Originally published on LinkedIn on September 29, 2015
As we Millennials settle into new jobs and start our careers, it can be quite difficult for us to bring our whole selves—the personality, values and motivations who make us who we are—to work with us everyday. The transition from college-la-la-land to the feared “real world” is a tough one. It’s filled with managers who expect you to meet key results and surpass business goals. The transition is overwhelming and can leave you feeling lost in an unfamiliar corporate world.
A successful transition into real life takes more than just conquering the office environment. Mastering your social life on weeknights and weekends takes just as much perseverance and tenacity. It’s challenging to stay true to yourself while meeting new people, finding that special someone or attempting to impress your boss.
My intention with this post is to provide ideas about attitude and mindset to Millennials who have recently settled into the real world. These thoughts will encourage us to think beyond the robotic tinder-swipe or standard meeting agenda.
I’ve considered the following six ideas while making the transition myself, and I hope you find value in them as well:
- Make your own experiences. Don't feel the need to copy your friends or coworkers’ career goals, vacation plans or Saturday night activities. It's not a contest—meaning you don’t have to beat others at their own game. Be yourself, have a good time and be confident the choices you make are best for you in the moment. If you find yourself making a choice a friend, colleague or mentor has already made, reconsider your motive behind that decision and decide whether or not it aligns with your personality and ambitions. Every choice isn’t for every person.
- Be happy with who you are, but never satisfied. Self improvement for a young professional is the name of the game. It’s easy to get frustrated with missing a deadline, making a small error on a PowerPoint presentation or another wasted Saturday night at the local bar. Realize that life is about improvement, moving forward and getting a little better each day. Embrace your failures and see them as opportunities for you to get it right the next time. Likewise, if you find yourself content about your current life situation, find your hunger. Find ways you can improve your skills, tackle a new challenge or do something new.
- Always enjoy the moment. If you are always worrying about enjoying life after a certain event or when you get X promotion, you will never enjoy what’s going on right now. Forget that mentality. Enjoy right now. Be happy with the people you’ve chosen to surround yourself with and forget worrying about the next thing on your plate. Frequently take moments to stop and admire the world around you. No actually, stop. If you’re reading this on your phone, stop and look up towards the sky or outside. Most of the day is typically spent hunched over a computer or glued to your phone, so taking a moment to admire the beauty around you is an important mental health activity. In the time I’ve spent traveling, I noticed that you miss what’s around you if you rush through life. It could be the difference between seeing a beautiful sunset or observing an intricately designed ceiling. So, stop rushing through things. Enjoy the present moment and let the future come as it pleases.
- No matter what your intent may be, others may interpret your words or actions a thousand different ways. So while you may intend for your actions to be perceived as humorous or of good nature, other people could very well be turned off by them. Be mindful of how the things you say or do can impact someone else. It’s essential to realize that intent and impact are separate entities. One of the leaders of the Business Leadership Program - Global Sales, Gary Weber, articulates this idea another way: “perception is reality.” What people say about you when you’re not there is what sticks. Be cognizant of how other people can view and skew your actions, and be open to feedback that can improve upon how you build and manage your relationships. After all, it's difficult to watch yourself in action, and feedback from others is the best way to maximize your potential.
- Always understand why you are working hard for something. Everything and anything worth worrying about should be of real consequence in your life. The world is filled with too much opportunity to stress over things that aren't meaningful, so be sure to work on projects that matter and spend time with people who make you better. Time is our most valuable resource, make sure to make good use of it.
- What’s important to you is important to you, and you alone. This doesn't mean things that matter to you are not important to other people. It also doesn’t mean that other people should understand how important certain things are to you. People have their own priorities and passions—things that make them light up with excitement with the sheer mention of it. Being compassionate and keeping an open mind will allow you to grow as a person. Don’t forget your humility. When having a conversation, other people like to talk too.
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