Career Advice That I'd Give My 20-Year-Old Self

I don't believe in living life with regret, but if there's anything I wish I could do some days, it's jumping in a time machine and being the mentor that I likely needed. If that were a reality, here are 3 pieces of advice that I'd give the 20-year-old version of me, and it's likely applicable to many of you whether you're 20 or not.

Make More Mistakes & Fail Faster

It's okay to make mistakes. It's okay to fall flat on your face and fail! If there's anything that I can guarantee in life, it's that you will fall. You will fail. It's how you recover from those mistakes and learn from them that truly matters.

When you were a toddler, just learning how to walk, you fell hundreds, if not thousands of times. You scraped your knees. You likely busted your lip. And somehow, you didn't give up. If you're walking on two feet today, there was a time in your life that you didn't give in to failure. You didn't give in to other people's thoughts or timelines on when you were able to walk. You weren't yet fearful of the world.

Find that drive. Find that motivation. Get through the fear of making mistakes and learn from them.

Be Curious & Explore

Believe it or not, you don't know everything! And the reality is, neither does anyone else because there is no manual to life. What works for one person may not work for another.

But if there's anything I can guarantee, you won't know by just sitting there. Go out and explore the world. Gather new experiences. Visit foreign places you have never seen before. Gather a different perspective on life than the one your parents have given you. And take it from me, sometimes a little mischief is in order.

Chase Passion, Not Money

Money at its' essence is not a terrible thing. Money is a commodity that allows you to do the things that you want to do in life. It's a means to a purpose, but it's not the only purpose.

Money "ebbs and flows." Some days you'll make it. Others, you'll find yourself penniless. So please don't use it as the only marker for your success.

Passion is what separates people who are good at something, from people who are great at something. When you're invested and committed to something that you'll love, and you genuinely live and breathe for it, you'll stand out from your peers and colleagues and have a tremendous value to yourself and others.

Don't just "work." Don't just find a job to get by. Find what you're meant to do and chase with all of your conviction.

Make a dream a reality, and when you can do that, I promise you that the money will come.

Love Always,

Jeff