As many of the attendees of my 2018 TedX FMS Delhi talk were young and just launching into their careers, I completed my presentation with some advice I had accrued over my life.
Don’t Procrastinate
Life moves fast and if you want to get the most out of it, you need to move fast as well. You should definitely make time for yourself so you can relax, but don’t put off anything you want to accomplish. Whether it’s starting a course and acquiring those new skills you’ve been wanting to learn, launching a blog you’ve been wanting to create or starting that dream business, don’t put it off until tomorrow. Do it now!
Savings and Investments
Having some money in the bank can be a lifesaver if you need to fix or replace something, but it’s also key to being able to follow your dreams. You don’t need to live like a pauper and put all of your pay-packet into a savings account, but putting some money aside whenever you get paid can add up to a decent sum very quickly, especially if you keep it in a fixed term deposit. Think of money as your little soldiers hard at work 24/7. It will constantly multiply even while you are sleeping.
Be Kind – Pay it Forward
I lost my parents at a young age and I learnt one of the most important lessons of life. You come to this world with nothing and you will leave this world with nothing. The most important thing you will leave behind are the impressions you left on people and their memories of your time together. Be kind. Pay it forward. Be good to people and try and leave the world a better place for having you in it. There is more than enough negativity in the world without you adding to it.
Do what you love
Follow your passion. Don’t get a job just for the money, find a job you are actually passionate about. While the old adage, “if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life” isn’t strictly true – you’ll still be working, no matter how much you enjoy the work – getting pleasure from your job is still far preferable to hating everything you do for eight hours a day, even if the pay packet is good.
Never Stop Learning!
Constantly challenge and reinvent yourself. Have you learned anything new or updated your skillset in the last few years? Keeping up to date with new techniques in your line of business is always important, but even outside of work, keeping your brain and body active with new skills and knowledge is both rewarding and revitalising. Over the last decade I’ve learned to play tennis and squash, have taken up karate and started learning an instrument. Take classes, find tutorials, get training. It’s all worthwhile and enjoyable.
If you’re interested in reading more you can also find a full writeup of the Digital Marketing TedX Delhi talk.