Around 4 weeks ago I posted on LinkedIn asking, ‘If you were to go back to the start and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?’
The responses were insane. If we had some of this advice when we were wee nippers starting out, we’d be millionaires by now. ?
I was literally reading every comment like, ‘OMG that’s such a great piece of advice’.
Hence, this blog. Thanks to all 38 people that shared their amazing advice.
Define your own success and don’t compare yourself with others. Why be envious of someone in the corner office if that’s not what you aspire to, or the glamourous movie star if you couldn’t stand the constant attention?!
Equally, don’t judge others on their definitions of success! Strive for what you want: not what you think you should want.
You do not know what you do not know, embrace uncertainty and stay forever curious.
Don’t be afraid to say no. Not every opportunity that comes your way is right for you. If you are mindful about what you say yes to, you leave space for the right things.
Learn it yourself before delegating it.
If the job you want doesn’t exist, create it.
Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, if ideas get knocked down keep thinking and be original.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions, you’ll only be ignorant for a moment. If you don’t ask you may be ignorant forever.
Remember success is a journey not a destination. Success is made in small steps, not quantum leaps.
Work harder.
1 – Agree everything in writing 2 – Stop dithering and just do it!
Don’t forget that you’re supposed to have some fun too.
Stop waiting for the right time, trust yourself and go for it.
Don’t spend money making things that people don’t want or need. Sounds simple enough but can be easy to get carried away with your own ideas when working on your own.
Don’t compare yourself to your competitors! We all have slightly different businesses and all have different expertise.
Don’t worry about feeling out of your depth. A challenge will bring the best out of you. Self-belief is key to success.
Don’t try to be anything but yourself, because each piece has its place in the bigger picture.
Don’t worry about what other people are doing focus on your own stuff and success will come. 😉
Don’t worry about what other people think of you and what you are doing. Be you, do it your way and trust yourself, then go and put yourself out there. 🙂
I could sum up my advice in 1 word: “Hustle” No one is going to build your business for you. Put yourself in situations to meet people. Follow up, ask how to help & how you can help. Leverage the technology like Twitter & LinkedIn to build your presence, pitch & professionalism & remember it doesn’t happen overnight.
Don’t be impulsive. Do not get carried away by all the motivational stories on YouTube and do not quit the job at that MNC. I would have warned my younger self.
Money doesn’t buy happiness. Doing fulfilling work you’re passionate about does (and money usually follows).
You’ll like marketing more than you think. ?
Don’t worry so much about everything, it will all turn out ok in the end….
Do a degree with a placement year, keep the year relevant to what you want to do in the future.
My advice would be not to stress about the future! Life has a funny way of working out. If it’s meant to be then it’ll happen so just relax and enjoy the ride.
Only listen to negativity when it starts to motivate you.
Sort your email list out for God’s sake.
The day you think you know it all is the day you’ve closed your mind, everyone you meet can teach you something if you’re listening!
Learn to dance in the rain.
If someone tells you it can’t be done, challenge it using whatever information you can get your hands on. Only you can decide if something is achievable or not and if it is, is its value worth the effort?
Don’t be afraid to start over. It’s a chance to build something better this time.
Learn to listen with the intent to understand and not reply; don’t assume; don’t defend or justify; don’t make judgments or jump to conclusions. And don’t have unrealistic expectations of others or make unfair demands. Learn to rely more on your own resources and be less needy.
Focus less on pleasing others and focus more on communicating your thoughts and needs and getting them met.
Pick one thing at a time and make it better, no need for perfection.
You can learn something from everybody.
Being in business can often feel like the loneliest place on the planet, but it doesn’t have to be. Find a communiTEA of business owners to engage with regularly who will support you, guide you, inspire you and moTEAvate you.
Always appreciate your own value and never let anyone else undermine that.
Things are going to go wrong! Making mistakes and failing is part of the process. Chalk it up to experience and keep moving forward.
If you were to go back to the start and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?
2 Comments
My advice to my younger self would be:
‘Start selling at an early age, convert every deal in your favor-professional or personal.
Think as your user, ALWAYS.
Set targets for yourself, smash them. And most importantly don’t think you are right all the time, you will never learn.’
Thanks for sharing this Martin 😀