10x Career Lessons I Would Give Myself 10 years ago

Hindsight is a beautiful thing.

Growing up, I always struggled with uncertainty in my career:

• What should I do?
• What are the right choices?
• How do I achieve what I want?

Ten years into my career, I can already reflect on the choices and behaviors that drove my career forward, and those that held me back.

Today, I meet so many young professionals struggling with the same questions. Struggling to know what to do and how to do it.

Everyone has to go on their own journey.

But today, I wanted to share the top 10x lessons I would give myself 10x years ago.

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1?? Develop a bias to action

The only thing that will count in ten years is what you have done.

All your opportunities, experience, learning will be a product of taking action.

Everything starts with taking action. There is no replacement for it.

If you put two people in exactly the same position now, the only thing that would separate them in ten years is what they have done.

So, develop a bias to action.

2?? Embrace the freedom to experiment

You will never be more free to try and fail.

Free to say yes.

That is the freedom of your twenties that everyone wishes for again:

To experiment, fail, and start again.

However, saying yes doesn't always come naturally - we doubt ourselves, we get self-conscious, we fear failing.

So, practice saying yes.

• Go for the role you really want
• Try a side hustle
• Take that course
• Go somewhere new

Embrace the freedom to experiment.

3?? Take the time to learn yourself

There are countless things you won't know in life.

The one thing you will want to know, is yourself.

Your strengths, weaknesses, energy sources, values...

There are a number of ways of doing this - self-reflection, journaling, coaching, personality courses.

As you grow, invest time and money in understanding and learning yourself.

Knowing yourself will make the journey easier.

4?? Fuel your self belief

Self belief is your greatest weapon.

Why?

Self belief is the only real answer to self doubt and limiting beliefs*.

Self-doubt and limiting beliefs restrict your potential. Self belief makes it limitless.

So, constantly and relentlessly fuel your self belief:

• Build yourself up
• Be positive
• Leave environments that destroy it
• Let go of people who take it away

5?? Make plans but build habits

Making a plan helps us make sense of the future.

A plan charts a path from where we are to where we want to be. That's important.

But plans have fundamental flaws:

• Plans don't guarantee action.
• Plans can be easily abandoned.
• Plans don't account for change.

Habits are much more active and resistant.

They take you from where you are to where you want to be.

--> Habits enable action

--> Habits are repeatable

--> Habits resist change

You want to chart the course and walk the path.

Make plans, but build habits.

6?? Network like your career depends on it

Like everything in life, your career has a human-factor.

Other people will play a huge role in your success.

Your network is an unlimited source of learning, opportunity, advocacy, and emotional support.

And it has a multiplier effect.

The more you invest, the more you get out.

Make your network a priority and invest in it continuously.

7?? Choose to invest in yourself

We spend money on ourselves all the time.

Clothes, food, entertainment, travel, relationships, products...

Of all the money we spend in our day-to-day lives, we rarely spend any on advancing our careers.

An extremely small number of people invest in themselves through education, training, courses, advice, coaching, tools...

How you spend your money is a choice.

Choose to invest in yourself.

8?? Find the game that fits and bet big on yourself.

The amount of choice early in your career can be overwhelming.

You could effectively try a career in several industries and companies, working on all different kinds of products.

Your goal is to find the game that fits you best.

As in lesson 2, try and experiment early and fast to find the industry, company size, and business that plays to your strengths.

When you find something that fits, double-down.

Bet big on yourself.

9?? Aim at consistency week-in-week-out

I regularly found myself in cycles of boom and bust in my twenties.

Periods of high intensity grind, followed by inevitable periods of low energy, doubt, and soul-searching.

Try to avoid cycles of hustle and burnout. The ups and downs don't pay back.

Instead, aim to achieve consistency week in week out.

What has helped me most is protecting the basics:

• Having a reliable sleep routine
• Regular exercise that isn't about 'improving all the time'
• Eating well
• Balancing fun and rest

?? Listen to your own voice

When it comes to your career, people will always have an opinion.

They will use the words 'you should' a lot.

Much of this advice is well-intentioned and comes from people who care about you. Some of it will be really good advice.

Always listen and keep an open mind.

However, remember that its your career and your journey.

In the end, the only thing that matters is what you want to do.

What you choose to do.

So, listen to other people's advice, but listen most of all to your own voice.

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That’s it – just 4 minutes!

I hope you found this content useful.

If you want to take action there are two ways I can help:

?? To maximise your early career, schedule a free coaching call

--> https://calendly.com/arc-coaching

?? Follow me for more content like this.

Alec ??

I'm in your corner

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*My favorite quote is:

"Its not who you are that holds you back. Its who you think you are not."