Three Gifts for a 20-Something

shutterstock_110769932What three “gifts” would you give a 20-something if you were a “Forty-Godmother”?  40-something women share three things to help a 20-something get a head start on the confidence to make decisions that are right for themselves. No more woulda, coulda, shoulda.

1. Always explore, even if you are not looking for a career move. You never know when a new opportunity will arise that stirs you. I always look for the growth potential. If you choose to not go anywhere with it that’s your choice but the potential is there. I am exploring my next step now. There really is no limitation, It’s really up to me.

2. You have to believe in yourself. That is huge. You have to believe that failure is not an option. If you are insecure, I mean we all have our little insecurities, but If you are genuinely insecure and timid, it’s going to come out in your job performance. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I educated myself. I wasn’t scared to ask questions. I wasn’t scared to sit down with upper management and say “How am I doing? Give me an evaluation. What do I need to do?”  Learn what you can from them because they’ve been doing it for years.

3. Get to know someone beyond the infatuation phase before committing all the way. There are always turns and twists. As far as I’m concerned, in the beginning you’re just sending in your representative. Your on your best behavior, you’re a perfect person and you’re just great. And then you really get to know each other. Then you start seeing these behaviors that are the ones you have to decide if you can live with. Not that is always bad…but sometimes it can be serious issues like anger issues or narcissism.