Don’t get me wrong. I’m not the kind of guy that does that a lot.
Long ago, a friend told me, “Never look back. You can go crazy wondering
what could have been.” I’ve never forgotten his advice and, sure
enough, I rarely look back.
But here’s the thing: There’s a good reason why I don’t have
to. For whatever reason, I’ve always followed the path that seemed
right to me. I took risks when I needed to. And I didn’t let fear get in
my way. Sure, I’ve spent a good part of my life terrified, but I highly
recommend it.
That said, there have been moments when I regretted what I’d done or,
more frequently, what I didn’t do. To help you minimize those bitter
moments, here’s some advice for those who are just getting started.
Observe people. You see a crazy number of laundry
lists of attributes and behaviors that successful people are supposed to
have, but if I had to pick one – just one thing that made all the
difference – it’s observing people. Everything in business is about
people. If you get people, you’ll probably kill it out there.
Take the first step in the right direction. No, I’m
not trying to be absurd. Of course you can’t know in advance what the
right direction is. But if an opportunity arises and you don’t take that
first step, if you don’t go for it, if you don’t say, “OK, let’s rock,”
I can absolutely guarantee you’ll never find the right direction. Learn
to say yes ... a lot. If it scares you, all the more reason.
Build relationships. If you’re a people person, then
friendships and relationships come naturally to you. If not, it
wouldn’t hurt for you to get to work on that a bit. No, I’m not saying
you can’t be successful if you’re introverted. Of course you can. All I
know is, life is like a tree that branches like crazy, and each branch
usually involves a person.
Find a way to do what you find exciting. The
hands-down best piece of advice I ever got was when someone told me that
digital technology was going to become huge. That was in 1977. I don’t
know why, but it sounded exciting. And following that path was the
hands-down smartest thing I ever did. If it sounds exciting to you,
that’s your heart telling you something. Listen. And find a way to do
it.
Be geographically mobile. Most of the people I knew
growing up that never left, never went anywhere in life. If that was
their choice, fine. But I bet many would do it differently if they could
do it over. Steve Jobs grew up in Silicon Valley. That was the luck of
the draw. Most of us aren’t that lucky. Don’t let geographic boundaries
stand in the way of your future.
Try to save money for after college. I
speak with a lot of college grads that took out loans, had all sorts of
side jobs, and when they finally graduated, ran out of steam … meaning
money. If you’re a hot software developer, companies may fly you around
and roll out the red carpet. But the rest of you have to pay your own
way to interview, relocate, get an advanced degree, or maybe even start
your own company.
If it isn’t working, try something different. It’s
not always easy to know that what you’re doing isn’t working, but let’s
put it this way. If you’re miserable and you would rather be anywhere
doing anything but where you are doing what you’re doing, it’s safe to
say it’s time for a change. Don’t wait. If you’re not sure, trust your
gut.
Regret is the most tragic thing in life. The best way to avoid it is to know yourself, face your fear and follow your heart.
Credit: Steve Tobak.
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