence—even as the ground beneath us shifts. One hundred years later, the Dream is still sold as a solitary climb to the top of the corporate ladder, ignoring the erosion of community and connection. One hundred years later, young professionals labor under the weight of expectations that reinforce bad habits and set young adults up to fall captive to their insatiable desire for more. And so, we have come here today to call for a reimagining of the American Dream.

When the architects of our republic spoke of "unalienable rights," they wrote a promissory note not just for wealth or status, but for purpose, dignity, and freedom. This note was meant to guarantee that every individual—regardless of background—could access a life of meaning and joy. But it is obvious today that this note has been rebranded. Instead of life, liberty, and happiness, we are sold hustle, hierarchy, and hollow success.

This is the Young Professional Trap. It is not just the struggle for work-life balance or the drive to achieve success—it is the deeper, more insidious belief that our worth is tied to our accomplishments. It is resenting our work because it pulls us away from being a great parent, friend, or partner. It is resenting our personal lives because they inhibit our ability to "get ahead" at work. And ultimately, it is resenting ourselves for feeling trapped in this cycle. This trap thrives on an identity rooted in comparison and fueled by the relentless need to prove ourselves better, faster, and more impressive.

But we must see work not as a curse or a mere means to an end, but as something fundamentally good—a core part of what it means to flourish as human beings. Work shapes us, challenges us, and grows our character. It is not only about financial gain or status, but about developing humility, courage, and integrity. The integration of work into a life well-lived is not about rigid boundaries but about embracing the richness of all our labors, whether they happen in an office, at home, or in our communities. This is the antidote to the trap.

Now is the time to redefine the Dream. Now is the time to rise above the dark valleys of disillusionment and carve a path toward flourishing. Now is the time to reject the quicksand of materialism and stand firm on the solid ground of intentional living. Now is the time to envision a nation where success is measured not by titles or possessions but by impact, relationships, and joy.

It would be fatal for this generation to overlook the urgency of this moment. This is not the time to cling to the tranquilizing myth that "more is always better." The relentless pursuit of the traditional Dream has left too many exhausted, unfulfilled, and yearning for something real. Those who hope that young professionals will simply endure the status quo will face the rude awakening of a generation demanding change.

But let us not lose ourselves in bitterness or cynicism. Let us not replace one set of shallow pursuits with another. Let us conduct our movement with dignity, with discipline, and with a fierce commitment to collaboration. For we cannot achieve this vision alone. Our destinies—as individuals, communities, and a nation—are tied together.

And so, I say to you today, my friends: even though we face the challenges of debt, disconnection, and disillusionment, I still have a dream. I have a dream that one day, we will measure success not by the size of our bank accounts but by the depth of our character. I have a dream that one day, the hours we spend with loved ones and the hours we dedicate to our work, will be viewed as good and worthy pieces of our lives.

I have a dream that one day, young professionals will no longer be trapped by the false dichotomy of passion versus practicality. They will find work that nourishes their spirits while sustaining their needs. I have a dream that one day, communities will rise, not as networks of competition, but as networks of care.

I have a dream that one day, the American Dream will no longer be a one-size-fits-all blueprint, but a canvas upon which every individual can paint their unique vision of a life well-lived.

This is the hope that I carry back with me. With this hope, we will build a culture that celebrates authenticity over appearances. With this hope, we will dismantle the systems that exploit our time and energy without regard for our humanity. With this hope, we will lift one another up—not as competitors, but as companions on the journey.

And when this dream is realized, we will let freedom ring—freedom from the tyranny of overwork, freedom from the pressures of perfection, freedom to live fully and freely. Let freedom ring in the cities where ambition runs high. Let freedom ring in the rural towns where community remains strong. Let freedom ring from every corner of this nation where the American Dream has yet to be reclaimed.

And when we let it ring—when we redefine success, when we reclaim purpose, when we prioritize growth—we will speed up the day when all of us can look back and say, "Free at last. Free at last. Thank whatever we hold sacred, we are free at last."