The way you spend your early years deeply affects your later years. Learning tips from those with experience can help you live a life without regrets later on. Here some tips to follow!
Set Goals
It is easy to let your 20s slip by without knowing what you did or what you accomplished. Set goals and overall aims that you want to pursue. The importance is not the goal itself, but working towards those goals.
Goals change, and they are supposed to. The goal is to create a strong work ethic that helps you overcome obstacles, adapt as needed, and gain confidence when you reach them.
Goals give a sense of meaning and purpose, points us in the direction we want to go and gets us interested and engaged, all of which are good for our overall happiness. Habits are the key to success, and setting goals early in life and meeting them will help you develop the right habits as you become older.
Create a Strong Network
Be proactive in creating your personal and professional networks. But don’t just join an organization or meet people to get something. Offer value to them. Who you know, not what you know, is important.
Your network is incredibly important, and in many cases your most valuable asset. Opportunities are important. Opportunities are tied to people, so if you are looking for an opportunity, you are actually looking for a person.
Every time you meet an impressive and well-informed individual, you should consider asking for their contact details. Use social media – and especially the professional social media network LinkedIn – to build up your contact book and to stay up to date with the latest news from their sectors and industries. It’s in this way that you’ll find yourself surrounded by the ambitious and driven individuals that you need to succeed.
Train and Get Qualified
Training and qualifications are going to set you apart from the crowd. Nowadays, you can achieve many qualifications online. Want to pursue a career in law enforcement? Then getting a BA in Policing can help you get your foot in the door.
There are plenty of other online courses and classes you can take to boost your skill set. Investing in yourself is the most important thing you can invest in.
You can study more general skills, like numeracy, literacy and IT skills, through online educational portals, or by finding a tutor near you. Lifelong learning is key to staying ahead of the pack!
Be Professional, Always
Proper etiquette goes a long way. Always act in a professional and well-mannered way. Without discipline and the ability to communicate and appear professional throughout your working life, you’ll be less likely to be taken seriously by those around you.
While the way you look and act shouldn’t be everything in the world of business, first impressions go a long way. The way you present yourself is ultimately what sets you apart – you’ll be doing yourself a great disservice by turning up to work late and disheveled. You’ll appear unreliable, and that’s a reputation you cannot afford to proceed you throughout your career.
Do the Right Things Right
There is always the temptation to overcomplicate things or invent a new system and processes. This can take your focus on what is important and the highest priority. Focus on doing the most effective things (the right things) efficiently (do it right).
This means focus on the highest impact tasks. Concentrate on your customer service skills, your email and phone manner, your conduct in meetings, your social interactions with colleagues, and your conversations with your bosses. By doing the basics well, others will see you as a capable and reliable individual.
Always Aim Higher
Always improve. Always get better. Don’t be content with the bare minimum and focus on exceeding expectations. Be so good that people can’t ignore you. This way people will notice you and present opportunities to you that you may not have had.
When others see that you have the capability to become better, they will have more trust in you. This is what is meant by ‘always aim higher.’ By keeping up the momentum of your progress through your career, you’ll always be asking for pay rises, more responsibilities, and more complex roles.
Be Kind
There is truth to the saying that people may not wonder what you did, but will remember how you feel. Even after you think through all of their business skills and knowledge, it always comes back to whether you liked them on a personal level or not.
With this in mind, it’s essential for your career that as many people as possible are left feeling you’re a pleasant and kind individual. Be conscious of others’ feelings, and thoughtful in your conduct, in order to be remembered for all the right things as you progress in your career.