Every time I interview a 40-something woman for 40:20 Vision I ask them what three “gifts” would they give a 20-something if they were a “Forty-Godmother”. Here are one woman’s gifts:
1. Decision free time.
Schedule time where you don’t have to make decisions. That’s a vacation. Even if it’s just for two hours. You take it for granted that you can get away with things in your twenties. You can go on a weekend trip to visit a friend or stay out late and no one notices. You have all sorts of opportunities. Don’t fill them up with all work or all play. Don’t take it all too seriously.
2. Freedom from looking for what is missing.
The best peice of advice I got in my twenties was to stop looking around. Stop wondering what you are missing — both in terms of what else is going and what qualities you don’t have. You got it. Stop being insecure about it. Just be yourself. I took that advice and I stopped looking and I decided I’m just going go with it. Then when you go out with your friends, you’ll just have fun and you are not looking for the guy. That changed my life.
3. Don’t wait to volunteer.
This is a big thing. People need to do as well as give. When you are young and don’t have money, you can still give time. And you develop skills in return. Just get into a group where you can volunteer whether it’s hands-on or it’s helping produce a charity event or funding. When you do charity you get out of yourself…and that’s where a lot of your confidence comes. Do it in your twenties. It can’t wait. That’s when you have more time to do it.
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