Advice to My Younger Self

I am often asked by some of my younger colleagues for career advice as they are starting out on theirs and I am further along in mine. Their questions got me thinking: What advice would I give to my younger self, knowing what I know now? To start, little of the advice would be specific to work, because I think the life you pursue and create for yourself brings richness and knowledge to all aspects of living, career included.

Lesson 1: Develop a life philosophy. It has been helpful for me to develop a philosophy of life that I can apply every day to all of my activities both inside and outside the workplace. I believe it is up to each of us to define the purpose of our lives, and then to live that purpose. I don’t think that life has a single purpose in and of itself – it’s what we bring to it, and how we define our individual purpose that brings meaning and definition to our lives. I would also tell my younger self that it is vital to make extraordinary experiences habitual in your life, but to find a way of making common experiences special. This takes focus and effort, and living life in a purposeful way. Finally, I would say that I don’t believe people remember what you said to them or even what you did for them. I believe they remember how you made them feel. Exercise your choice everyday in how you want to be with people and how you want them to feel as a result of your interaction with them. Rise above your ego, and be generous.

Lesson 2: Life is finite. Every decade, take a pause and set a purposeful path for the next 10 years. In John Lennon’s song “Beautiful Boy” released in 1980, he sings: “Before you cross the street, take my hand. Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” I understand the general expression can be traced back a few decades earlier to Allen Saunders, but regardless of who coined the expression, I think it aptly sums up the advice I would give to my younger self: Live purposefully, don’t let life happen while you’re busy making other plans.

Lesson 3: There are limits to your own knowledge and insights. Individuals among a group of women and men staring at the same set of facts will come to different conclusions and recommend different actions because they see the objectives to be achieved differently, they have different levels of tolerance to risk, and they are bringing different life experiences to the issue. So seek the wisdom of others. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Even if you’re the leader, remember, there are limits to what you know and what you’ve experienced. The quality of the decisions you make will most often be enhanced by seeking and incorporating the wisdom of others. Coming to an outcome most often will require compromise, and it is important in the workplace, and in all parts of your life for that matter, to know what you don’t know, and when compromise is in fact a win.

Lesson 4: Be reflective. Spend time sifting through your experiences for their lessons and conclusions rather than simply gathering more and more experiences. “The unexamined life is not worth living” is a famous dictum that dates back to Socrates, who apparently believed the love of wisdom was the most important pursuit above all else. I would tell my younger self that from the age of 20, write a daily evaluative memo to yourself. It’s a great way to learn from your experience, and to grow. And every year, write, “My View” – how you understand the universe, our planet, human social functions, and how it all comes together. I waited until I was 55 to write “My View”, and I know now that was far too long a wait.

Lesson 5: Travel, travel, travel. Do not be confined by geography. The world is an amazing place to discover, and if you follow lesson four above, and spend time sifting through the experience you’ve had on each voyage, you will bring richness to your life that a single location cannot provide.

I would be interested to know, what advice would you give to your younger self?