Build identity capital

When you go through an interview or meet someone, is there something about you or you have done that people will remember? I recently read something that suggested younger adults do at least three fascinating things in their 20s that job interviewers or dinner companions will want to ask about for the rest of their lives. I know, what does that mean? Think about it and it makes sense though. Having a positive story (or three) that people are interested in and remember will help you build your network and be memorable because people will talk or hear about you and your fascinating stories.

I thought about this in relation to myself and others I know. I believe everyone has an interesting backstory if you ask the right questions. At the same time you have to understand that what may be interesting to you may not be interesting to someone else. Though there are many things that are easy to remember and spawn lots of questions.

For instance, I know a woman who saved money in her 20s and traveled the world for a year. She used to send update emails every week or so and it was like reading an amazing travelogue from my office. It seemed to adventurous compared to going to work every day. She has amazing stories. I know someone else who has summited Mount Everest and climbed other dangerous mountains such as K2 around the world. He has amazing stories. And another person I know followed the Grateful Dead selling sandwiches to survive. All of them have amazing stories to share.

Not everything has to be so big or crazy like those examples. Maybe you have some amazing story about playing in a band with someone who went on the conquer the music world, or you worked at an interesting startup (whether or not it became a household name). Maybe you played collegiate sports or had a strange and interesting job in high school or after. Travel may be easier such as trying to get to all 50 states or learning about wine in Southern France or how to cook in Italy. The ideas are endless, but you get the idea.

By the way, those of us older than our 20s can do things now people will ask us about for the rest of our lives too. The adventure level depends on you, but all of us should test our limits within reason and do fascinating and amazing this.

If you did fascinating things in your 20s (or after) shoot me an email or message and tell me about it. I want to know because I am sure I will want to ask you about it when we meet, the next time we see each other, or when we speak.