The other night, my 17-year-old son caught me off guard with a question that lingered long after our conversation ended.

"Do you think my generation will have a harder time succeeding?"

I paused.

It's a big question. One that deserves more than a cliché or a surface-level answer.

And after a moment, I said something that surprised both of us:

"Actually… it's getting easier—because it's getting harder."

Let me explain.

Then vs. now

When I was 17, the world looked very different.

It was 1993. Here's what "normal" looked like:

• The internet was barely a thing—certainly not in every home
• Phones were attached to walls, with actual cords
• If you wanted information, you went to a library
• If you wanted entertainment, you waited for a show to come on TV
• Watching adult content? A logistical operation involving sketchy VHS tapes and a serious privacy strategy 

Fast forward to today.

• High-speed internet offers infinite information and entertainment
• Smartphones live in our hands, 24/7
• AI is reshaping industries, workflows, and creativity itself
• Social media is a digital lifeline—and an addiction
• Explicit content is accessible in seconds, with zero friction

 The world has changed. Dramatically.

But success? The path to it hasn't changed as much as we think.

The real currency hasn't changed

In 1993, success required things like:

• Focus
• Patience
• Persistence
• Self-discipline
• Clarity in the face of noise

And guess what? In 2025, those exact same traits still separate the average from the exceptional.

The problem? These traits are much harder to develop and maintain today.

Distractions are no longer occasional—they're constant.

They're beautifully designed, deeply personalized, and perfectly engineered to hijack your attention.

And we're all swimming in them.

A generation drowning in distraction

When I talk to young leaders and new managers, I see it all the time.

They're ambitious. Curious. Full of potential.

But they're also overwhelmed. Fragmented. Distracted by a million little pings, posts, videos, and mental tabs open in their brain.

They're living in a world where your phone doesn't just interrupt you—it owns you.

No cords, but total captivity.

Social media doesn't just entertain—it rewires how you think and feel.

It distorts what success looks like and convinces you that if you're not "there" yet, you're already behind.

Add to that the pressure to stay relevant, visible, and productive—all at once—and you get a generation with infinite tools but eroding focus.

And before we point fingers at "kids these days," let's be honest…

We're not immune, either

My generation is taking a beating, too.

Distractions just show up in more "grown-up" forms now.

• A flood of emails
• Nonstop news alerts
• Slack messages at 10:37 PM
• LinkedIn "doom scrolling" disguised as networking
• Productivity apps we obsess over… but never fully use

We're overstimulated and under-focused. We're often busy but not productive. We've traded deep work for shallow sprints, and attention for reaction.

So when I told my son, "It's getting easier—because it's getting harder," here's what I meant:

If you can master the fundamentals today—resist the flood of distractions, reclaim your focus, and stay consistent—then success is more accessible than ever.

Because so few people can do it.

Discipline is the new superpower

In a world of endless distractions, focus is rare.

And what's rare becomes valuable.

• If you can sit with a problem and think deeply—you're already ahead.
• If you can commit to a long-term vision without quitting when it's hard—you're rare.
• If you can do deep, meaningful work in a world that rewards fast, shallow content—you will stand out.

Success today isn't about having the right tool. We all have tools.

It's about having the discipline to use them intentionally.

It's about doing less—but doing it better.

So, how do you fight distractions?

This isn't a rhetorical question.

It's something I ask myself regularly.

How do you stay focused when the world is built to keep you scattered?

How do you protect your attention when everyone is fighting for it?

In my own life, I've found a few things that help:

• Scheduled thinking time (no screens, just a notebook and ideas)
• Single-tasking as a habit, not a luxury
• Turning off notifications—yes, all of them
• Putting my phone away (on the other side of the house)
• Being ruthless about what I say yes to

I actually found that the thing that is working for me really well, is putting myself in situations with little to no temptetion.

But I'm still learning, still improving.

So let me ask you:

How do you fight distractions?

What works for you when the noise gets loud?

I'd love to hear it—because whether you're 17 or 49, we're all facing the same battle.

Let's stop glorifying busyness and start celebrating clarity.

Let's teach the next generation (and remind ourselves) that the real edge isn't in having more—it's in choosing less with purpose.

Because while the world gets louder, the people who learn to focus will always rise above the noise. And they will become better leaders to themselves and others.