Over the past 2 years, I’ve been on an immense journey of self-discovery. The journey has culminated in me finding my “why” and starting this website that is aligned to my true mission and purpose.
This current phase of my journey started in 2014 when I quit my job as a litigation lawyer and became a full-time entrepreneur. The following year, I launched Buzzy Tasks, completed my Diploma in Business, sold nearly all of my possessions, moved from Perth and settled by the beach in Bondi, Sydney.
This journey and my own personal developments have led me to the conclusion that our 20s and 30s are not a time to lock yourself into a career, they are actually a time to learn, play, experiment and figure out your “why”.
These are my 10 tips for navigating your career and your life in your 20s in your 30s:
1. Figure out who are you and what your purpose is
Our sole job in our 20s and 30s is to answer the following questions:
- Who am I and who do I want to become?
- Where does my true genius lie?
- What are my core values?
- What gives my life meaning and what am I truly passionate about?
- What is holding me back from reaching my full potential?
- What makes me angry about this world and what do I want to change?
- What is my life purpose?
Answering the last question around purpose is easy once you have answered the other questions. I define “purpose” as our reason for being. Aligning ourselves with a purpose leads to happiness, success, fulfilment and it helps guide all of our decision-making in life.
For that reason, purpose is not what you do. It is not a job title. It is your why and your how.
In order to find your perfect career, you need to:
- Figure out what your passions and values are;
- Link your passions and values into a purpose; and
- Find a career that intersects with your purpose.
2. Begin to master your mind
Once you begin mastering your mind and your emotions, you’re on the path to becoming the master of your life and your destiny.
It’s an ongoing journey for all of us, but I believe that, in our 20s, it is fundamental to develop your emotional intelligence and begin getting rid of those self-limiting beliefs that are holding you back from reaching your full potential. These self-limiting beliefs include the fear of failure, the fear of rejection and the fear of success (it’s a thing!).
3. Find your genius
Use your 20s to figure out where your genius lies.
Too often I meet people that cannot tell me what unique gifts and strengths they bring to this world. It’s because they haven’t spent enough time with themselves to truly know who they are.
Figure out your genius and then design a career for yourself that allows you to live out your genius every single day.
4. Learn to trust your intuition
Contrary to what you’re being told (by your boss, society, family etc.), you always know instinctively what’s best for you.
We’ve been raised to listen to our minds at the expense of our gut instinct (and our hearts). I’ve learnt this the hard way over the years because I’ve allowed the thoughts and words of others to influence my decision-making instead of trusting my gut instinct. Now that I’m older, I know better.
5. Stay foolish through experiment and play
Our job in our 20s and 30s is to continue playing and experimenting with life experiences, relationships and our careers.
Our brains are still a beautiful, malleable, absorbent little sponge. We’re creative and have the ability to absorb and retain enormous amounts of information. We also have the wonderful ability to spring back from whatever life throws at us (including the odd hangover).
If something sparks your curiosity, follow it! If you want to learn how to knit or how to code, just go and learn it.
6. Stay hungry by investing in yourself
I have a life motto: “I am my number 1 asset and I invest accordingly.”
In our 20s we should be investing in ourselves. In this day and age, there is no excuse to not continue investing in your own mind. Technology has given us the opportunity to find the tools that will help us create a career (and life) that we love. Many of those tools are also free.
There are also great education options out there like BSchool that allow you to study and learn outside of the confines of a classroom.
In the past 12 months, I have invested in business coaching, a diploma, a design thinking course and I’m currently undertaking accredited coaching training. This doesn’t include all of the books, podcasts and resources I’ve devoured over the course of the year.
7. Be selfish with your time and your energy
Our 20s and 30s can be unsettling. Many of us are in the early stages of our careers and may have started to feel disillusioned by it all.
Society, our families and our boss may be telling us that we need to miraculously have our life sorted out by 25 or that we need to “settle down”.
The problem is that the “grown ups” do not have the patience to allow us to grow into the person we are truly meant to be.
Instead, we should be selfish in the pursuit of becoming our most brilliant, authentic self. We need to ignore the noise and do this before life, mortgages and kids get in the way.
As Nelson Mandela said, “there is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”.
8. Find your tribe
Find a place or people that will teach you and allow you to grow as a person. Surround yourself with people that want to see you succeed and bloom.
This means that you should be willing to let go of the people that do not have your best interests at heart.
On the business front, I recommend that you:
- begin networking as soon as you enter the workforce. It takes years to build strong and powerful relationships so you may as well start straight away.
- cultivate a professional personal brand from the outset that reflects the authentic, successful and wonderful person that you are.
9. Work hard and hustle
The old adage “you reap what you sow” still applies to your 20s. Work hard, be ambitious, constantly challenge your own boundaries and learn something new every single day of your life.
You need to be proactive about building your future, as opposed to reactive. Don’t wait until you’re made redundant or hate your job before you begin considering your options. You will never regret taking the time to upskill while you still have the time, the energy and the resources.
10. Enjoy the ride and don’t forget to ask for directions if you need them
Figuring out who you are is surprisingly hard. Don’t be shy about asking for help and seeking guidance when you need it.
Lastly, don’t take things too seriously. Enjoy the present moment, present your authentic self to the world at all times, embrace every experience as part of your journey and throw yourself wholeheartedly into living an incredible life.
This article was originally published on the BSchool Blog.
P.S. Whenever you’re ready …. here are 4 ways I can help you create a life you LOVE:
- Grab a copy of my FREE Ultimate Decision Making Framework. My clients and I are obsessed with with this Framework.
I use The Ultimate Decision Making Framework to ensure my decisions are in alignment with my overall Purpose. I know you will love it as much as I do! – Click Here
- Join the Purpose and Profit community and connect with visionary’s and business owners who are also driven to create a life they love
It’s my Facebook Group where driven individuals learn how to create a Purposeful and Profitable life. – Click Here
- Take my Purpose eCourse
I have developed a series of Foundational eCourses that will give you the skills, knowledge and life tools that you need to begin designing a life, relationship, career or business that you are in love with. If you want to live your own definition of success, start here with proven tools, strategies and formulas.
Ready to begin your next chapter? If so, I’d love you to join me…– Click here
- Work with me and my team privately
If you’d like to work with me 1:1 to unlock me to unlock your Purpose… just send me a message with the word “Purpose”… tell me a little about yourself and what you would like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details! – Click here