Guest Post by Mariam Shahab

A few weeks ago I overheard a much older coworker, matter-of-factly declare, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I couldn’t help but vehemently disagree. Sure, I didn’t say anything directly to her but I took to Twitter to passive-aggressively make my point to which the always attentive Carol Phillips pointed out my gen-y perspective.

Status quo sucks. Think about the world around you, your workplace or your daily routine. If you had the time or money, you could probably figure out a more efficient way to do something you currently do. Why should you be forced to go through steps one through eight just to get your expense report done or submit your term paper online?

If the process could be done in three steps by creating a new system, why not do it now before the system breaks down?

After all, the root of innovation is challenging accepted norms. That’s what the well-known success stories like Apple’s continuous product line expansion are made of. Was an iPhone really needed? Were our current phones broken? No, but the iPhone created a more efficient use of the smartphone.

As a generation, “millennials work smarter, not harder.” I remember seeing a tweet from the Pivot Conference last week with the declarative thought and it made me realize that is exactly why gen-yers are always looking to improve upon accepted procedures. There is no use in twiddling our thumbs and being satisfied with the world around us.

So let’s take a vow to reword the old phrase with a more optimistic outlook: “If it ain’t broke, fix it now!” What are some ways you’re repairing a situation, product or process before it shows signs of breakage?

Mariam Shahab is a recent graduate of Boston University, College of Communications. She is a frequent contributor to Millennial Marketing and TNGG. You can follow her on Twitter @mshahab