I have the honor of speaking at Yale this weekend for their Careers, Life and Yale event which connects students with alumni. I’m thrilled to be back on campus to support the best and the brightest with some tips. Here are just a few things I’ve learned since boolah boolah:
- Communication is key.
This was a mantra of my very first boss after college and I keep seeing its proof over and over again. Most of the jobs and gigs I have had in my life have been because of the people I knew. So speak up, talk to people. Share your hopes and dreams, and doubts and fears. Ask questions. Ask for a favor. Ask for advice. Have a conversation. Meet someone new. You have no idea what wonderful surprises await. Especially for you introverts and ladies!
- Invest in your own learning.
See my blog post for this one. grow. Grow. GROW.
- Life rewards action.
For those overthinkers that have that magical gift of talking themselves out of dreams or ideas, stop thinking and just go for it! Take one small leap for yourself. Take a baby step. Experiment. Pilot. Either way, move! Stop living in your head, in your assumptions, in your excuses, and execute. Your momentum will build on itself and just feel so much better than staying in your head.
- Never let blocks block you -or- No is not a deadend.
Where there is a will, there is a way. Someone else’s ceiling is your floor. When someone closes a door, a window opens. Pick your favorite metaphor but know that if you quit, you really didn’t want it that bad to begin with. Reframe the gates, get creative, look around the block to work towards your goal. Passion, tenacity, persistence trumps no anyday,
Onward and upward.