What three “gifts” would you give a 20-something if you were a “Forty-Godmother”? Here 40-somethings share three wishes 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.
- Learn to talk about your successes. I call it gossiping success. If you are worried about getting called out for being ambitious, just remember, would a guy? But you can also do it graciously. Frame the “me” in the “we” – the outcome / impact that is bigger than yourself.
- Send a handwritten note to a friend telling her something special about herself. It can make a big difference. Pay it forward.
- “Anything can look like a failure in the middle.” I saw this quote the other day and it spoke to me. I’d give my 20-something self the strength to not give up. Embrace the middle. The quote is based on Kantar’s Law, which has as much application for relationships and career as it does for innovation.
“Everyone loves inspiring beginnings and happy endings; it is just the middles that involve hard work.”
— yours truly