If you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would you say? Here are ten things I wish I could tell my younger self:
- Show up and do a little more than expected . You can set yourself apart if you do nothing more than just show up on time every day. Also, if you look for opportunities to do a little more than is expected you will stand out from the crowd.
- Bloom where you are planted but keep your head on a swivel looking for redirects. The happiest people I know and the ones making the biggest impact are the ones that make the most of their current situation yet remain open to new opportunities when they arise. This is changing what you can and being content with what you can’t change.
- Plan for the future but stay in the moment. Set goals, write them down and refer to them regularly. A goal is just a dream until you write it down. Then live in the present, not in the past or the future. Be where you are and enjoy now.
- Develop a life motto and mission statement. These can give much needed clarity and direction when faced with opportunities and forks in the road along the way. They are also great reminders when you discouraged.
- Play well with others. I have found the biggest cause of failure, both at work and in life, is the inability to get along with other people. I know a lot of successful people who are not the smartest or most naturally talented, but they know how to talk to and get along with people. A big key here is selflessness. C.S. Lewis defined selfless as not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less. I need to remember this every day.
- Choose your friends wisely because you will become like them. Consider the handful of people who you choose to spend the most time with weekly. Do they inspire you to go for more, push you to be better and challenge you to grow? Or are they holding you back, dragging you down or distracting you from being your best?
- Find good mentors, ask them thoughtful questions and invite them to tweak you. Ask things like, “Tell me about your biggest success, your biggest failure, a missed opportunity, your top three book recommendations…” Look for those you can mentor as well. Many find when helping others they grow as well.
- Read great biographies of people worth emulating, especially those who gave of themselves for the benefit of others. If you want some good suggestions just let me know.
- When you are struggling ask yourself, “What am I telling myself right now? Is it true?” Identify the lies you are telling yourself and replace them with the truth.
- Be thankful…for the many blessings you have right this second. You might be in a real-life mess, but you can still be grateful for plenty in the midst of your problems. How often do you say, “thank you?” When was the last time you wrote a hand-written note to thank someone? How about writing someone who invested in you in years past? It will make someone else’s day and maybe yours in the process.
Had I heard and acted upon these “10 Things” earlier in my life, my perspective and thinking would have changed. I would have made better decisions as a result. When you change your thinking, you change your life.
