If I Were 22: Make Sure to Enjoy the Ride

This post is part of a series in which Influencers share lessons from their youth. Read all the stories here.

When I was 22, like many of you, I was extremely ambitious. But I was frustrated that I wasn’t achieving what I wanted fast enough and that I wasn’t given all the responsibility I thought I deserved. I was stressed that I would never get those opportunities, so I responded by working harder than ever. To the detriment of my personal life, I traded fun for career.

Of course, if I’d known how it would all turn out, I would have relaxed and enjoyed myself a whole lot more along the way (such is life, right?). If I were 22 now I’d:

Travel big

I wish I’d traveled for at least a few months after graduation. Those same career opportunities – or even better ones – would have been there when I got back, and I would have seen more of the world in just a few months than I’ve had the time to see since then. Also, travel changes when you have kids. There’ll be plenty of time for the close-to-home trips later. Go big – and exotic – now.

Waste less time

I spent a lot of time in my younger days half-watching junk TV and movies and finishing books out of guilt over leaving them half-read. I wish I hadn’t wasted all that time. Faster than you know it, time will become one of your most limited resources. Don’t wait. Go do all of those things you want to do now – and only watch/read the things you want to talk about with others. Human connection trumps watching TV in a vacuum.

Burn no bridges

It’s never worth it to burn bridges with anyone. It’s a small world, and you never know who will eventually be your business partner or customer. For example, several years back I really wanted to hire this guy Jared Simon for a role at TravelPost. I was really disappointed when he didn’t take the job, but I stayed in touch and maintained a good relationship with him. A few years later, he reached out to me looking for something new, right when I was starting to think about HotelTonight. Needless to say, it worked out pretty well for both of us.

Stress less about finding the “perfect” job

Even if you want a non-standard career, there’s nothing wrong with taking a “conventional” job for the time being, as long as you view it as a learning opportunity/means to an end. Every job I’ve had – even the ones that weren’t a great fit – was important in helping me develop my career and learn more about myself. Taking a job that’s not perfect doesn’t mean you won’t get there eventually.

Enjoy the ride

Early in my career, I found myself unemployed, broke and not sure what to do next, which was stressful to say the least. And even once things started falling into place, there was still that aforementioned frustration that my career wasn’t moving along faster. Looking back, I wish I’d been a lot more patient. Things worked out the way they were supposed to, and I learned a lot (how to manage people; what I want and do not want in a job, company and team) along the way.

If I could do it all over again, I’d have a lot more fun, enjoy the ride and take myself way less seriously.

Thankfully, I learned to be much more balanced in my 30s, and it was a far better decade of my life. I hope you can learn from my mistakes and start making the most of your 20s now!

Photo: Author's Own