The 2016 election brought the United States a whirlwind of events, with one being particularly notorious: the election of a former reality television star-turned populist politician to the presidency of the United States.

Election coverage post-mortems all highlight the orange makeup, pantsuits, and lost emails. But 2016 is more than that – it is a lesson for the beltway elites, and proves that America must focus on its future, not yesterday’s policies, politicians and voting blocs.

From Brexit, to the slow lifting the embargo on Cuba, to the death of taxis via Uber, the world around us is changing, and it’s time we evolve and adapt. If there was one word to describe 2016 in a nutshell, it would be unpredictable.

If there was one hope for 2017, it should be opportunity.

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Regardless of one’s satisfaction with the outcome of the election, we have work to do. If America wants real solutions, we can’t look to the same people that created this mess in the first place. Our parents’ generation is leaving us with nearly $20 trillion in debt.

Few Americans express trust in any of the institutions at play: Congress, the mainstream media, and the two main political parties. Often, the officials who run in these circles are distracted from the issues by grandiose personalities and individual incentives.

Instead, we must look to the county’s entrepreneurs and youth for innovative ideas, and we must be willing to sit down at the table with even our most polar of opposites. That’s what American is all about; a real dialogue about the problems we face as a society and relying on people — not government — to create solutions.

It doesn’t matter whether you identify as Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Constitutionalist, or independent. This is not time to whine or celebrate the election results. It’s time to focus on what matters.

What matters is that we push a positive narrative based on human respect that creates opportunity for all.

1. A sober foreign policy of non-intervention

2. Real criminal justice reform/ending the failed war on drugs

3. Protection of free speech

4. Auditing the Federal Reserve

5. Ending unconstitutional NSA spying

6. Reducing the national debt

7. Lowering taxes so all American’s can keep more of the money they work hard to earn

The aforementioned issues are millennial issues. These exact issues are barely touched by establishment politicians – and it’s not going unnoticed. Young people want a fair shot, and that means getting the government out of the way.

Millennials are now tied with Baby boomers for the largest voting bloc. We’re entering the workforce, paying taxes, and more importantly, we’re questioning the status quo. Millennials don’t fit into the conventional left-right mold. They want, and need, something different.

At the end of the day, millennials are the ones picking up the pieces of the crumbling infrastructure, mounting national debt, and egregious violations of our civil liberties. Sure, we could sit back and complain about how inefficient, corrupt, and inept government has become – but that’s nothing new.

People, not politicians, create solutions. This is a call to action for all young Americans... let’s rise up, stop bickering, and work hard to create solutions that will fix the problems that government can’t.

Cliff Maloney Jr. is the President/Executive Director at Young Americans for Liberty where he oversees YAL’s 50 state operation with over 804 YAL chapters nationwide. YAL’s mission is to identify, educate, train, and mobilize youth activists committed to winning on principle.

The views expressed by Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.