33 Life Lessons: Success Principles, Career Advice & Habits of Successful People

Copyright © 2015 by Clayton Geoffreys

All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any portion thereof may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission. Published in the United States of America.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Part 1: Career Development

1.      Rethinking the Corporate Ladder

2.      Build Your Network with Peers

3.      Sacrifice for Success

4.      Take Advantage of Inexperience

5.      Channel Your Grit

6.      Prove the Hustle is Real

7.      Note What Works for You

8.      Sell Yourself and be Desired

9.      Don’t Rush the Ride

10. Think Big and be Extraordinary

11. Find Your Passion

Part 2: Personal Development

1.      Embrace the Unknown

2.      Take Chances and Try

3.      Travel the World

4.      Be Flexible with Plans

5.      Live in the Now

6.      Nurture Your Friendships

7.      Cultivate Yourself and the Rest Will Follow

8.      Create Loving and Supporting Bonds

9.      Live the Happy Life

10. Be Okay with You

11. The Power to Give

Part 3: Success Principles

1.      Claim Success Now

2.      Hunger Makes Dreams

3.      Money Doesn’t Define

4.      Approach Failure Head On

5.      Open Up Your Ears

6.      Keep Growth in Mind

7.      Failure Makes Success

8.      Follow Your Gut

9.      Achieve the Dream

10. Carve Your Path

11. Recognize You Have Options

Final Word/About the Author

Foreword

Of all the works I’ve written to date, few bring me as much pride as this one. When I first came across LinkedIn’s “If I Were 22” campaign, I was inspired and awestruck by the incredible advice world leaders and shakers had to share with today’s youth. I felt the need to interpret these remarkable quotations for myself. Today, you are about to read my interpretations of thirty-three life lessons I believe are crucial to learn as first spoken by some of the world’s greatest leaders. From Martha Stewart to Richard Branson, I hope this book encapsulates what LinkedIn wanted to the “If I Were 22” campaign to do: inspire and educate. Thank you for downloading 33 Life Lessons: Success Principles, Career Advice & Habits of Successful People. In this book, you will learn crucial life lessons in career development, personal development, and success. Hopefully upon finishing this book you will be inspired to take action in your own life as these thought leaders did in theirs. Hope you enjoy and if you do, please do not forget to leave a review! Also, check out my website at claytongeoffreys.com to join my exclusive list where I let you know about my latest books. To thank you for your purchase, you can also go to my site to download a free book!

Part 1: Career Development

1. Rethinking the Corporate Ladder

“The ladder is always defined by the generation before you. Don’t focus on what the older generation perceives as success or a 'real' job because our world continues to evolve and redefine.”

- Jonathan Bush. CEO and Co-Founder of Athenahealth

With an uncle that was president and a father that owned a successful investment business, driving an ambulance did not seem as prestigious and successful; however, that was where Jonathan Bush felt most alive.

We blindly climb up that corporate ladder, rung after rung until we make it to the top. Sometimes, climbing the ladder blinds us too much that we do not realize that it is not what we actually want and that we are simply just going through the motions.

We all think we need to be on a ladder that was set before us by previous generations for some reason. We think that we need to grit and bear our way up until we make it to the top. Then, and only then, at the top of this ladder do we think we will be happy in our careers. What every young twenty something needs to be doing is getting off the ladder they think they should be on and start climbing on the one they want.

Jonathan Bush had a huge ladder to climb that was set before him by his family’s standards (a ladder that led his uncle to Presidency and his father to be a successful business owner). Jonathan neglected this ladder and started climbing his own ladder. He knew that the corporate ladder he was climbing would lead him to success; however, it lacked the passion and excitement in a career that he yearned for.

Ask yourself, are you climbing up the corporate ladder that was set out by the generation before you? Are you following the paths of the past generations because you think that is what you should be doing? Take a page from Jonathan Bush, get off that corporate ladder, and instead do what brings excitement joy and passion to your workday. Jonathan Bush left his consulting firm and followed a passion of his. Now, he is CEO and Co-Founder of Athenahealth.

Maybe suits and ties are not for you. Maybe that 9-5 life is not either. Perhaps you do not want to sit in an office all day long. These mandatories come along with climbing the corporate ladder.

Instead, do what interests you and you will be wildly successful in that. Whether you are into charity work, fashion, art, or the environment do not worry about the ladder set out for you because you can be successful without it.

If you are doing something you love, and putting in the work while not sweating about making it, ironically you likely will. Ask yourself some key questions to make sure you are on the right ladder: Do I love what I do? Am I only climbing this ladder because that is what past generations did? Will this climb make me happy?

Be who you want to be and do what you want to do, that is where your true success lies!

You have the power to choose what climb you want to make. You have the power to decide which climb will take you where you want to go. If you cannot find a ladder that meets your needs, build your own!

2. Build Your Network with Peers

“Network with your peers not your superiors.”

- Nicholas Thompson. Editor of NewYorker.com

The Beatles were right on the money with their famous lyrics, “I get by with a little help from my friends.” Getting from the bottom to the top is a lot easier when you have created networks and friendships with your peers.

Who says that you have to be rivals or in constant competition with your co-workers? As a young twenty something year old you have an impeccable chance now to build up your connections and your resources. You never know when one of these connections could bring you to bigger and better places!

When entering the workforce it is crucial to network if you hope to move beyond that entry-level position.  Today knowledge and networking in the workplace are in a Mexican standoff. In the professional world, it is not always about what you know but rather whom you know. Nicholas Thompson is a divine example of this.

Nicholas Thompson, editor of the NewYorker.com did not get to where he is now without a little help from his friends. Many young twenty something’s think to get to the top you have to network with the top. Thompson’s theory, however, was to not network with people who were already at the top but instead to network with those that would one day be at the top.  Smart man.

“The connections that have proved most helpful though are the ones I made with people the same age in the same field. It wasn't meeting people who were influential; it was becoming friends, and developing working relationships, with people who would become influential.”

Clearly, this strategy worked its magic, as Nicholas Thompson is now head editor of the globally renowned online site, NewYorker.com. Nicholas blatantly shares that a peer at a previous job and that is how NewYorker.com became his employer. Again all about whom you know.

Connections in the work place build a great strong foundation for your future career. Networking with your current peers will lead to opening doors down the road, teach you things in your current position and make that new job a little less intimidating.

You have the ability to reach out to peers of yours and make the connections that could potentially help you down the road. You have the opportunity right now and here to take the fate of the future in your own hands. Is that not such a powerful feeling knowing that you are being proactive towards your success?

The networks and connections you make in your early twenties are the solid foundation on which you build your future. Each new network is like a brick building that foundation higher and stronger until you reach the top. With each new person, you create a connection and network with you are expanding your opportunities and chances to welcome bigger and better things into your life.

Whatever work environment you are in, traditional or not, take the time and really get to know your peers there. Do you know Joe that you pass in the hall every day? Take a minute and get to because he may just be that brick in your foundation that takes you to the top.

Start small. Take a couple minutes here and a couple minutes there and get to know your peers. Learn about them, befriend them, gain their trust and loyalty and let them help you get to where you ultimately want to be.

3. Sacrifice for Success

“You must give up a great deal…But at the end you have something worthwhile.”

- Martha Stewart

Working towards a career that you are passionate about and you want to succeed in comes at a price. Being successful means that there will be sacrifices, there will be things that you have to give up. The reason why not everyone is as successful as they want to be is that they are not willing to sacrifice other things in their life. Making sacrifices to become successful in your career is never easy but if it is what you want it is always worth it.

The crazy successful Martha Stewart said herself, “you must give up a great deal…But at the end you have something worthwhile.” With a few sacrifices, Martha Stewart has created a multi-million dollar empire.

Martha’s life was not always the glitz and glam it appears to be today. No, there was a point in her life (her young twenties to be exact) that some weeks she did not have enough money for groceries. It is crazy to think that someone as wealthy as Martha Stewart at one point struggled to buy food. With some hard work and sacrifices along the way, Martha has successfully built up what is today an empire branching in cookbooks, office supplies, TV personal and much more.

It is evident that a few sacrifices achieved this type of success. You have the power to make choices that allow you to get to the level of career you want. Whether it is in the corporate world or if you are an aspiring entrepreneur, you can reach the level of achievement, you want by choosing to put this dream/goal above other things.

You can take control of your life. You have the power to make sacrifices to follow your dreams and build a life beyond your wildest imagination!

Ask yourself, what can you eliminate in your life to take you to the next level in your career?  Are you wasting time on the computer when you could be doing something more productive? Are you giving attention to something else that is not helping you move forward? Social media is very good at distracting us from moving forward but it is also very helpful to propel us forward. You may have to sacrifice your personal use of social media and instead use it for networking purposes. It is a simple sacrifice perhaps, but one that could also become a game changer.

Possibly, you may need to work long hours or get up early and go to bed late but remember there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. As Martha Stewart said and has experienced herself,

“In the end you have something worthwhile.”

Ultimately, in the end missing all those episodes of Modern Family seems like nothing because you will be living out your dream life and that is much sweeter and satisfying than anything a television show could give you.

Everyone who is successful has sacrificed something and you can get to that level of success too! You just have to be willing to give up a few little things along the way to reap the bigger benefits in the end!

4. Take Advantage of Inexperience

“Your inexperience is your most valuable assets. Your skepticism will guide you to better answers.”

- Elliot Weissbluth. CEO of HighTower

Upon freshly graduating, many young twenty something year olds hold back from starting their own business or obtaining a job they think may be out of their league. Often humming and hoeing about how little experience they have, leaving them to think they cannot do it.

This type of thinking from young professionals is debilitating. You must not lessen your value or put your career dreams on the back burner just because you think you lack experience.

Yes, you are young and perhaps you do lack experience. Use that inexperience to your advantage.

Successful business tycoon, Elliot Weissbluth, CEO of HighTower, an industry leading finance firm gives the best advice he has, “Your inexperience is your most valuable assets. Your skepticism will guide you to better answers.” Why can’t your inexperience propel your forward as opposed to holding you back? You can rise above the belief that inexperience is debilitating by showing yourself and others just how beneficial it can be.

Do not let your lack of experience hinder your career but instead use it to move you up in your career. You can let your inexperience guide you. Use your skepticism to get better answers. Do you dream of starting your own business, but feel discouraged thinking you do not have the required experience? Use your inexperience to ask questions. Use your ignorance to get answers. Let not knowing motivate you to know.

Do you think that everyone first starting out in his or her career has experience? Or that all entrepreneurs first starting their business knew what they were doing at all times? Many successful people started out inexperienced, the only difference is that they did not let that stop them from going after something they wanted.

Elliot Weissbluth says that, “Your skepticism will guide you to better results.” Let your inexperience be your thirst to get better results, to get experience to take you to the places you want to go.

Do you dream of running your own business or company? How about reaching the top in a world-renowned company? Let your inexperience be your best asset. Take the time to ask questions and learn new things. Try something and if it does not work, try again.

It is time to stop humming and hoeing about your lack of experience and let it be your alley not your enemy. Inexperience will get you results if you use it to your advantage. You have this amazing resource of inexperience and it is in your control to make it work for you. The beauty of being inexperienced is that there is nowhere to go but up!

Ask questions. Ask more questions. See what works and see what does not. Because you inexperienced you have a blank slate. You have this rare and wonderful opportunity to look at other professionals see what they did, learn from them, to ask questions and to apply what you learn. You have this beautiful gift of skepticism that will allow you to seek out better results! You have the power to turn your inexperience into your biggest ally!

5. Channel Your Grit

“You have to do whatever it takes to live out your dreams.”

- Janine Allis. Founder of Boost Juice

If you want to be successful in your career, you are going to have to have grit. There will be trying times as well as some trials and tribulations. However, the good news is that the ones that stick it out are the ones that make it to the top!

“You have to do whatever it takes to live out your dreams.”

These are wise words from Janine Allis. Who is also the founder of Boost Juice and the current Executive Director of Retail Zoo, Salsa’s Fresh Mex, Cibo Espresso and Hatch you could say that Janine Allis knows a thing or two about doing what it takes. Making mistakes when diving off the entrepreneurial cliff is inevitable and Janine herself said that she has made more than her far share of mistakes. Being the hungry entrepreneur she was Janine stuck with it. Janine had grit and was willing to do whatever it took to live out her dreams.

If you want to succeed, you are going to need grit. You are going to have to dig deep and do what it takes and in the end, it will be more than worth it.

Are you willing to put in the work and stick with it? You are as capable as you set your mind to be. If you want something bad enough, you can have it.

Maybe doing what it takes for you means jumping all in. Guess what? If you want it, you can do it! Alternatively, maybe doing what it takes means finding a business partner who can help you with your start-up company. Maybe it means ignoring all those people that doubt you. Jump all in, find someone to help you, ignore the doubters! Do whatever it is that you have to do and know that it is okay to do it. You have an indescribable amount of grit when it comes to getting something that you want with all your heart.

As a young twenty something year old, this is the optimal time to put in whatever work you have to for you to make your dreams a reality. You have the time, the energy, the enthusiasm and the drive. You have the privileges of adulthood without having the responsibilities of raising a family and paying a mortgage. Now is your time to take hold of all that good stuff that your youth as to offer and propel it towards taking action!

As a young person in their twenty’s, now is the time to find that grit. Find that mentality. Find it now and you are set. Do you have that grit mentality yet? Ask yourself what kind of job or career would encourage doing everything in your power to succeed? What can you do right now that you are not doing already?

If you have the dream and you have the grit than you have already won.

6. Prove the Hustle is Real

“Most people assume that 22 year olds don’t know anything, and in many cases they’re right. So as a twenty-two year old, I would hit the ground running. I would learn as much as I could, as fast as I could.”

- Jordy Leiser. Co-Founder and CEO of StellaService

You have a fresh start to hit the ground running right now! The world postgraduate is a big place that moves at lightning speed and if you do not catch up you just may miss out. The amazing thing though for you being part of a generation of tech savvy wiz’s is that you automatically have a step up from other generations. You have the knowledge and the capability to learn as much as you can as fast as you can. You have this amazing ability to soak up all the knowledge of previous successors from varying sources of technologies that were not previously available.

Does the world seem filled with brighter and smarter people? Are there people doubting your ability to succeed? You are young and yes, there are going to be some doubters but it is your duty to disprove every single one of them. Being so young many people will doubt your work ethic and older generations may go as far to label you part of the lazy generation. Prove every single one of these people wrong. Show them the killer work ethic you have and just how much you know that the hustle is real.

Jordy Leiser, Co-Founder and CEO StellaService is a thriving entrepreneur and certainly knows the importance of a good hustle. “Most people assume that 22 year olds don’t know anything, and in many cases they’re right. So as a twenty-two year old, I would hit the ground running. I would learn as much as I could, as fast as I could.” Jordy put in a good hustle and is now reaping the seeds he has sown through his dedication and hard work.

Your twenties are your time to shine! It is your time to prove yourself in all aspects of your life; including your professional life. You have amazing resources that will allow you to gain the same amount of knowledge that may have previously taken people years to acquire. Do not let these amazing resources go to waste; reap the benefits they can bring to you!

If you want something in your career bad enough, prove yourself. Out hustle and out learn everyone else. Let your mind be a sponge and absorb everything you possibly can. Not only do you have tremendous never before had technology in the palm of your hand you also have more energy and enthusiasm at this point in your life than you may ever have again.

You are young, you have the resources and you have the energy and enthusiasm. Now get the hustle and you will find your way to the top!

7. Note What Works for You

“A moment’s insight is sometimes worth a life’s experience.”

- Oliver Wendell Holmes

As a young twenty something professional there are always going to be some jobs that seem much more glamorous than others do. There are going to be jobs that seem like the ‘it’ place to be working. This is what Sallie Krawcheck along with everyone else believed as a young twenty something professional entering the work world.

Starting out in a job in the banking and media industries because it was the ‘hot’ thing to do, Sallie kept a running list of things that did and did not work for her, things that she was particularly good at and things she needed to improve. As she learned new things and gained more experience she was able to identify areas in which she would automatically excel. Sallie was the former President of the Global Wealth & Investment Management division of Bank of America, which held responsible for over $2.3 billion in client assets at the time.

As a young twenty something entering the work place take the time to set yourself up for success by taking a sort of inventory of what work style is best for you, what you excel at, what you can improve on, etc. Doing this will give you a reference point to look back on and help you succeed. As Sallie says, “You’re going to have what feels like a lightning bolt insight.” By taking note of what worked and did not work for her, Sallie gained that lightning bolt insight which ultimately led her to Presidency of the Wealth & Investment Management division at the Bank of America.

You are now likely entering the start of your life as a working professional. This is the perfect time to start building up that lightning bolt insight. It may not seem like much now at the start but once you try different experiences and have various jobs (either in the same field or not) everything that you’ve learned along the way about your work style and where you excel in your work will become a huge asset.

This task of recording and gaining insight is a rather simple one that many may look over. It is something small that you can start today that will improve your tomorrow! The next time you are at work and you are working on a task take note of; how quickly you complete, what style of work you used to get there, any improvements you can make, what was the quality of your work, etc. Take a mental note of these things and when you have a minute write it down on a piece of paper. Keep this paper at your desk and anytime you learn a new task or gain a new experience write your insight on it. You will be amazed at what you can learn about yourself and how you work best by reading this over once you have written a few experiences on there.

Do not have a full time job? You can still do this extremely beneficial exercise at a parent time job. Working at a coffee shop maybe, you learn through writing down and keeping track of various experiences that you excel in working in a fast-paced environment or that you need to work on your customer service skills.

You are in control of your future and your career. You have countless opportunities to gain insight and experience that will help you in your future. By starting to put together your master list of lightning bolt insight at such a young age there is no telling how far you will go!

8. Sell Yourself and be Desired

“The entrepreneur is always selling.”

- Bob Dorf. Co-author of The Startup Owner’s Manual

Think of how talented and skilled you are. Think about how young and motivated you are. Think about how bright and gifted you are. Think about how much you have to offer.

You are desirable. You are what the professional world needs.

You have all these amazing super star qualities and upon graduation is your time to let them shine! Sell yourself to the world, show people just how great you are and how much they need you! Sell yourself and your abilities so well that they come knocking at your door.

Entering the workforce you are going to have to do a lot of self-selling, particularly those of an entrepreneurial spirit. This is how you are going to get your foot in the door. Being an entrepreneur is all about selling. Selling your idea, your product, your service and mostly selling yourself.

Bob Dorf co-author of The Startup Owner’s Manual and start-up/innovation coach learned this lesson after nearly forty year and more than forty business ideas. “The entrepreneur is always selling.” After several failed ventures Bob learned that there was, no way he could get around selling. If he wanted to be successful, he understood that it selling would have to be part of the game plan. After learning this lesson the hard way Bob went on to become a successful entrepreneur and is now helping others succeed by sharing what he wished he knew when he was a twenty something – you are always selling something so get good at it!

Being part of a generation that lives on social media platform can become a huge asset to any twenty something looking to promote themselves and/or businesses. Are you starting your own company? What better way than to create a Facebook page for your start-up! The same goes for a Twitter and Instagram account. People all over the world are being noticed and selling their ideas via social media platforms. Are you looking for additional ways to sell yourself as a professional? Create a LinkedIn account, a networking site that allows you to highlight your amazing skills and talents and get in contact with other professionals. Technology has proven to be a wonderful thing in the world of business and luckily, for you twenty something year olds, today you grew up with it and have it readily available!

You have grown into a bright young twenty something and now is your time to shine and sell yourself to the world highlighting how great of an asset you are!

9. Don’t Rush the Ride

“I was in such a rush to get everything done before time expired that I forgot to recognize that youth also wouldn’t last forever and I should make the most of each moment. I wish I spent more time outside chasing balls and having fun.”

- Maynard Webb. Chairman of Yahoo!, COO of eBay and Author

Who says you have to figure it all out immediately post-graduation? Who says you have to rush right into your career? Who says you have to rush your way to the top?

The great thing about being a young twenty something means that you have your whole life ahead of you! What an exciting and thrilling adventure. There is no need to rush the ride.

With youth on your side, you have ample time to discover and explore your professional life. Taking your time to navigate the working world not only will give you time to grow in the work place. It will also reduce the pressure to plow through every rung on the corporate ladder or have your second entrepreneurial venture started a year after your first. Take your time enjoy the ride!

If you are a young twenty something with an entrepreneurial spirit, it may feel hard not to go at lightening pace catching up to the young Mark Zuckerberg’s of the world. Going at your own pace not only allows you to enjoy creating your own business/company/invention but also ensure that you do it right. Attempting to go faster than you know you can handle may result in more of a bust than a win.

This is your life to take at your pace, not any slower or any faster then what you decide. There are points in your life where that pace will likely alter but again it is always at your choice.

For example Maynard Webb, the Chairman of Yahoo!, COO of eBay and author, wishes he could go back and not rush through so many of the steps in his career. “I was in such a rush to get everything done before time expired that I forgot to recognize that youth also wouldn’t last forever and I should make the most of each moment. I wish I spent more time outside chasing balls and having fun.” Clearly a wildly successful business man in the corporate world Maynard has created an exceptional life for himself, however, still fascinating to know that even with that success he wish he didn’t rush so much to get there.

As the master of your life, you must choose the pace at which you wish to work at and live. The good news is that you have the power to do that. No longer in school and not yet fully entrenched in adulthood responsibilities, you have more control now than ever to choose the pace of your life! You are your own person and the pace of your life should reflect your personal and unique goals. Pressure, fear, or unrealistic expectations of others should never dictate your pace of life. Let this release any pressure you have or visions of life as being a constant rat race. Instead, envision the life you will have at the pace you desire because that is what you shall have.

10. Think Big and be Extraordinary

“There’s always a bigger big. In reality, there is no such thing as an average person; there is only average thinking. You can be extraordinary! The key is to realize that being extraordinary is a personal choice you make every day.”

- Daniel Burrus. Entrepreneur and Author

Now as a young adult is your time to think BIG. However big you are thinking think BIGGER! Why? Because you can!

A wise man by the name of Daniel Burrus believes that, “There’s always a bigger big. In reality, there is no such thing as an average person; there is only average thinking. You can be extraordinary! The key is to realize that being extraordinary is a personal choice you make every day.” Daniel, now a thriving entrepreneur and bestselling author, practices what he preaches and strives to be extraordinary every day.

As a college student, Daniel set out to do big things. He was the first undergraduate in America to direct his or her own research grant. Not only that, Daniel also became a published writer by his third year of college. Looking back on his time Daniel believes he could have done more. He could have dreamt bigger and accomplished more during that period of his life. Reflecting back Daniel realizes he was not thinking as grandiose as he could have been, “On the surface, those are pretty big things. But as I look back, I realize that even though I was thinking big, I was really thinking small. There was a bigger big I could have been doing. If I had thought bigger, I would have accomplished more, faster.”

As a young twenty something year old, now is your chance to dream bigger than big when it comes to how you want your professional life to play out. When thinking about your future think big. When thinking about where you want to be in your career, think big.

Now is not the time to hold back but rather to put it all out there. You have to ask yourself what you can do to think a bit bigger. Is your big your biggest? Where do you see yourself in your work? Now, take that and times that by ten! That is where you want to be and that is where you can be!

Who are you not to think bigger than big? Who are you not to live an extraordinary life? Who are you too be just average? You are more than that. As a bright young adult with dozens of ideas and goals now is your time to magnify them to an explosive level.

Thinking bigger produces bigger results. Why can you not have the fame, success and wealth you see others have? You can. Actually, who are you not to have the fame, success and wealth you see others have? You are beyond any average thinker, you have the capacity to think big and achieve the big results you want! You are extraordinary.

11. Find Your Passion

“If you don't really love what you do you won't succeed.”

- Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group

With school behind you and the world in front of you now is your time to love what you do. After graduating, the job prospects and business ideas seem endless and exciting. When debating between what to do and where to work take into account the most important factor, passion!

Why would you work in a job you do not like? Why would you not start your dream business right now? What is the appeal in this? Are you not worth doing something you love? Why are young vibrant twenty year olds suffocating their passions?

Be selfish and work or start a business you are passionate about with this time in your life. No other time in your life will you have the opportunity to be as selfish working and doing something you are passionate about than now. Now is your time to follow your passion.

If you are not passionate in what you are doing, you will not succeed at it. Perhaps you could be good at it. However, does being good at some job you do not love and are not happy with truly equal success?

Businessperson extraordinaire Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, preaches to young adults everywhere to live out their passion, “If you don't really love what you do you won't succeed.” Richard Branson has become the savvy business billionaire he is today by doing what he loves. He followed his interests and passions and it paid off for him as it has many others who pursue what they love. Think of all the famous actors and, writer, singers, artist, inventors, etc. They all have a passion for what they do and that is why they have become so successful. Do you think there are many talented musicians out there that just do it because they are good at it? No, they are out there busting their behinds off because they love it.

You have the competence and ability to take your passion and make it your work! Whether you love technology and want to be a programmer or love art and want to open your own gallery, you have the ability to take that passion to the next level. Perhaps there is a job or a company you are passionate about working at, that passion you have for that place will allow you to succeed there.

When you love something no matter what it is, you will succeed at it. What do you love? What are you passionate about? You can do what you love and still make a living; there are living examples of this, Richard Branson just being one of them. Why can you not be an example of someone living out their passion as their work? You can! You have been given this opportunity and time in your life to do what you love and love what you do, grab this opportunity with both hands and become the; passionate, professional and successful individual you were born to be!

Part 2: Personal Development

1. Embrace the Unknown

“I thought security was my friend and uncertainty my enemy. If only I knew then, as I know now, that there is wisdom in uncertainty - it opens a door to the unknown, and only from the unknown can life be renewed constantly.”

- Deepak Chopra. Prominent Holistic Figure

In life, there will be things that you cannot prepare yourself. There will be moments of un-clarity about who you should be and what you should be doing. You never know what exactly may happen and the only thing that you can really count on is the uncertainty of life.

As a young adult entering what is so harshly called the real world, the uncertainty level goes from a mild 3 - 5 to a jolt shocking 10. As a student, you may often feel uncertain about things that are more trivial but when graduation looms and postgraduate life becomes your new reality the uncertainty you feel is in a completely new ballpark.

At moments, you will feel unsure about who you are or who your friends are. Unsure whether you will get a job in your field or end up a cashier at your local super market so you can pay the bills. Unsure whether you will find your soul mate or end up alone. Uncertainty can leave us crippled. It can leave us confused, lost, anxious and often times desperately seeking answers.

The good news in all of this is that as a twenty something you are not alone in this feeling, many before you have felt it and many after you will as well. As much as you may wish and want, there are no concrete answers. There is no way to know what life has in store for us. Therefore, embrace it!

Deepak Chopra, one of the most predominate and wealthiest figures in the holistic and wellbeing movement said it best himself when he said that man must learn to embrace uncertainty, “I thought security was my friend and uncertainty my enemy. If only I knew then, as I know now, that there is wisdom in uncertainty - it opens a door to the unknown, and only from the unknown can life be renewed constantly.”

As a young boy living in India I am sure that Deepak Chopra did not imagine that one day he would move to America where he would greatly alter the Western world in holistic and wellbeing care. Nor did he probably know that he would be a nationwide best seller and a global figure for wellbeing. Deepak surpassed those around him and got to this level because he embraced the unknown. He took the unknown as a chance to grow and evolve into the success he is today.

Similar to Deepak you can take the unknown and alter the preconceived notions you have of it. You have the power to do this! With the unknown can come anxiety and fear or, if you let it, it can come with endless opportunities and the constant renewal of life. Even this simple mind shift of moving from fear and anxiety to one of endless opportunities will take the weight of the world off your shoulders. Take a minute to shake off the fear of the future you have and instead let it empower you.

Uncertainty can cripple you if you let it. Today take charge and let it propel you.

The greatest thing about being young is the unknown. You have the world ahead of you and it is yours for the taking. You have the chance every day for constant renewing and growth. Let this refreshing take of the unknown bring you to achieve personal greatness.

2. Take Chances and Try

“If you never try you’ll never know. Not knowing is my biggest fear. Only those willing to go too far can actually know how far they can truly go. Life was meant to be lived.”

- Andrew LaCivita. Founder and CEO of Milewalk

The world is your oyster as a young person. While this statement holds truth for every age, it is extremely true for you as a young twenty something. At your young and tender age, you have the world readily available. Now is your chance!

Not only is this your time to take on the world but this is also your prime time to learn about who you are. The likelihood of you having a family, a mortgage, or other ‘adult’ responsibilities right now is slim. This is your chance to learn who you are and what you like.

How do you do this? You try! Try everything you have the opportunity to try, even make your own opportunities to try new things. Take on the challenge to try as much as you can while you can!

Trying new things will open up your world. You will discover more about who you are, what you like, what you dislike, who you want to be, what you want to do, what you are passionate about and so much more.

“If you never try you’ll never know. Not knowing is my biggest fear. Only those willing to go too far can actually know how far they can truly go. Life was meant to be lived.”

Andrew LaCivita said this, the extremely successful founder and CEO of Milewalk consulting firm. Following his own advice Andrew jumped at the chances given to him to try new opportunities. All of which have helped him to be as successful as he is and be featured in more than fifty national appearances on television and radio.

Such great advice from Andrew should not just be limited to your career but to all aspects of your life. Ask yourself, as a young twenty something what new things can I try? They do not necessarily have to be huge to start. It could be as simple as trying a new route home. For all you know the new route you take could lead you into someone who could change your life. You can try a new skill or hobby. Is there something you have always wanted to learn? Now is the perfect time! Perhaps you want to try living in a new country and experience a new way of life. All of these things will open new and exciting doors in your life. You will learn about yourself and evolve your likes and interests. You will grow to be more aware of yourself and will be able to see more opportunities as they come your way.

You have the time now in your life to try as much as you can! It is overwhelming all the new things you can try but the great news as a young twenty something is that you have your whole life to make the world your playground!

3. Travel the World

“Expose yourself to new worlds and new opportunities.”

- Laura Desmond. CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group

As a young adult recently graduated from school this is probably the time in your life that you are most impressionable. You are young. You are eager to soak up all that life has to offer and you are yearning to grow as a person.

How can you scratch that itch to explore and discover whom you are and what the world has to offer you? Travel. Traveling opens your eyes to the world around you. It lets you gain various perspectives and appreciate all that you have. Traveling opens up doors, teaches you about yourself and allows you to experience things you may have not had the chance to otherwise.

Take some time to see what the world has to offer. Traveling will shape you personally and professionally. You will meet others along the way and likely pick up a thing or two from them and vice versa. You may meet someone who changes your life forever. You also have the power to transform the lives of those you meet along your journey as well.

Traveling, as portrayed in the movies and television, does not have to be for the rich. No, there are so many ways for you to gain a completely new perspective on life without paying an arm and a leg to do so. Anyone can do it including you!

Right out of school you may not have ample funds to spend traveling but great news for you is you do not need ample funds! You could take a road trip across country and see all the amazing things other places in our own country have to offer, or even just to another city. You can do a volunteer trip, where you will pay for very little besides your flight over. Countless sites on the web offer working trips so you can make a little cash while traveling! You have so many options to choose from that the only hard part is to decide which one to choose!

Before all the pressures and obligations of adulthood weigh you down seize the chance to go! “Expose yourself to new worlds and new opportunities,” is what Laura Desmond, CEO of Starcom MediaVest Group advices. Desmond reflects back on those life-changing experiences that allowed not only travel, but to work abroad. What better way is there to expose yourself to the world other than to travel?

Go now and see what life has in store for you. Right now, you have the chance to soak up all you can of the world before obligations set in and it becomes a greater challenge to just pick up and go.

4. Be Flexible with Plans

“Try opportunities that come along, no matter how distant they seem from your plan.”

- Julia Boorstin. CNBC reporter.

Are you constantly told that ‘you need to plan for you future! Do people always ask you ‘what are your plans’? These are all too common questions asked to recent postgraduates or soon-to-be postgraduates.

While, yes planning or having some sort of direction is great, it is also okay to also stray from the path. It is rare to follow the course set out because of many variables in life and unexpected twists and turns. For instance, do you think that every successful person has followed his or her plan to a tee? Do you think successful people envisioned that he or she would be where they are now? Ironically, enough when reading some successful peoples biography they never dreamed this is where they would be. Another example is Stephanie Meyer who had her bestseller Twilight come to her in a dream. You cannot plan that.

Another great example is Julia Boorstin. Julia has reached tremendous heights in her career as a CNBC reporter covering media, social media, entertainment and start-ups. This life though was never one she imagined. It was never in her plan. Julia’s plan was to go get her Master’s degree right upon graduating. On a whim, though she applied to some writing jobs in New York. She accepted to become a writer at Fortune Magazine. Even with no knowledge in business, she accepted and decided it would be a fun year off before starting her Masters. Little did she know that she would never go on to get her Masters but instead move up in the world of journalism to become a crucial member to the CNBC team. Julia said it best herself, “Try opportunities that come along, no matter how distant they seem from your plan.”

Maybe post-graduate you have your planned all laid out. Whether it is traveling, going straight to work or starting your own business. Maybe you have the next twenty years planned as well. Keep in mind that well you may have a plan life may have another plan in mind.

You are young. You are free. Do not get held down by a ‘plan’ you have set for yourself and miss various amazing opportunities that could come along. This does not just apply to your career choices but to all choices, you have. Be it career or personal. Leaving the plan may lead you to find yourself. You also have the option to change your plan and create a new one. That is the beauty of being so young. You can do whatever you want.

Knowing that you do not have to stick to a plan can be extremely liberating! You have this world in front of you for you to experience. You have the power right now in your life to stray away from the plan and you have the power to stray back towards the plan. At your young age of twenty something opportunities are going to be knocking at your door and you have the liberating choice to answer to as many of these doors as you want.

5. Live in the Now

“Don’t force the pace of life,”

- Ronnie Screwvala. Entrepreneur

As a freshly graduated young adult, you are ready to take on the world, and that you should! Take the wise words of Ronnie Screwvala into consideration and, “Don’t force the pace of life,” as you eagerly take on the post-graduate world. We live in a fast pace world and as the twenty something generation you are no stranger to this lifestyle. As Ronnie puts it, “build your life on gradual blocks”.

Living in an ‘I want it now’ society this may be a harder concept to grasp. However, once you can embrace building your life gradually (because you will not get successful in all areas of your life overnight) you can enjoy the process a lot more.

Ronnie Screwvala is a prime example proving the benefits of not forcing the pace of life. While he was traveling across Europe, fate brought him to a toothbrush factory where he then got the idea for his first business venture. He started a toothbrush manufacturing company back in India and it became the largest toothbrush-supplying manufacturer in the country. Ronnie learned that his new business venture would not hit instantaneous success overnight, however, he took the time to build up his business and he gradually built it up so much it did exceed beyond his wildest imagination.

You can start building up your life gradually right this minute! You are in the most brilliant stage to start gradually building up your life. If you want to start your own business, it is perfect to start now and build it up block by block. Think where you and your business could be five, ten, fifteen years if you start now! Do you want to write a book? Why wait? Writing a bestseller takes more than a day. You have to build up to it, page by page. Think how much you will have written come six months from now! A clothing line does not magically appear overnight. Piece by piece and those pieces together make up a collection.

The younger you start building up your life the higher you can build it! You are young, motivated, inspired by life and have boundless energy; the best time to start is now. You have dreams and goals and you have the chance right now to build up those dreams block by block until you reach the top!

6. Nurture Your Friendships

“Work won’t remember the weekend you didn’t give it. Your friends will.”

- Naomi Simson. Entrepreneur, Blogger, Director and Author

Sometimes as a young and eager twenty something we often push aside our relationships in our search for professional success. Yes, hard work, determination and professional success are what the majority of driven twenty year olds strive for but remember there is a lot more to life. To live balance lives remember to nurture the relationships you have.

You just spent the past couple of years in school creating these amazing friendships do not let them fall apart all on your climb to success. You are going to want to have these friends by your side to celebrate your success and to keep you sane in the process.

Putting in your time at work is a big part of getting ahead in the game but balance that with time spent with your friends and the reward will be that much greater.

“Work won’t remember the weekend you didn’t give it. Your friends will.”  These are nuggets of wisdom from entrepreneur, blogger, director and author Naomi Simson. Naomi wished she had known all those years ago as a twenty something that friends are a very important aspect in life. Often working weekends to become a professional success, Naomi missed several milestones in her friend’s lives. While striving for success Naomi felt as though she was missing so much and it was not until later that she realized that work would always be there come Monday but her best friend’s birthday will not. Naomi successfully mastered the balancing act of being a successful businessperson all while enjoying the friendships she had and creating memories that work could not quite give her.

You are young and your twenties should be a time filled with fun and friends. You can achieve balance of working towards your professional success all while maintaining and enjoying the friendships you have.

You are a determined individual wanting to make both success and friendships a priority in your life. You have the ability to choose to work hard when at work but also know that spending time with your friends is important.

You can have both! It is not one or another; it is just learning to balance. When you are at work, take some time to prioritize your tasks so you can complete them like the efficient machine you are. When you leave work, you do not have to feel guilty about it because you know you have put 100% into it that day. When you go out with friends enjoy yourself! You will feel recharged to take on work the following day. It took Naomi Simson at least a decade to learn this valuable life lesson but you are smart and know that you can have both of these things!

You can have everything you want in life! You can have both success at work and enriching relationships! Your life should be a blast, remember that!

7. Cultivate Yourself and the Rest Will Follow

“To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.”

- Confucius

You have the absolute power to do whatever it is that you set your mind too. Age is no factor for change. You have miraculous capabilities to make great changes within your lifetime. As a young twenty something and recently graduated, there may be people who tell you that you are too young or you do not have enough influential power to make the kind of change you dream, but they are wrong.             If you want it and believe it, you can achieve it!

Ban Ki-moon grew up post war in Korea, living in a tiny home where his whole family slept in one room. After spending some time learning English, Ban won a contest that sent him on a sponsored trip across the United States. On that trip Ban Ki-moon got the once in a lifetime opportunity to meet President John F. Kennedy. That day forever changed his life and from that moment, he knew that he wanted to have a career in public service. Unsure how to get the career he dreamed of in public service he reflected on the quote from Confucian teachings from his upbringing.

To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.

Ban Ki-moon learned that in order for him to change the world he had to start with himself, “I had to begin by working on myself; only then would I see progress radiate out from my personal circles to society at large.” Only then, by working on cultivating himself did Ban Ki-moon’s progress radiate outwards and do well for society. Ban Ki-moon is now serving as the Security-General of the United Nations.

Want to make some sort of change or difference in the world but do not know where to begin? Start with yourself. It is hard to make the world a good place if you do not feel that way yourself. By cultivating love and good into your life daily, you will release that good and love back into the world. That is what the world needs, the good and love that you have to offer. It can be simple to start, such as, smiling to people you see on the street, saying thank-you or offering your help to others. You do not need to start big because a little goes a long way and could make the world of difference to somebody. You have the power change the lives of those around you through cultivating good and love into your world.

Learning to cultivate the good and love in the world and express it back out to the world in your unique style will not only bring an indescribable amount of joy to your world but also to the lives of everyone around you. Start with yourself and the rest will follow.

As a young twenty something you have infinite chances to cultivate love and good into your daily life. You have the choice to seek out the good in situations. You have the choice to see love in tough times. You are the love and the good in the world. You are just what the world needs!

8. Create Loving and Supporting Bonds

“Enjoy your family and your friends before they are gone.”

- Guy Kawasaki. Chief Evangelist at Canva

Now as a graduate and young twenty something year old, you may be once again packing your bags and moving off to a new place, whether it be for work or travel, it is some new adventure that awaits you!

While being young and off exploring the world or entering the workforce also lies the impeccable time to stay connected with your friends and family. Some may believe the opposite as a young adult you are just adjusting the adult world. However, you are not just some adult, are you? You are a shining example of a young twenty something that is going to not only survive but thrive in life!

Living in the big world as a young adult and being thrown into the hustle and bustle of the ‘real world’ presents the perfect opportunity to learn the art of balancing family and friends while starting on the new adventures life has waiting for you.

The feeling of love from family and friends is a feeling that nothing else can bring to you and it is crucial to savor every minute of it. Why should you not enjoy the relationships with the most important people in your life?

As a twenty something, it is the perfect chance to start to reinforce that strong bond with loved ones. You as a twenty something have the power to create that loving supporting bond. Even simple things such as phone calls and letters can go a long way. Send a postcard from your current travel destination, plan a date and enjoy weekends at home. Living in a world of technology you have the capability to keep your friends and family updated on your life through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, etc., and vice versa.

Living a successful life is never as fulfilling when you do not have someone with which to share it. Luckily, you have the resources and the ability to create and nurture these relationships with family and friends so that you may rejoice in each other’s successes and triumphs and support each other along the way.

Countless successful people have learned that success is that much better when there are people with who you love to share it. It would be both a sad lesson and a hard way to learn by waiting until it is too late to make those connections with loved ones; unfortunately, that can be the case. Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva, and a man of many successes whished if he knew one thing in his twenties it would be to spend time with those that matter, “Enjoy your family and your friends before they are gone.”  You have that opportunity right now!

Now is better than any other time to connect with those you love. You have the chance to construct the tight loving bonds that will lead to that enriching love filled life that you deserve! The ball is in your court all you need to do is make the move!

9. Live the Happy Life

“Being able to be light hearted and playful at work (within reasonable boundaries) is a great stress reducer and team spirit increaser! Also, we are wired to play and have fun as this gets our creative juices flowing.”

- Ken Berger. CEO of Charity Navigator

Upon graduating school, you may feel immense pressure to find a career or have a ‘plan’. Not only is there a pressure to find a career but more accurately a career in your field of study to make that hefty school tuition pay off (literally).

While getting a career in your field may be the ultimate goal, does it necessarily have to come with all that pressure? Will having all that pressure on your back do anything productive? No.

Now is the time for yourself, a young twenty something, to have fun! Do not get too bogged down in the process of job hunting, climbing the corporate ladder or anything of such to stop you from having fun!

Why can you not have fun and take on the ‘real world’ postgraduate at the same time? The answer is you can! Who says you cannot have fun when you gain responsibilities? You can! Learning to have fun in everything you do is an incredibly priceless asset to have! Do you ever see people looking bored, wishing they were somewhere else or just plain miserable? That is because they lack the ability to find the fun in what they do.

Learn to find the fun in whatever it is you may do postgraduate. Whether it is working, taking time off or traveling, find something fun about it and you will find yourself having fun!

As a young twenty something, you can seize the opportunity to learn this valuable life lesson and apply it to all areas of your life. You have the ability to have fun and bring a sense of joy not only to your day but also to the days of all those around you. Let the joy and fun you emit encourage others to do the same! You have the ability to bring more positivity into the world by bringing out your sense of humor and love for fun. No one wants to be around someone who is boring or miserable. Everyone wants to be around the life of the party, the fun person, the one with a lust for life – and that is you!

Ken Berger, CEO of Charity Navigator, leads a thriving establishment and one of the reasons for such success is fun in the workplace. “Being able to be light hearted and playful at work (within reasonable boundaries) is a great stress reducer and team spirit increaser! Also, we are wired to play and have fun as this gets our creative juices flowing.” Not only does having a sense of humor and a little fun reduce stress, Ken testifies that it boosts creativity in the work place.

You do not need to wait until you enter the work place to add lighthearted fun into your life and the lives of those around you. You can do it wherever you are! You have the option every day to; smile, laugh, joke and to find the fun! You have the option to live the happiest life because that is what you deserve. You deserve to have as much fun in your youth as possible – and you have the power to make that possible!

10. Be Okay with You

“One day you will find yourself in a room full of people. Someone in that room will be more beautiful than you. Someone will be thinner, another richer, and another smarter. And someone will be nicer. And somehow, you will have to leave that room feeling okay about yourself.”

- Jean Jennings. President and Editor-in-Chief of Jean Knows Cars

You are unique.

You are talented.

You are bright.

You are special.

You are you! You bring a gift to the world that no one else can!

Forget trying to fit in to a particular mold that you lose who you are. You are who you for a reason. Each individual on this planet has something to offer the world that only he or she could give. There is only one you and it is not only your job but also your responsibility to live a life that is true to you!

As a young twenty something, you will find yourself in new environments where you will meet many successful and talented people and at the end of the day, you still need to be able to come home and be okay with who you are.

President and Editor-in-Chief at Jean knows Cars, Jean Jennings, wished she knew this earlier on in life saying that, “One day you will find yourself in a room full of people. Someone in that room will be more beautiful than you. Someone will be thinner, another richer, and another smarter. And someone will be nicer. And somehow, you will have to leave that room feeling okay about yourself.” Working her way up in her professional life, Jean met several people, many of whom she felt were better than she was in some way or another. There came a certain point where Jean learned that she is who she is and she needed to be okay with that. Ironically, this is typically when people become more successful in life, when they accept who they are and what they have to offer.

You are worthy and tremendously valuable to this world. No matter who you meet along your journey you know that you have a gift that no one else has and that makes you priceless. Your ability to give to the world your light and presence makes you a commodity.

What is uniquely yours that you will offer the world? How will you shine your light? How can you use your skills and talents to serve others and allow them to also recognize and accept their authentic self?

In school, you may have felt trapped or unaware just how special your gift to the world is. Now as a graduate, you have room to spread your wings and sore to unreachable heights. You have opportunities now to show the world what you have.

You are your authentic self because you are okay with who you are. You are confident in yourself to express your true self to those around you. You are catalyst the world needs to promote authentic living!

11. The Power to Give

“To focus on something bigger than myself would give me the opportunity to make a difference – to make our world just a bit better.”

- Stan McChrystal. Co-Founder and Partner at McChrystal Group

Young people today have the power to change the world. You have the power to change the world. What you do today, as a young person, will not only affect your generation but leak into future generations. You have the power to be the good this world needs and craves.

You are not too young to make a difference. Many people do not realize the power that being of service has until later on in life. Why wait? Why wait to spread the good and love you have to offer until you are older? You have the power to improve the lives of those around you now. Moreover, thanks to technology and various charities/organizations you have the power to change the lives of those on the other side of the world.

Focusing on something bigger than yourself provides and unexplainable amount of joy. To know that you are part of a bigger picture in this world and have taken initiative to make it a better place leaves nothing but an overwhelming amount of love in your heart.

Stan McChrystal, Co-Founder and Partner at McChrystal Group wish that every young adult had the chance to give to the world in some way or another. Stan served in the American Army and reflects on that time serving as some of the most worthwhile time he has ever spent. “To focus on something bigger than myself would give me the opportunity to make a difference – to make our world just a bit better.” Like millions before Stan and millions to come after, serving in the army brings that satisfaction knowing they did their part to make the world a better place.

Another famous man changing the world, Gandhi who lived and breathed the good he wished to see in the world. You do not have to serve in the army or go on a radical hunger strike to make a change and give back to the world. Countless charities or organizations are constantly in need of help and volunteers. You could start your own charity, raise money for a cause close to you or offer to help your neighbor or family and friends. What can you do to make this world a better place?

You have so much love and good to give. Would it not be a waste to wait until you are ‘older’ to give back?

What is holding you back? You have everything you need to give – a desire for change and willingness to do something about it.

Giving back not only brings you satisfaction knowing that you are contributing to the world you live in but it connects you on a more global scale. You are part of a larger group, a larger unit and contributing to something so big gives insight to this world otherwise unseen.

You are the difference the world needs and you can create a change now!

Part 3: Success Principles

1. Claim Success Now

“…define success as a future accomplishment. Success comes from daily moments of purpose and from relationships with other people.”

- Aaron Hurst. CEO of Imperative, Founder and Author of Taproot Foundation

Twenty something’s and recent graduates often picture the success in their life later. They think it is a far away concept that the future brings. They do not see themselves as successful yet.

Is this you? Do you feel that because of your age or your lack of experience that you cannot be successful just as you are right now? If you plan to live a successful life, put away this kind of deteriorating mindset.

Why can you not be successful now?

What is stopping you from having a successful life as a twenty something? Success is not just for those who are older and experienced. Success is for whoever goes out and claims it.

Aaron Hurst, CEO of Imperative, author and founder of Taproot Foundation knew that to get to the level of desired success in his life that he would have to change the way he thought about and saw success. Aaron Hurst stated that you must not, “…define success as a future accomplishment. Success comes from daily moments of purpose and from relationships with other people. You are as successful now as you will ever be. Enjoy it and don't waste it just looking to the future.”

Did you catch that? You are as successful now as you will ever be! It is time to stop thinking of success as a future tense and instead a present one. As a young recent graduate hoping to live your most successful life this piece of advice is like your golden ticket. It is a nugget of wisdom overlooked in the hustle and bustle of a twenty something’s life!

As a young adult fresh from school, you go out into this world and attempt to make a name for yourself-as you should. The best way to ensure this success is to live in the mindset of success. Not that deteriorating one that leaves you crippled thinking success is only for the future, rather the one that promotes success in your life now! As Aaron Hurst proclaimed, you are as successful now as you will ever be and it is through daily moments of purpose and relationships comes this now success.

Do you live in a successful mindset right now? You have the ultimate power to create a life of success right now! Not five or ten years down the road from now but today. You are in control of your daily habits and relationships with others. You can choose to make each day as successful as you want.

What are ways that you can ensure daily success? Can you strengthen any relationships? Can you identify or create moments of purpose in your day? Are you in a mindset that promotes success now?

There are so many ways that you have the ability to be successful daily. Since there are so many ways to live out success daily, why wait until the future? It seems imperative to start living in this ‘success is now’ mindset to cultivate a successful life. Not only will you be cultivating a successful life for right now but you will also be planting the seeds for a lifetime of success. If you live a life waiting for success, you will miss all the success you could be having right now.

You are a success right now!

2. Hunger Makes Dreams

As a young and eager twenty something year old you have so much in life to look forward to. You have big dreams; big goals and you want to be successful in all aspects of your life.

An instrumental part of attaining this kind of life is passion. Having passion is having and finding that desire that wakes you up every morning and gets you going. It is an intense feeling that drives you it shakes you awake. Passion is great. Passion is necessary if you want the kind of life you desire. However, you must have something stronger than passion.

You must be hungry.

You must be so hungry for something that long after that spark of passion simmers down you keep going. You see passion is what wakes you up in the morning but it is hunger that keeps you going all day long and into the night. The hunger for something keeps you going when things get a little messy and do not look so glamorous anymore. Hunger keeps you going when things start to get tough and sticks with you when things feel like hell. Your passions can fade but your hunger is an eternal flame that makes you persevere.

Perhaps, you want to write a book? Run a marathon? Start a business? Be on Broadway? It does not matter what it is, whatever it is though you will need hunger to get there. Hunger will let you accomplish these goals. Hunger will make you keep writing after dozens of rejection letters. Your hunger will push you to keep running no matter how tired or sore you are or keep auditioning after months of no callbacks.

Hunger will make your dreams a reality.

Anthony Robbins an international bestseller, motivational speaker and successful businessperson has created a wildly desired life because he was hungry for it. Anthony built his life from the ground up. Not born into his success and fame he had to work his way there. Once overweight, a janitor and broke Anthony had a hunger for change. His hunger kept him going and made him the huge success he is today.

Everyone has an eternal hunger in them - including you! Deep within you is your hunger waiting for you to tap into it. Everyone has the ability to have a wildly successful life but not everyone is hungry enough to pursue it. Allow your passion to run so deep through you that you tap into your hunger and make those dreams a reality.

What is your Purpose? What hunger drives you?

3. Money Doesn’t Define

“Money will never define you. You define your money.”

- Suze Orman. Money Guru and Financial Advisor

As a young person money becomes a hot commodity when entering the job market and learning to stand on your own two feet. You want it and you want it now. However, while in the rat race of life make sure you do not place all your happiness in money. You are the master of your happiness not anything else, especially something that has the ability to be taken from you.

The money guru and financial adviser herself, Suze Orman, stresses the importance of not letting money define who you are.

Suze Orman said her financial situation did not turn around until she let go of putting money on a pedestal. Once as a server, barely making more than $400 a month, she knew she needed to clean up her money act. Suze Orman decided to create a plan for herself that would set her up to win. She no longer would spend money on unnecessary things that added little or nothing to her self-worth. Suze Orman repeatedly suggests that, “Money will never define you. You define your money,” and with this advice Suze won!

Perhaps as a recent graduate, you feel the financial pressure coming in on you. You do not have to feel that financial pinch. You can take charge of your money right now, in whatever state. Countless resources online can help you create a financial plan or savings plan that will set you up to win. Thousands of books out there written by financial gurus such as Suze Orman can help you manage your money.

Now is the perfect time to get on the right track with your finances. You are not too young or too broke. You are rich with knowledge and power and with this, you can reap the rewards financially. This is the perfect time to organize your finances and set yourself up to win, not only for now but also for your future.

While having lots of money seems to be great, Suze advice about not letting your money define you is one of incredible insight and wisdom.

As a young person trying to make your way and be successful, it is easy to get caught up in trying to impress others with all the materialistic things we can buy, like birds often get easily attracted to bright and shiny things. Do not let these things define you. Why give control of your happiness to something that can take away?

Every successful person out there seems to be living a comfortable life. There are never any successful people struggling to pay the rent or buy groceries. That is because they have their finances in order. Many of them did not start with comfortable wallet or a trust fund. No, even the money guru Suze had a hard time keeping up financially. However, what they all have now is a financial plan of some sort that allows them to have their basics, such as; food and housing covered and then some left over. The great news is that you too can have this!

Getting your finances set up now and creating a financial plan is one of the smartest moves you can make in your young twenties. You can do it now! You can set up a plan to ensure financial security for the years to come.

4. Approach Failure Head On

The fear of failure is potentially one of the most crippling things that prevent people from living out their dreams. The idea that you potentially might not succeed at what you set out to do paralyzes you from action, but what is worse than trying and failing?

Not trying at all!

Tim Westergren has admitted to failing plenty of times in his life. Matter of fact he claims that almost everything he did up until his thirties resulted in a failure. However, that did not stop him. Tim Westergren did not let the fear of failure become bigger than his fear of not trying. He did not want to look back on a life of ‘what ifs’ and regrets. Tim did not give failing the option to paralyze him but rather as a motivation to have no regrets. This seemed to work in Tim’s favor as he successfully went on to become the Co-Founder of Pandora Radio and Time’s Magazine listed him as one of the one hundred most influential people of 2010.

As a bright and energetic twenty something, the potential of failure should not bog you down. If anything, you should be more concerned with not trying everything. How will you ever succeed if you never try?

Now is your time to try. It is your time to fail your time to succeed. Now is your time to live the life you have always imagined so you do not look back and ask ‘what if’. You have the opportunity now to change your perspective of failure from a crippling belief to a motivating belief! You can change the way you see failure from a negative to a positive. It is all in your control! How you chose to perceive failing could affect your whole life.

What are some things in life right now that you have not done or tried because you are afraid of failing? Instead of seeing them as potential opportunities to fail see them as the chance to live the life of your dreams. Taking great chances that life offers and seeing what great things they may lead to sure beats out sitting on the sidelines and watching them slip away.

The next time the fear of failing cripples you, take the opportunity head on! You deserve more than that. You deserve the whole world!

You are young, bright and have an infinite number of opportunities to seize. You have the power in your hands to live the fullest life a twenty something can live plus some! You deserve a life that is full of triumphs, glory and stories. Yes, that might include some failures but it sure as hell is better than looking back and asking ‘what if’.

5. Open Up Your Ears

“It is the acquired skill for the aspiring graduate.”

- Tom Keene. Editor at Bloomberg Television and Radio

To most other generations yours is full of self-absorbed, selfie taking twenty something year olds. It is evident that you want something more. You have incredible potential lying within and upon graduation is your time to unleash it! How do you do this?

Listen.

“It is the acquired skill for the aspiring graduate”

Tom Keene said this provoking thought. Tom is a tremendously successful editor at Bloomberg Television and Radio and while so successful in his professional life Tom reflects on things he could have learned sooner like listening. He notably thought listening was the acquired skill for any aspiring graduate and there is so much truth in that thought.

When you take the second to open up your ears and listen to what others are saying you will be amazed at what you can gain from them. Listening to others is a great way to gain insight, valuable information and to learn new things. Listening is also a great way to get feedback, analyze so you can go back, and get better.

Do you think that professionally successful people got to the top by never listening to anyone? Do you think they never listened to the advice of previous successors or of their role models? It is very unlikely. What about successful relationships? Communicating is one aspect but the other major one is listening. You cannot expect to be in a lasting successful relationship, be it romantic or not, without taking the time to listen to the other person.

Unfortunately, many people go years before learning this lesson and because they do not listen, many relationships and opportunities are wasted. It is the time to open your ears as a young person fresh from graduation. You have the knowledge and know the importance of listening. You know how much you can gain from this valuable skill.

Multiple times a day you have the chance to listen. Think how often you talk to your parents or your grandparents. Are you listening? Think how often you interact with different people from all lifestyles throughout your day. It could be the person at the coffee shop or the receptionist at your office. You are talking to people all day long and they may be passing along something that could shake your whole world. People are offering their gifts of advice and wisdom and you have this amazing ability to absorb as much of it up as you can.

It is all in your power to open up and listen up!

6. Keep Growth in Mind

“Now is the time in your life to take calculated risks, and the people you will meet and learn from a great company versus a mediocre one will change your life.”

- Clara Shih. CEO of Hearsay Social and Author of The Facebook Era

You deserve all a job can offer you and more. You are a valuable asset to any workplace and you must know your worth to gain what you deserve.

When entering the work world post grad or as a young twenty something you must recognize that your learning isn’t done. You are going to learn a lot in your twenties while in the workplace and you should make that a priority while searching for a job or looking for a mentor. Always keep growth in mind. Growing as a person is one of the biggest gifts you can give to yourself and you should give it to yourself daily.

Go for a job that gives you more than just a big paycheck but instead also offers you the most experiences and room for professional growth. You are worth more than money. You are worth knowledge and experience. One day the knowledge and experience you learned as a twenty something is going to be priceless and worth more than any amount of money.

Clara Shih, CEO of Hearsay Social and author of The Facebook Era struggled with this situation as a twenty something year old. Shih, found herself in a dilemma with two job offers after she recently graduated. One offer at Google and the other was a similar company. Google did not offer as big of a pay, as much ownership shares or as many incentives than the other company did. However, a wise mentor told Clara, “Now is the time in your life to take calculated risks, and the people you will meet and learn from a great company versus a mediocre one will change your life”. With that, Clara went with Google even though it would not be as financially rewarding the experience and growth she would get there would be a much better reward than any monetary value.

You are worth so much more than any monetary value. The learning experiences you will have and the growth you will obtain both as a person and as a working professional is not even comparable to a salary. As a young twenty something, now is your chance to work at a place more so for the experience and the growth than anything else as you do not have the financial pressure of a mortgage or family. Your twenties are all about growing and learning it is an experience that you cannot miss.

You have the chance of a lifetime in this current decade of yours to grow as much as you possibly can. Do not settle for a job that neglects your growth and thirst for experiences. You are worth the growth! You are worth the experiences! It is in your control to make choices that will help you prosper into a successful knowledgeable adult with the satisfaction of continuous learning.

7. Failure Makes Success

“Great success is made from multiple failures.”

- Frank Wu. Dean and Chancellor of at the University of California Hastings College of the Law

How many times have you tried something and failed?

How many times do you think Mark Zuckerberg failed while trying to create Facebook? How many times do you think Michael Jordan has missed a shot? The answer to both of these is a lot.

If you try something new and fail the first time you try, or the second or the third, you can still be a success at it.

Making mistakes and failing at something is just another way to track your progress to success. As a young adult entering into the ‘real world’, do not be afraid to fail but instead take it as a sign that you are well on your way to success!

With a completely new world of opportunities, awaiting you post graduate there is nothing you cannot do! Youth drives you. You, as a twenty something taking on the world is a force to be reckon with. Your pursuit to conquering all that life has to offer will be the things that you fail. However, as a twenty something filled with that zest for life never let those failures stop you because those failures make your success!

Do you think that anyone who has ever accomplished anything worthwhile succeeded on the first try? Again, do you think Mark Zuckerberg got Facebook on his first attempt? How many times do you think it took Thomas Edison to invent the light bulb? Failing has not just happened for famous inventors but also for people in high-powered positions. The Dean and Chancellor at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, Frank Wu knows that his success and prestige position came from the number of times he failed, but never stopped trying.  “Great success is made from multiple failures.”  Frank Wu or any other successful person would not be where they are if they never attempted to keep trying even after failing. Success is never a straight line but rather filled with difficulties, twists and turns.

Spin a failure at work or in any other ‘real world’ environment into a positive. You have the control to shift your mindset to be that successful person that not only do you want to be but to the one you already are! It is all within your perception on how you see it – and you control that perception. You have the power to see it as a growing opportunity to learn and evolve. There is so much power for a young twenty something to know this. There are numerous ways one could see failing as a dead end but it is a mere stepping-stone on the way to success for the eager and motivated.

There is a beauty in being young. You have youth on your side and a refreshing sense of eagerness. Use this to your advantage. Never let failing at something take this from you! You have this youth of yours to grow and learn and part of that includes failing, however, as a result will come success.

Young twenty something year olds are blessed with unfathomable will to try, try, try, again and it is that spirit and lust for life that will get you great places!

8. Follow Your Gut

“Your zone of genius.”

- Karen Yankovich. Business Owner

As a twenty something, you may think that your gut is not the best guide. Maybe thinking you have not made the best choices at times or have done some not so smart things. When it comes to the big stuff though, your gut is always right.

Your gut does not lead you astray from what you love or what excites you. Your gut draws you close to the things that passionate you. Your gut knows your purpose.

What does your gut tell you? What draws you? That is where you need to be heading. That, my friend, is your purpose.

A business owner for over thirty years, Karen Yankovich has started and closed several businesses only to learn to follow her gut. When you learn to trust and follow your gut, you have entered what Karen refers to as, “Your zone of genius.” When you are following your gut and living out your purpose you are in this zone of genius where you will thrive in living an enriching life.

Why is everyone not in his or her zone of genius? Why is not everyone thriving? It is because they are not following their gut and their passion. Wherever you are in life, whatever you may be doing if you are passionate about it nothing else seems to matter as much.

As a young twenty something, now is your time to follow your gut! What is your gut telling you? You have the opportunity now to listen to your gut and to live out your purpose. You can do that! You have the power to really slow down and figure out what it is you want.

Not sure what your purpose is? Listen to your gut. What do you love? What could you do and still love doing five, ten years from now? What shakes you awake and brings you to life? What makes you want to get up early and go to bed late? When you ask yourself these questions, what does your gut say? Your purpose is that special thing in life that gives you that endless drive. You have it, what is it? What does your gut say?

Now as a young adult, you are free in this world and your gut is the best compass you can have. It directs where you to go and the new adventures to take. Torn on what your purpose may be still? Take this time postgraduate as an opportunity to find it. Try new things and experience new things. See where you feel in your zone of genius. It is in that zone where you will find yourself happiest.

This is your life to be as successful and purposeful as you know you can be! You have nothing but time and youth on your side. Take this chance to make this world your own.

9. Achieve the Dream

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

- Nelson Mandela

Who are you not to have big dreams?

Who are you not to believe that you can do something?

Who are you to say you cannot be successful?

Who are you to say that you cannot do the impossible?

Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” At first, your dreams may seem too big and too lofty. They seem simply impossible. The good news is that the impossible often becomes possible. It becomes possible by people who believe! It becomes possible by people like you!

Who are you not to dream big? Why can you not accomplish the impossible? Who has the power to decide who gets to have lofty dreams and goals and who does not? Who has the power to decide who gets to achieve the impossible and make it possible? Who has this almighty power?

You!

You have the power to achieve the impossible. You have the power to make the unknown known. You have the power to make your dreams a reality. You have the power to believe!

Man never thought it was possible to walk on the moon but that happened. Centuries ago, man never thought it was possible to have the ability to talk to someone on the other side of the world with a device smaller that the size of your palm, yet here we are making call across the globe on a Smartphone. At one point or another, everything seems impossible and that is because no one believed it could be possible.

Believe and you can achieve.

Helene Gayle had the belief that she could tackle the deemed impossible and end poverty. Today Helene is the President and CEO of CARE. CARE is a charity organization with the mission to serve families and individuals in some of the poorest places in the world. Through Helene’s belief to do this, impossible she says that you must, “believe in the possible.” Nothing is impossible because if you believe it becomes possible. With this courageous mindset and attitude, people like Helene are abolishing poverty. Around one billion people were lifted out of extreme poverty from 1990-2010.

As a believer you can achieve whatever it is you want. You have the absolute abilities to make the impossible possible! Helene Gayle said that sometimes the dreamers are the realists. You can prove that being a realist does not mean you cannot be a dreamer. You have the belief and the abilities to prove to everyone that being a realist and being a dreamer are not separate entities but rather the same.

10. Carve Your Path

“Chart a new path to success, remaking it in a way that includes not just the conventional metrics of money and power, but a third metric that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving, so that the goal is not just to succeed but to thrive.”

- Arianna Huffington. President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post

Who defines your life? Who defines your success? You do! You are on your own journey and you must define it as you wish to live it.

Who says success has to be all about power or money? Why can success not be about strong relationships, health or inner peace? It can be all that and more if you want it to be! Success can mean whatever you want it to mean. As a young twenty something year old, your idea of success might be different from a thirty or forty year olds idea of success. Your idea of success likely will be different from other twenty something’s idea of success. Different goals and different journeys mean different variations of success.

You deserve all the success you dream. You deserve the success that you want, not the success you think you should have or the success others want you to have. As a young adult getting your real first taste of money that could be your driving factor. Nevertheless, it does not have to be if you do not want it to be. You deserve more success and to thrive more than the success someone else wants for you.

A brilliant woman by the name of Arianna Huffington believes that everybody needs to chart his or her own success. Perhaps the name rings a bell? Arianna Huffington is author to the international bestseller Thrive as well as President and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post, an online media sensation for daily news, current events and entertainment. Arianna claims her fame to charting her own success by following her own sense of what she wanted, which ultimately led her to not only to succeed but also to thrive. Arianna advises the next generation to take control and, “Chart a new path to success, remaking it in a way that includes not just the conventional metrics of money and power, but a third metric that includes well-being, wisdom, wonder and giving, so that the goal is not just to succeed but to thrive.”

You have the ability to thrive! The best part is that you are young; you are beyond fortunate to learn at the youthful age of a twenty something that in order to do more than just succeed and be able to thrive you need to chart your own path!

You can do this now! This is your life to thrive! Figure out what it is you value and make those a priority in your road to success. You can have a balance of health and wealth if that is what thriving is to you! You can create a successful business while maintaining close friendships if that is what thriving is to you!

Dare to be different! Chart your own path to success. Chart a path that includes everything you want. Do not worry about what others want for you, this is your life for you to thrive your way! Arianna Huffington turned down several writing and speaking opportunities as a young twenty something because the stress and anxiety that came along with them were not in alignment with what success and thriving meant to her. As a young twenty something, you have the chance now to figure out what you want and how you want to thrive! You have the golden opportunity now to create and construct your own chart!

You are the captain of your life; create your own course to follow!

11. Recognize You Have Options

“There are no right or wrong answers. There are only options. There are going to be ups and there are going to be downs – but it’s the thrill of the ride that counts. And if somehow you end up on the wrong road, you will have plenty of time to adjust.”

– Brad Smith President & CEO, Intuit

Freshly graduated the choices for a young twenty something to make are overwhelmingly endless. From the simple choices to the more complicated ones, there are numerous ways to play each choice out. Almost every choice it seems is either right or wrong. However, that is not the truth. The truth is that there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ but only options. It is in every individual’s power to choose what option he or she wants.

As a twenty something year old leaving school the options are endless; work, travel, move back home etc. None of these choices is more right or more wrong (despite what others may try to tell you); rather they are all simply just options from which you can choose.

“There are no right or wrong answers. There are only options. There are going to be ups and there are going to be downs – but it’s the thrill of the ride that counts. And if somehow you end up on the wrong road, you will have plenty of time to adjust.”

– Brad Smith President & CEO, Intuit

When asked how he became so successful Brad replied by saying that he never labeled his choices as right or wrong, rather took them for what they were and rode with them. President and CEO of Intuit a successful American software company, Brad credits his success to choosing his own path and making his own choices.

The power lies in every individual to see that there is no right or wrong answers in life but only options. The power to see that life is nothing but endless options as opposed to it being a huge minefield of yeses and no’s is outstandingly refreshing. Every individual has this power! Entering into the adult world postgraduate presents the flawless time to see life this way. As Brad says, “And if somehow you end up on the wrong road, you will have plenty of time to adjust.” There is no need to fear making the ‘wrong’ choice because there will always be options to readjust yourself.

Being so young and knowing that no option is wrong is a weightless freeing feeling that gives you the capacity to have the control in your life. You have that control in your life right now! Right now, there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers in your life. Every option you choose will only lead to another series of options and so on and so on. All these options are equal and you, a young twenty something year old, get to choose which one you want! With a life so full of options, you are never stuck anywhere you do not want to be. You can take matter into your own hands and change your mind, just like that because you can! You are young. You are free to choose. You have the control to go which every way you desire. There is no right or wrong, only options, lots and lots of options!

Success and purpose lie in knowing your options and following whatever one excites you most! Success and purpose also lie in knowing that you can change that option any time you desire. As a young person taking control of their purpose and success in life they must master their options and not let their options master them! You are this person. You are the master of your options.

Final Word/About the Author

I was born and raised in Norwalk, Connecticut. Growing up, I could often be found spending afternoons reading in the local public library about management techniques and leadership styles, along with overall outlooks towards life. It was from spending those afternoons reading about how others have led productive lives that I was inspired to start studying morning meditation. Usually I write works around sports to learn more about influential athletes in the hopes that from my writing, you the reader can walk away inspired to put in an equal if not greater amount of hard work and perseverance to pursue your goals. If there were one key takeaway from this book it would be that success is a self-defined principle. You can try to look upon how others define it in your own pursuit of a definition, but ultimately the only person who can really define it is yourself. You need to look yourself in the mirror and come to understand exactly what you view as definitive factors of a successful person. If you enjoyed 33 Life Lessons: Success Principles, Career Advice & Habits of Successful People, please leave a review! Also, if you’re a sports junkie, check out my author page in the Kindle store to check out my series of basketball biography books. If you’re looking for more general books, you can read my works on Becoming a Father, Morning Meditation, Productivity Hacks, Bargain Shopping, and How to be Likeable in the Kindle Store.

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