3 Things I'd Tell My Younger Self

It’s one of those perennial questions wise people get asked:  “What advice would you give your younger self?”

Personally, there are many things.

You will get a boyfriend one day…

Just because everyone’s wearing a drop waist, puff-sleeve sailor dress, it doesn’t mean it will suit you…

Lying out in the sun until your skin turns deep pink is not the best way to get a tan…

Can you tell I was a teenager in the 80s?

Seriously though, when I think about what advice I’d give myself if I were starting out in the world of work, there are three things.  And they still hold true today.

The first is: build relationships before you need them.

When I was younger, I realised success obviously was about working hard and doing a good job. And of course that matters. But opportunities often came through people. Through trust. Even now, most opportunities come through people.  /Sometimes through conversations you've had years earlier.

So I would say, build an eco-system of relationships, strong, wide, varied and nurture and nourish it over the years.  Don’t be shy to pick up the phone or email even if it’s been years.  Keep those relationships going.

The second is: don't wait for permission.

I spent far too much time in self-doubt, comparing myself negatively to others and finding myself wanting.  Waiting for the validation that I was ready and right. That I had something important to say, that I had a solution. Not speaking up in case I was wrong.  Waiting for someone to give me permission.

Most of the time, nobody does.  They are too busy worrying about themselves to think of you.

You have to decide you're ready enough and take the next step anyway.  Or speak up even if you don’t know you are 100% right

And the third is: reinvent yourself regularly.

The world changes. Industries change. We change.

The people who thrive aren't necessarily the smartest or the most talented. They're the ones willing to learn, adapt and evolve.

The ones who aren’t afraid to make a mistake or try stuff out.  I always think failure is development in disguise.  

I've reinvented myself twice during my career, and each reinvention opened doors I couldn't have imagined when I was first starting out.

So those are my three:

Build relationships before you need them.

Don't wait for permission.

And reinvent yourself regularly.

I'd love to know: what advice would you give your younger self?  Teenage and starting out in work selves?  And if you were one of the few 14 year olds who looked good in a Laura Ashley drop-waist, puff-sleeve navy Sailor dress, I’d love to swop photos.

Take care

Tracy