What 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.Don’t get too tied to your checklist. Focus on doing your absolute best at what is in front of you and pay attention to what makes you excited to come to work in the morning. The list I had at 23 had completely changed by the time I was 28 and then I turned 33 and it changed again.
2. The wedding is just day one. Garbage is garbage and socks are not a philosophical discussion over wine. That’s just the low level noise that you live with…just like sharing a space with anyone over decades. If you don’t figure out how to deal with that noise, the bigger challenges are heightened. You have to make an effort to communicate and figure or what makes you happy and constantly adjust, especially when kids enter the picture. It’s an investment that carries the relationship through for the long haul.
3. Happiness isn’t what you achieve, it’s how you behave. Be nice.