Realize Things Are Never as Good (or as Bad) as You Think They Are

In this series, professionals share what they'd do differently — and keep the same. Follow the stories here and write your own (please use #IfIWere22 in your post).

Thirty years ago I was 22, and it was 1985. "Back to the Future" had just been released, there were really no cell phones or Internet, CDs were new technology, and Pluto was still considered a planet.  Amazing how much the world has changed in such a short amount of time.

If you are 22 years old today, you have an amazing opportunity ahead of you because the world will change 10x more in the next 30 years. There are a few key things to consider as you look to take on the world, and make an impact.

Build a solid base of skills. Yes, this is the part where you hear that you need to develop some baseline skills in order to pay the bills, and live your life. This is a combination of school and work life. Add in some good understanding of managing money. Nobody starts out knowing how to work on a team, or manage people, or manage their finances — but all are important skills to try to grow as early as possible. They will benefit you the rest of your life as building blocks for your future. This does not mean you need to get an MBA, it simply means you need baseline skills to build upon. The world is going to change fast, and you need to be ready.  Every good structure has a solid base.

Find work you love and the rest will follow. Half the jobs today will not exist by 2030. So at 22 you need to have a different approach your parents or grandparents did. The answer? Find something interesting to you — something you can be passionate about. There will always be a ‘best person’ at any job, because they have a combination of the skills to do it, and the passion that makes it natural for them (like they aren’t even “working”, just having fun). It’s hard to compete with people with that combination if you don’t have it. So find yours. And the best way to find this is not to sit around and think about it; it’s to take action.  Start with something that sounds interesting and try it out. Repeat until lights come on. I’ve done this many times – programming, sales, electrical engineering, marketing, management, etc. I may never figure out what is perfect for me, but consider myself lucky as I have had an amazing time trying things out and continue to narrow my focus on what I’m good at and what I’m passionate about. The key here is to be flexible and curious.

Stay grounded in reality. Realize things are never as good or as bad as you think they are. From time to time, it may feel like the world is ending or you have just solved everything you need for the rest of your life, but time will show you how it really is. I remember in my early days of starting new ventures, I’d see a new competitor and figure that I was cooked. It never was fatal. I also recall the product launch that would immediately get us to breakeven, and everything would be awesome – some did well, but I’ve never seen a magic bullet. The secret is to keep pushing the direction you want to go, and you will get there. Nothing succeeds like persistence fueled by your passion and expertise. 

When I look back at my life since 22, through all this major change, I’ve seen several phases. At first I was simply working. I was learning, making enough to get by and have some fun, but it was work. This evolved however to feeling less and less like work with the more success I had, and was able to steer this into the areas I was really interested in with some great companies. Apple, McCaw Cellular in the early wireless data days, and Wildfire come to mind. I used the rapidly changing world as a great opportunity to join or start new ventures to invent the future as I thought it needed to happen. 

The opportunity to do this today 10x better for the world’s 22-year-olds who can be curious, flexible, and persistent. Build a solid base of skills, find work you love, and stay grounded in reality and there’s nothing you can’t accomplish!