As I reminisce on life, there are success tips I wish I knew at 20. I read the latest personal development books by Anthony Robbins and Thomas J. Stanley, thinking the secret to getting ahead would be hiding in the pages. I sought out advice from mentors that offered their insight on how to plan a vision for a career that is faced with challenges.
The truth is, there is only so much information a book or mentor can teach a person. It's the journey of life that helps shape us. I truly believe each decade of one's life teaches them new findings of how to build relationships at work. If you are in your 20s and reading this article, here are the things you need to know.
I later discovered that certain jobs are meant for certain personality types. At the time, I worked in sales, but was a better performer conducting researching and writing without being micromanaged. I was unhappy, but continued to work at the company because that's what people do, right?
Some people can put on a mask at work to earn a pay cheque, and when they're home, they are a different person. Does that truly create happiness? Now that you are young, research all the job roles for your major and be realistic if you can work in the industry for five to 10 years of your life.
I remember thinking that if it took five years to land a promotion, something was wrong. I started to let go later in life of the idea that true happiness was defined by what an employer can offer when self-value starts from within. The moment I stopped caring about earning a promotion, it happened. I started to work on my career development and start more conversations with colleagues at work. I started to write a plan of what I need to do to further my career.
It was the journey and not the destination after I turned 20 that taught me the importance of appreciating life as I grew professionally.
If I knew that stepping outside my comfort zone when I used to be an introvert would help, I would have tried to be more of a people person at work. In my mind, meeting quotas, getting to work on time and being professional was the golden key to promotion.
I did not understand the value of attending regular networking events or joining a journalism committee to meet with professionals with more experience. The people I met along the way should have been contacted a few times a year to meet for coffee.
At times, a young adult can question their self-confidence, searching for acceptance from the outside world without gaining a true understanding of themselves.
A young person can be mature with wisdom that is learned from the elders in their family. I do it less now, but at 20 years old trusting my final decision in all areas of my life would be met with less self-doubt about whether I made the right or wrong decision at work.
Trust the intuitive feeling in your gut that tells you to say yes or no.
In this busy society we live in, it can be challenging for a student to consider volunteering if it's not related to work or school. We all have inner talents to share with people in need in the community that can't afford to pay for the service.
The act of helping another person can help you grow to become a mature adult that practices the habit of gratitude. As you volunteer, the stories of suffering people in the community face every day will be eye-opening.
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I used to believe that mistakes classify people as failures. As I began to get older, the one thing elders in my life continued to state is every successful person in history made mistakes on their journey.
The act of making an uninformed decision happens when a person rushes into a situation or does not ask for advice. Think of life as the line chart of a stock. The line will continue to go up and down, but the way a person decides to handle their issues is important.