Now I am a parent of two young adults (25 and 21 years old) and I am seeing the spark in their eyes, as apparently, the same aliens that abducted their brains during their puberty years have returned them. And, I am seeing them ask questions about life that I feel took me a LONG time to learn myself.
As I see them going through things and asking me what they should do, here is what I wish I knew or had someone teach me when I was 22…
- What job should I take? Hardest question ever for a young adult! My answer, and the biggest thing I had to learn over the years is; “Chase your passion, not the money.” I took so many jobs in my early twenties because they paid well. True enjoyment in work only came when I took roles that I couldn’t wait to get up on Monday morning to go to. And, the money turned out to be better in the long run.
- Written Goals. When I was in my early thirties, I discovered the power of writing down my goals. Amazing stuff happened when I had a written plan.
- Cloud Time. Disconnecting from the stress on of constantly being “in touch” is one of the best things you can do to achieve true clarity of thinking.
- Pay yourself first. Whatever your salary is, set it up so that the first 10% is always budgeted to go to you. Knowing that your disposable salary is actually 10% lower, helps you budget your spending better. And, having the first 10% go to you creates a savings that you have for buying a home or for emergencies. Debt should always be limited as much as possible.
- Keep learning. School should never be out. I never became obsessed with continuous education in the form of books, workshops, pod-casts in my car, etc., until well into my thirties. If I had picked up on this earlier, I would have been further ahead as a leader sooner.
Robert Murray is an Author, Global Speaker and Business Strategist. You can find Robert’s books on heart based leadership here. For further advice, ideas and inspiration on leadership, follow Robert on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.
