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.
- My advice would be to not follow the path that you think you’re supposed to follow. Just take a chance. Take risks. You can take small steps to get outside of your box. Take a class that you wouldn’t normally think of taking and just see what happens. Don’t just go for the easy, comfortable way to spend your weekend. Go to a conference on your own. Seek out a speaking engagement. Learn to surf. Try setting some big goals for yourself outside of work and make a plan to get it done. You will find you will then get more confident doing it at work.
- You have a lot of firsts in your twenties. I talk about this a lot with my friends. You could be experiencing first dates. You could be experiencing your first real job. Your first serious boyfriend. Your first kiss with a new boyfriend. There’s a lot of firsts at that age. It’s exciting and you’re still focused on you. You don’t have to worry, assuming you don’t have kids in your twenties. It’s all about you. Sure you’ve got some worries about whether or not you’re where you want to be career-wise. You may have money troubles but there’s that freedom in your twenties that you’ll never have again.
- Keep a record of your life whether it’s a journal or letters. Everything is so instant especially with technology. Figure out a way you can document what’s going on in your life because you’ll want to look back on it someday. I’m so thankful that I have that.