Grant Cardone Warns Gen Z To Stop 'Enjoying Life' At 23 — Says You're 'Not Entitled,' You Should 'Suffer Now' And 'Freakin' Hustle' Instead

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Grant Cardone isn't exactly known for his gentle delivery. The real estate mogul, motivational speaker, and father of two has built a reputation on blunt advice that tends to go viral—whether people love it or hate it. And in a recent TikTok clip, he didn't hold back on what he thinks 20-somethings should really be doing with their lives.

The video starts with Cardone asking someone off-camera, "How old are you?" The voice replies: "I'm 23." That's when Cardone launches into what sounds like encouragement—except it's not.

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"Dude, you should just be 23 and enjoy your life," he says. Then comes the twist: he was mocking the advice, not giving it.

"Who told you that?" he demands. "My mom," the person answers.

"Exactly," Cardone snaps. "Your mom's gonna tell you that because she, somewhere along the line, quit. Or she didn't enjoy a part of her life."

Then he gets to his real message—what he actually wants young people to hear.

"She doesn't know what I know," Cardone says. "You should freakin' hustle right now. You should not enjoy your life at 23. You're not entitled to enjoy your life at 23. You should suffer right now, pay the price, do the work, make the connections—so you can enjoy a life your mom can't even imagine."

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His caption on the video drives the message home:  "Pay the price today so you can pay any price in the future."

Cardone's dishing out tough love. But behind the bluntness, there's a deeper point—because the early career climb has gotten a lot steeper.

According to the 2024 report "Talent Disrupted: College Graduates, Underemployment and the Way Forward" — from the Burning Glass Institute and the Strada Institute for the Future of Work — more than half of recent college grads are underemployed, meaning they're working in jobs that don't require a degree. Even landing one of those roles isn't a given. According to Bank of America data, new workforce entrants now make up the largest share of unemployed Americans in nearly four decades.

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In other words: being young doesn't come with a built-in safety net anymore. You can enjoy life later—but right now, the competition isn't slowing down.

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There's also the regret factor. A Resume Genius survey found that about one in four Gen Z workers say they regret going to college or feel their degree hasn't helped them in the workforce. That's a lot of time and money to spend on something that didn't move the needle.

Cardone's message may sound extreme, but it echoes what many are already feeling: that coasting through your early 20s can cost you more than just time. The price of "waiting it out" isn't always obvious—until it's too late.

Whether you agree or not, his point is clear: stop using youth as an excuse to coast. Your 20s aren't for relaxing—they're for outworking everyone else. Because time doesn't refund you, and neither does regret.

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This article Grant Cardone Warns Gen Z To Stop 'Enjoying Life' At 23 — Says You're 'Not Entitled,' You Should 'Suffer Now' And 'Freakin' Hustle' Instead originally appeared on Benzinga.com

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