10 Things I Wish I Knew In My 20's

I'm 36 years old. If I could go back in time and talk to my former 20-year-old self here is what I'd tell her:

1. Do What You Love

Actually pursue something that sets your heart on fire. Do something that you love so much you forget about time, food, and the world around you dissolves. Life is too short to spend 40+ years working on someone else's dream.

2. Nobody Really Knows What They Are Doing

You'll think people older than you have it all figured out. They don't. Nobody actually knows what they are doing. Once you realize that it takes the pressure to be perfect and 'know everything' away. Just get out there, get messy, and learn by action.

3. Celebrate Failure

People are more afraid of what they have to lose than what they have to gain. When you're 20 you literally have nothing to lose and everything to gain. So go for it! Once you start accumulating things in life the golden handcuffs settle in over your wrists nice & snug. They keep you thinking small to protect what you have and keep you in a scarcity mindset. Once you get over this irrational fear of failure you can have so much fun failing and learning valuable lessons those failures teach you. If you're not failing, then you're not growing.

4. I'd Rather Be 20 and Poor than 36 and A Millionaire

The only thing you can't buy back in life is time. You can always earn more money. That's easy. What you can't do is go back to being young. So enjoy where you are and the vibrant life you have ahead. You're as happy today in your 20's as when you have 'everything' in your 30's. Stuff doesn't make you happy. You deciding to be happy and content with your situation makes you happy.

5. Ignore Anyone Who Tells You "That Might Not Work"

Only listen to those who tell you to keep going. Why? Because they are the ones who actually kept going themselves. Everyone who tells you to give up has given up on their dreams.

6. Don't Follow the Status Quo. Dare to Be YOU

My background in healthcare taught me to follow orders and rules to a strict T. I honestly didn't know that I could be me and do what I love doing in the world. Show up to the world as authentically you. People are drawn to authenticity--with all its warts and bruises. Trying to be someone else just creates a shell of you that is impressing people you don't even really like.

7. Move Swiftly

The world is changing at lightning speed. To stay relevant you must adapt quickly. Don't put your head in the sand like an ostrich and wait out the changes in technology, communication & social media. Learn what you are drawn to and master technology to help you reach more people in the world.

8. Make Decisions Quickly

The weight of indecision is greater than a lead ball & chain. The mental load of being indecisive and wishy-washy affects every aspect of your life. Learn the skill to make an intelligent decision quickly and learn to stick to that decision. If you wait for the perfect scenario you are giving away all of your power and control over your life. Just commit to something that will get you one step forward toward where you want to be. Don't get all over-analytical and start projecting the consequences. If this decision will get you one step closer to where you want to be: take it! Best case scenario: you get one step ahead. Worst case scenario: you get a different kind of step ahead and learn a lot along the way.

Staying where you just makes you more irrelevant by the day. Be more afraid of doing nothing than making a 'wrong' decision. Because if you believe you're actually in control of your life and future there are no wrong decisions. You can use everything that comes your way to get better & better.

9. Get Your PharmD, but Don't Be A Pharmacist

Yep, I said it. I went into pharmacy because my Dad, who is a CFO at the local hospital signs all the pharmacist's paychecks. He said it was a good, solid, stable career that pays well. Plus, I'd get a doctorate degree to boot. I'm glad for my education and what I learned. To do again, I'd skip the traditional path and be an entrepreneur from day one. I love entrepreneurship but never considered it as a real possibility until my mid-30s. I didn't know I could. I didn't have any role models or examples setting my sights higher. My personality is so much more aligned with entrepreneurship/course creation than traditional pharmacy. It's a miracle I even made it through that doctorate program.

10. Life Gets Better & Better

Truly, life just gets better and better. It is a joy to grow older, get married, have kids, and actually build the life of your dreams. If you eliminate your excuses and get to work creating that future you want in your heart-of-hearts you absolutely can. And the future is even better than you hoped it would be. Enjoy being young, but don't for a second regret growing older. Life truly gets more fulfilling. If you're willing to let every experience work for your greater good you'll be unstoppable. Expect your life to get better & better and it surely will.

Go get 'em girl. You were meant for so much more.

Love,

Future 2022 Jamie