As I write this, I’m four weeks short of thirty three and my parents are celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary! They were married in high school…which makes me look back and ponder what If I Could Be 22 Again. Here’s some advice based on a compact, practical 30 years.
Be Present.
If I Could Be 22 Again I'd look up and all around. Be aware of what’s happening and seek to understand. You’ll hear all the time about ‘live every second’ and ‘live every day as if it were your last’ and this concept has meaning but this is all centered around a single concept, being present. Pay attention to the people around you, they have significance in shaping who you’ll become. Choose people you admire and emulate them! Stay alert to what’s happening in the world and what’s happening to you every day. Question anything that doesn’t seem right, seek to understand and Buck The Status Quo!
Be brief.
In school they tell you to write 5,10,20 page ‘reports’ and analyze and analyze and analyze. In reality, nobody has time for this. I can honestly recount only a few times when I’ve been too short in an email, a presentation, or a business meeting. If I could be 22 again I'd tell myself that the perfect length for everything is complete. Get to the point! Now. Here are guidelines: email—short; presentations—5-10 slides; report—one page (or less). Fin.
Understand Abundance.
There is always enough to go around. If I were 22 again, Stop living with the belief there isn’t enough to go around because it’s not true. Humanity was created with an ongoing balancing architecture, it's how we deal with abundance. Believe there will always be enough of what you need, and what your neighbor needs. If you want more of something, you can have it thru hard work and persistence. Understanding abundance will guide your decisions to come.
Make your boss look good.
Your job is to make your boss look good, period. If your boss is competent, you’ll be able to follow in success behind him or her. If your boss is not competent, the laws of nature will take place and either see you rise in importance or see your transfer to another organization that gets it. Back to the previous point, there is always abundance. If your goal is to make your boss look good, you are a team player, committed, loyal, and value driven. All good qualities to embrace and grow success.
Tell stories.
If I were 22 again, I'd practice this valuable trait. The most fascinating people tell stories to influence and persuade others. They do not depreciate or humiliate. If I were 22 again, I'd practice this valuable trait. They have the ability to place a picture in people’s minds whether the medium is social media, email, presentations, phone calls, or whatever. There is only one Steve Jobs, but if you want to emulate his genius, learn to communicate using stories. And you’ll live happily ever after.
Be persistent.
Over your lifetime, you’ll have lots of jobs. As of this post, I’ve had over 15 different jobs. Yeah. Your first job is not going to be your last, it’s a stepping stone. It’d be great if your luck landed you at the next Google in startup phase. Get paid to learn, and if you can’t learn anything, it’s probably your fault. Every job offers the opportunity to learn and persist toward success. Just do it. If I were 22 again, Get in and work hard and stop thinking about following your passion! Carry your passion with you, but hard work and persistence pay off in the end. As the poem goes, “if at first you don’t succeed, try try again..”
Continue to learn.
As noted in the point above there is always, ALWAYS, an opportunity to learn. Learning is a process not an event, so you should never stop learning. Learning in school is completely different than learning in the real world. Be present and learn about what’s happening and how to make it better. A thirst for learning can carry the glummest of days, or the most stressful jobs, or the hardest relationships. Seek to understand.
Obey the stones.
When you were young, it was wrong to lie, cheat, steal, or hit (I grew up with a brother). When you enter the workforce, you will begin to align to the environment around you and tempted into partaking in value-less activity. Don’t. Stay true to the values you know are sacred, it’s being a better human being. Right is right and wrong is wrong forever.
Enjoy your family and friends.
Nothing--not money, power, or celebrity--can replace your family and friends or bring them back once they leave this world. These are the people that ground you into reality, and help shape who you are or will become. You need them. You may have feelings of immortality and self-reliance but that all ends at some point. Bridge the gap, become close with the people and energy around you, and you will be happier for it.
If I could be 22 again..One more thing.
When you were a child nothing seemed fair, you never got to do that one thing that one time, etc. You grow up and look at all the could-a’s, should-a’s, and would-a’s and may get upset or angry. Don’t. Stay positive. Remember there is abundance in this world. Staying positive is a single source for happiness and bringing happiness to those around you. It radiates like warm sunlight in the afternoon. Focus on seeking the positives out of everything and you’ll be amazed at the kind of person you can become…If I were 22 again...
// Zack
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