Instead of asking Gen Z about their future plans, ask them what they want to do here and now

The future is now. Roll up your sleeves and let your passion flow. - Bruce Springsteen

Advice as timeless as The Boss himself, this mantra also sums up the attitude of Generation Z most accurately. Ready to chase their dreams today, to roll up their sleeves and work hard to make things happen.

Not for them, the tentative waiting in the wings to see what’s around the corner. They believe in going after what they want now and are unapologetic about it.

Some might even call them audacious. Why? Because they do not hesitate or second-guess what they want to do. They are sure that they want to make a difference, both for themselves and for the world around them. We call that being optimistic.

While previous generations also had their share of trendsetters and go-getters who believed in doing things their way, what makes Generation Z so different? Today, they have something that the previous generations didn’t have – the power of connectivity and technology. They have the perfect platform to take their personal passions and turn them into something more meaningful on a much larger scale. Denizens of a hyper-connected world, these youngsters today are the true digital natives, who have cut their teeth on technology, of which they have an intuitive understanding.

So, we have the influencers, the activists, and the entrepreneurs, who are going ahead and investing in their own future, now.

Little wonder then that this is said to be the most entrepreneurial generation ever.

Take Ryan Kaji, an 8-year old millionaire whose reviews of toys on YouTube have also earned him millions of followers. Or Connor Blakely, a 19-year-old author and expert marketeer. Known as the definitive authority on all things Gen Z, he is helping companies understand what it takes to build connections and “talk” to youngsters of his ilk.

Closer home in India, siblings 19-year old Shravan Kumaran and 17-year-old Sanjay Kumaran are among the youngest mobile app developers in the world, who have been successfully running their company Godimensions since 2011.

Or 23-year-old Trishneet Arora, a school dropout who failed 8^th grade, but refused to give up, and continued to do what he loved best – dabble in computers. Today, Trishneet is a well-known cyber security expert and author, and counts multi-million-dollar corporations as his clients.

If there’s one thing common to all these instance it’s that there is no barrier when it comes to following your passion. There’s no better time than now to start doing what you’ve always meant to do.

And who better than actor Siddhant Chaturvedi, who burst on the scene as the gritty, tough and talented MC Sher in Gully Boy, to drive home this message.

23-year-old Siddhant was all set to tread a conventional career path as a chartered accountant when life offered him a golden ticket in the form of a talent contest. He took the chance, participated and won the contest, and decided to seek his fortunes on celluloid instead of crunching numbers to make a living. After all, he believes that “kal ka sher nahi, aaj ka sher banna zaroori hai.”

And this message has found resonance with HP, which has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to reinvention and following one’s dreams.

A new film for the HP laptop has montages of a typical day in Siddhant’s life working, exercising, relaxing, while a first-person voiceover talks about his journey of arriving at where he is today – from being ‘discovered’ at a college talent show, and then winning accolades.

Siddhant goes on to say that the narrative around future expectations needs to change, and the focus should be on the here and now. After all, his future may have been entirely different had he not taken a chance by participating in the talent show.

Who knows what’s going to happen tomorrow? So why not take chances, learn, and live life to its fullest capacity here and now?

So instead of asking aage ka kya socha hai? ask #HowAboutNow.