April has been my favourite month of the year for the longest time. It is my birthday month after all!
This year is no different, I have an extra bounce in my step and I’m just happier. Today, on Blog Post Day, I turn 34! I still feel 26 in my head but a lot has changed since I was 26. Heck, that was 8 years ago!
I wonder what I would have done differently in life, if I had my mindset now at a younger age. Perhaps, when I was just about to start work at the age of 21.
Have a Sound Financial Plan
You’ll be truly shocked that Lil Ms.K was so poorly equipped at the age of 21, financially. While money isn’t everything, money is crucial for your basic necessities and having a mind that understands money will set you up for a life that you are free to do as you wish, be it work or pursue your passion (they can be one and the same, or mutually exclusive).
It doesn’t even have to be anything too complex. Of course, the FI Mindset 1 or FI Mindset 2 would be great or How to Reach FIRE 101 would be fabulous to grasp at the age 21, but I’m thinking more : It’s like this Lil Ms.K:
- Passive Income is the Financial Gold Standard. The higher is it, the better off you are.
- Look for risk-free or minimal risk avenues to generate Passive Income.
- Have as high a savings rate as you can possibly have while living a deliberate life
- Funnel savings into #2.
Make Every Effort to Live and Work Overseas
I had this opportunity when I was younger, twice in fact. The first time, I didn’t pursue it because I didn’t want to leave my parents and fly off to London. The second, I didn’t want to leave my boyfriend (now darling husband) and fly off to the Caribbean.
What.A.Mistake.
No decision is final. I couldn’t look further than the ‘flying off’ at that point. I could have always have returned after 1 or 2 years at that point in time and still be close to my family, as I had wanted. The opportunity and the experience however, would have been priceless.
In fact at this point in time, when the stakes are higher as we have 2 young children, I would jump at the opportunity. We would make it work! The experience of living in a different country can only serve a person well. No downside. Even if financially it would result in a minor setback, it’s still an experience that would benefit a person far more than status quo would. I’m reminded of this post by ThriftyGal.
Be a sponge, absorb everything you can from every situation
Even in the worst situation, there’s a learning or two. In meetings that I see no point being there for the presenter is way below par, there’s a learning if you look for it. The learning is to learn what not to do from the presenter.
My first job was in the glamorous (not!) world of audit. I had access to various companies in different industries and access to all kinds of records as well as to their staff who HAD to talk to me. If only I was thinking about learning at that point in time versus merely wanting to do my task. I had a mountain of knowledge I could have walked away with if I had recognized the opportunity and was receptive. This is my single biggest regret of my adult life actually.
Think Big Picture – Stick your head above the trees to see the forest
I often have to ask myself these days, what’s the bigger impact of everything I’m considering – be it a quick holiday or a career decision. This is a fairly new skill-set that has developed and that I’m forcefully making into a habit. When I was younger, especially during my initial jobs, I always had my blinkers on. I could see straight ahead of me and not much further. Get the task done, not much though process around it.
Stick your head above the trees to see the forest. That is what I would like to tell Lil Ms.K at the age of 21. Always take the time and effort think big picture. If need be, talk to others about the big picture to help get your thinking expanded. Ask better questions and questions from different angles. Expand your mind. Here’s some questions I have found useful:
- What is the purpose of doing this activity?
- What is the objective?
- What are different ways to achieve the same outcome?
- Who does this impact?
- What can be done better?
- Who can I get insight or help from?
- What are the dependencies?
- What if there were no barriers?
Be Kind, Be Calm, Be Firm
Kindness is such a delightful quality. How often have people been kind to you, unexpectedly? How often have you heard a story of someone on holiday and experiencing the warmth and kindness of people in that country? It becomes the memory and interaction that truly stands out, does it not?
I admit, I have had moments that I wish I have handled better. My temper got the better of me and I lost myself. I was rude, unkind and emotionally just wild with rage. Other times, I’ve let situations and other people’s unkindness affect me and emotionally, I was no longer calm. When you don’t know how to react, react with kindness.
I wish I could tell the younger Ms.K to always keep her head. Always be kind, life has plenty of challenges to many different people so be a person that is kind in all situations. Be calm for the moment will pass. Take a walk, sleep on it – these are all wise sayings from people who have been there before us and have lived to tell the tale.
Lastly, be firm. Life is filled with people with opinions, for themselves and others as well, be it solicited or unsolicited. People who want to tell you what you should do. Take the message under consideration, but under no circumstances need you be forced in to it. There is so much power in the following simple statements when it is said calmly:
“Thanks for chiming in, I’ll decide when I decide”
“ Thanks for your thoughts, it is my decision ultimately so I will decide. Thanks for the alternate view ”
It’s my life ultimately and I have to live with my choices and my actions. I wish I knew that all I needed to do was just smile and say “thanks, but no thanks”.
How about you? What would you have liked to tell your younger self at the point you were starting work?
