Welcome to the YOLO Economy

Something strange is happening to the exhausted, type-A millennial workers of America. After a year spent hunched (弯腰驼背) over their MacBooks,     1     back-to-back Zooms, they are deciding to risk it all. Some are     2     stable jobs to start a new business, and others are stepping off the career treadmill altogether.

If this movement has a rallying cry, it’s “YOLO”—“you only live once,” an acronym (首字母缩略词)     3     by the rapper Drake a decade ago and used by cheerful risk-takers ever since. It has come to characterize the attitude that has     4     a certain type of bored office worker in recent months.

To be clear: The pandemic is not over, and millions of Americans are still experiencing     5     for the loss of jobs and loved ones. Not everyone can afford to throw     6     to the wind. But for a growing number of people with financial cushions and in-demand skills, the dread and anxiety of the past year are giving way to a new kind of professional fearlessness.

“It feels like we’ve been so     7     into careers for the past decade, and this is our opportunity to switch it up.” said Nate Moseley, 29, a buyer at a major clothing retailer. “The idea of going right back to the pre-Covid setup sounds so unappealing after this past year,” he said. “If not now, when will I ever do this?” If “languishing (受煎熬)” is 2021’s     8     emotion, YOLOing may be the year’s defining work force trend. A recent Microsoft survey found that more than 40 percent of workers globally were considering leaving their jobs this year.

    9     of employees’ quitting jobs, bosses are trying to boost morale (士气) and prevent burnout. LinkedIn recently gave the majority of its employees a paid week off.

Raises and time off may persuade some employees to stay put. But for others, stasis (停滞) is the problem, and the only solution is     10     change.