What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
The Advice I’d Give My Younger Self
Since LinkedIn has asked some users to write “advice you would give your younger self,” I decided to comply. It was to be specifically career advice, but I find business and life to be so interwoven in my life, the lessons I have to share cover both.
I really haven’t shared this story publicly until now. When I was 22, I was in the midst of my second major relapse in illness. It would not be officially diagnosed as Fibromyalgia until about a year later, with an additional diagnosis of CFS as the cherry on top some years later. It created difficulties surrounding my formal education, but I wasn’t going to let it stop me. I was already no stranger to adversity coming from a poor family, working multiple jobs, a casualty of child abuse, and growing up in a one parent home. No matter what, I always managed to find a way over, around, under, or through any obstacle in my life. Sure there may be brief periods of retreat but then I would reemerge. I would learn to appreciate the gift and knowledge that I gained from it.
Despite all that I endured, I survived. Everything always has a way of working out. My life gets better and better everyday. I am able to recognize lessons that I’ve picked up. I actually have a digital sticky board that I use to write more life lessons down as I learn.
So, if I were 22 here are some of the things I would tell myself. A few snippets I wish I had known then, that I know now.
KNOW THYSELF
Know Thyself was written on the forecourt of the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. Know Thyself—I personally think is the essence of knowledge and life. This is at the top of my list because this happens to be a big quest for me. My Advice: Think about what’s important to you, who you are up until now, and who you want to be. Most people don’t even get to this step! Word of WARNING you will not have all the answers yet and the answers will continue to change as you change throughout life. Take inventory of those little quirks that make you unique. Some of mine — I LOVE Disney movies and can still sing almost every song, I like my eggs runny, I absolutely love snow! Learn to appreciate and use this knowledge about yourself.
ENJOY THE JOURNEY
Magical moments — My Advice: Create and find magical moments to savor each day. It’s so important to see and be grateful for the beauty that can exist in these moments. It can make you’re life AMAZING instead of being stuck in a state of day to day drudgery.
SIMPLICITY IS BETTER — LEARN BREVITY
If you can’t explain something to someone simplistically then you don’t really know it yourself.My Advice: Always try to find the real root of what you mean. I learned this concept many times studying languages. Then I learned it more deeply when teaching and writing.
BAD STUFF IS GONNA HAPPEN. FAILURE HAPPENS. SCREAM! YELL! Then Learn from it.
In the words of the great Rafiki, “Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or… learn from it.” My Advice: If you wallow in self pity for too long you’re never going to get anything THAT’S IMPORTANT to you done (and you know what’s important to you cause you thought about all that “know thyself” stuff I just wrote earlier .) Scream! Yell! Get it out! Then Learn from it and say, “what’s next.”
LEARN TO THINK OF THE WORLD IN SYSTEMS
Projects, jobs, even your body can be thought of in ecosystems and holistically down to their tiniest parts. Everything has its big picture view and the tiny details view. I like to call it bird to bug views lol. My Advice: Anything you do, if you think about how it fits into bigger systems or its sub parts its easier to understand things when as you go through life. Everything is like project management.
DONT SEEK EVERYONES APPROVAL BEFORE STARTING
My Advice: Stop searching for approval from others. You know what, most of the successfulpeople in this world were oddballs and freaks. Almost no one understood or believed in them in the beginning. Truth is most people will never follow this rule because it makes them too uncomfortable. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable! (You should really tweet that.)Most go with what everyone else is doing for most of their lives. I personally think we are all here to make the most of ourselves and you need to figure out what the picture of your best self would look like. Then paint it in real life with your actions.
TELL STORIES, CREATE PROTOTYPES ASAP, AND USE PICTURES
There is no excuse with the availability of photoshop and 3D printers that exist nowadays to not make an idea a reality. I personally still use crayons and paper sometimes just to get it out there (see “My Secret Weapon In Life And Business! http://bit.ly/businesssecretweapon.) We are all creatures that want to create, in one form or another. My Advice: Take those amazing ideas that can only come from your UNIQUE beautiful brain and put them into the world! Don’t wait just get started! Yes even if you’re 22.
MOOSH WEIRD THINGS TOGETHER
Now this is my big thing and why my introductions usually start with something like…a ceo, leader, Ambassador, business woman, former spy, poet-photographer who does Wing Chun Kung Fu, plays with swords, has flown an airplane, that happens to sing, over 29 industries and has been in/LOVES Disney movies… Something that I never even consciously realized till a few years back is that I had this weird combination that allowed me to cross pollinate experiences, interests, and industries. I use these experiences to get insight into whatever it is that I’m doing at the moment, or trying to explain to others. My Advice: Whenever a student or anyone asks me how they can get an edge in their professional life, I say “moosh together two or more things that maybe weird.”
A friend of mine recently took my advice and now he is able to advise people 30 years older then him, how to take finance, moosh it into databases, making teams work together on it all, while talking about how he makes a “mean steak.” He’s pretty sought after now for the first two on that list.
SIMPLICITY — SCIENCE CLASS & THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE
I never really thought Physics and Science classes were going to be of use to me in the “real world,” but later I was able to take those laws I learned way back in science class and see how they are some of the most basic ideas and rules in life. This actually ties in to my simplicity lesson, but I thought it should stand on its own. Everyone still buzzes about “the secret” and “law of attraction“ stuff, while I think to myself, DUH! We learned that back in middle school, you just forgot. ANNND Its not the ONLY law that governs our universe people! I’ve now identified 11 of these laws so far that amazingly weave into everything in my life. I can’t resist chuckling with the thought “Rosalee LAWS has learned the Laws of the universe,” hehe. My Advice: I highly suggest maybe picking up a quick recap of middle school scientific laws. You might find it fascinating now that you’re a little older.
ALWAYS LEARNING & GROWING
The foundation of my company was built on this concept, well that and what I call my weird “Renaissanceness.” The concept of always growing and learning, (which I’ve dubbed learn, do, grow) is realizing who we want to be, who we are, and what do we need to learn to get there. A degree will not guarantee success. As many of the non college grad millionaires of the world prove. My Advice: Lifelong learning is SO IMPORTANT! If you’re a weird Renaissance person like me you’re addicted to learning anyway. Once you’re out of school, learning is better because the relevance and application of what you need to know and what you WANT to know becomes more obvious. Learn the new skills that get you where you want to go. Learn something just for the heck of it. Approach learning like a child. Where new things hold wonder.
Whether I’m my age now or I’m 22, I always try to live life with a sense of wonder andchildlike enthusiasm. It really can be the difference between a life of lightness and joy and one of darkness and drudgery.
