by 
I started my career in 2004. Things have changed since, people have come and go, and the workforce landscape has evolved. Despite all that, the fundamentals have remained the same. It’s for this reason that I would like to share a few insights I wish I’d known sooner. Not out of regret, but to help anyone who might need overarching guiding principles in navigating this often confusing, intimidating, but also rewarding aspect of our life – our professional journey.
1. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Rushing is an unnecessary source of stress and frustration.
Not only that you need stamina for building a long-term career, but you also need quality professional journey. Climbing the corporate ladder is exciting, builds up momentum, and is usually a great indicator that you’re doing an awesome job. Fast-tracking is not bad at all too, but if it means cutting corners, skipping critical learning stages, and then getting burnt out after a couple of years, then it’s not worth it. Rushing is an unnecessary source of stress and frustration. You are alright, and you’ve got a long way to go so pace yourself. Set realistic goals and timelines, and be considerate of your time, energy, and other personal facets of life.
2. Decisions should be anchored on your constants.
It’s easy to get lost in this maze that offers so many different routes, networks, and possibilities. But the only things that will help you make wiser decisions are your constants. Your constants are your purpose, your true definition of success, and your non-negotiables. Set them right from the start and commit to them. They are your compass. Then be conscientious, authentic, and purposeful in choosing your steps. You certainly don’t want to be dealing with permanent consequences from decisions based on temporary circumstances like people, emotions, or transient situations.
3. You only compete with yourself.
There’s always going to be someone behind you and ahead of you. But you will only notice that if you think that your success is relative to others’ success. And if this is your mentality, then who are you sans the people you compete with? Don’t fall for distractions and noise. Build yourself, invest in your development, and only strive for success relative to your past wins. You are your own quest.
4. It’s not always about you.
That feedback is not to shame you. People disagreeing doesn’t mean your idea sucks. Conflicts may be professional differences and not personal attacks. The moment you realize that the world does not revolve around you is when you become truly engaged in delivering for the shared goals and objectives of your teams and organization. It takes a lot of maturity to take yourself out of the equation and focus on the purpose you serve and why your role exists in the first place.
5. Burning bridges is rarely good.
“…everyone is a work in progress”
There might be select situations that warrant this but generally speaking, burning bridges is rarely positive. And it isn’t about not limiting future opportunities or avoiding possible dreadful interactions. It’s more because everyone is a work in progress. With enough time, almost all your past differences would be reduced to something trivial or even forgetful. People grow, emotions settle, and at the end of the day, everyone’s just doing their job. So be reasonable and give people chances, be amicable, and always take that high road. Or at least try to co-exist.
6. Things pass.
That embarrassing boo-boo, your disappointment from a missed promotion, or your heartbreak because a friend quit, will all pass. Nothing is permanent. Eventually, time will reveal why things transpired the way they did. And you will realize that a lot of these will happen more frequently moving forward. So if things are in a bad shape right now, don’t think it’s the end of the road. Actually, make as many mistakes as you can early in your career, and then rise above them. And if things are looking up, be grateful, kind, and continue working on yourself.
7. Starting over is liberating.
Uncertainty is always scary. However, breaking free from predictable perpetual agony is liberating. And the sooner you get accustomed to choosing the latter, the sooner you get attuned to what you truly deserve. Like what they always say, “we’re usually just one decision away from completely changing our lives for the better”. So be brave and take calculated risks.
8. People will remember how you made them feel.
It could be just a regular day for you, having inconsequential interactions with people, but these routine parts of your day could be leaving bits and pieces of emotions to other people. It’s been almost 2 decades now but whenever I scroll down Facebook, I still catch myself attaching certain people to certain emotions. And I still get messages from people I worked with 10 years ago thanking me for my impact on their career when I don’t even remember sharing any special moments with them. Truly, touching people’s lives goes a long way.
I hope these lessons bring you helpful insights. I still have a long way to go until retirement and since I am also a work in progress myself, I sure will have more lessons from this journey in the coming years ahead. What are the lessons above that resonate with you? Or do you have any insights you can share with us? Let us know too if you have any present challenges we might be able to help you with. Thank you for dropping by. Have a positive journey ahead.
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