Most of us remember when our parents reached their mid-life crisis. It was the time of career changes, sports car purchases, Rogaine, maybe all the above. For Generation-Y, our crisis came a bit sooner in the form anxiety, doubt and uncertainty about our futures. For many of us college was a time where we lived day by day, shot by shot, without a clear understanding of what our future held. So once we finally received that rolled up piece of paper from some dude in a gown, we were dazed and confused.
Finding a direction to move towards during your mid-twenties may be quite overwhelming, not only because a lack of direction, but also a space to blaze our very own path. We are a generation in search of meaning and excitement; a group that would rather backpack across a third-world country without a shower for weeks, instead of sitting idle in a cube with a fresh pressed dress shirt. The rapidly evolving web is filled with an abundance of opportunity and the flattening of the globe, enables our uniqueness. However, with this uniqueness comes great responsibility. The responsibility to live the lives we deserve to live. So how do we take advantage of the right opportunities and filter out the noise? Here are five practical yet powerful ways to navigate through the blazing of your very own path:
1. Find something that gets you PUMPED and DO IT after your 9 to 5
For some, the grind is temporary and for most, the grind is forever. Too many college grads go the young corporate professional route in pursuit of prestige and money, but leave their passion at the bar on Saturday nights. You have to ask yourself, how sustainable is working a 9 to 5 that you don’t truly care about for 45 years of your life? Nowadays it is nearly impossible. Therefore, pursing what excites you is the most important thing you can do for your future. Excitement invigorates the mind and soul allowing us more creativity and ultimately the capacity to attract our classification of success. You don’t necessarily have to jump full force on every trend. Instead, find an area of interest, learn about that area and engulf yourself in it after work. Realize, that no matter how much money you make, you can still do the things you love every single day. No matter what. It can all be done even while balancing a 9 to 5 job. If you absolutely love to play golf, hit a few dozen at the beginning of your day. Wake up an hour earlier if you have to. Pay close attention to how you feel that day.
2. Surround yourself with the right people
You are who you hang out with. So make sure you hang out with people you admire, trust and who will challenge you to be a better person. When it comes to choosing your post-college friends, make sure they are people who will support your goals and help you push forward during the tough times. On the other side of the coin, we all have had the “friends” that belittle your accomplishments and show disregard for your dreams. They may have good intentions, but there is absolutely no point in having them around. Getting away from those people is just as important as building the right support team. Head out to some local networking events or some mixers. You can find a ton in your social networks, especially Facebook. This is the group you mastermind with, ask for advice, brainstorm with and who knows…maybe later go into business with.
3. Fail forward
In school they tell you that failing results in a big “F” on report card and a seat in the corner of the room. In the world of business and entrepreneurship failure is one of your most valuable assets. Believe me, I would have not progressed to where I am today without my many failures along the way. The problem is, that the fear of failure is one of the most crippling and it is the governing body behind many of our actions. When faced with the possibilities of failure ask yourself one thing, “what is the worst that can happen?” When it came to my first project, BlackTop Hoops, the worst did happen. I assembled a partnership that would later fail resulting in postponement of the project. The worst that did happen was that I had to pull my launch date back and reevaluate the business. Embrace your failures. Many usually can be avoided, yet they are going to happen due to lack of experience. Celebrate the fact that they are moving you closer to where you want to be.
4. Money is great, but making a difference is so much sweeter
To an extent, money does indeed make the world go round. If money is not important, why are so many people trading half of their good time on this earth for money in the means of a job? That sounds like it’s pretty important. Cool people care. Generation-Y is a group of world changers ready to take on some of the world’s toughest problems head on. Deep inside all of us want to live a life of purpose, so what better way to live life then to make positive impact on the world. Has your assistance ever been required to help someone out when you were feeling down? You served that person and the gratitude they showed back instantly made you happier. You can transform your life by focusing less on yourself and more on other people. Therefore, understanding that money just allows you to make a bigger difference, which is a means to a better world.
5. Be transparent and make some noise
You will never know what types of opportunities are out there for you if you don’t get your name out there. We live in a world of openness and transparency where in just a few seconds you can find all the vital information you need on a single person. You might as well embrace the open nature of our culture and mold your very own personal brand. Start by signing up on Twitter, LinkedIn and Brazen Careerist to showcase who you are. Through those platforms I have met some of my idols, found clients and it has allowed my content to reach thousands of people. Start having conversations with interesting people about topics that fascinate you. Share some provocative content that will attract attention and ignite discussions. It’s not rocket science, just be yourself and let the serendipity of the new social media world move you closer to where you want to be.
What experiences have you had in navigating a quarter-life crisis?
