Live Your Best Life: 5 Tips on Creating Early Career Options On Work, Life, Health, Money
Women in the early career phase of their professional trajectory can adapt some of these tips for success.
Around the world, women in their 20s are shaping their professional careers, embracing the freedom and liberation that comes with completing school, gaining financial independence, and customizing their futures of work. Still, many twenty-somethings may still depend on families, particularly due to COVID restrictions and a shift to moving back into the family home.
Being financially independent gives many a chance to develop valuable money management skills, and to foster the confidence needed to voice your opinions and desires. This is a global concern.
“Being financially independent gives many a chance to develop valuable #moneymanagement skills, and to foster the confidence needed to voice their opinions and desires. #financialindependence #careerwomen”
Former Chief Secretary Government of Karnataka Ratna Prabha encourages young women around the world to have dreams and goals and to work towards them with patience and boldness, while guarding their independence fiercely.
“Former Chief Secretary Government of Karnataka @Ratnaprabha_IAS encourages young #women around the world to have #dreams and goals and to work towards them with patience and boldness, while guarding their #independence fiercely. ”
Author and corporate leadership coach Aparna Jain encourages young women to start working toward the things they want in life—career, family, business. Jain recommends women learn how to manage adversity and challenges, budget for their expenses, do their taxes, and know the fine print of their insurance policies.
Many early career women report they struggle with self-esteem issues that set them back, and may feel as though they are impostors in professional settings.
“Many early #career #women report they struggle with self-esteem issues that set them back, and may feel as though they are impostors in professional settings. #impostersyndrome”
Many agree society may set out plenty of superficial and unattainable norms about the way they look, clothes they wear, body shapes, abilities and more. And that these are largely unrealistic and misleading. Social media plays a huge role here too, setting unrealistic expectations by offering a highly filtered “perfect” look at every facet of life, from appearance to goals achieved.
Author Maddy Malhotra writes, “It doesn’t matter if thousands of people believe in you, unless you believe in you.” He suggests it is important to cultivate belief and faith in yourself and have confidence in your capabilities and talents.
Read more in Take The Lead on early career advice from older workers
In a corporate setting, early career workers can cultivate the skill of being assertive with their opinions, ideas, and strategies. Vice President Kamala Harris recently told MSNBC that her advice to early career women is, “One, continue with your ambition and don’t apologize for it.”
“@VP Kamala Harris recently told @MSNBC that her advice to early career women is, “One, continue with your ambition and don’t apologize for it.” #advice #careersuccess”
Forbes recently reports that this demographic is often underrepresented in work settings. But many women starting their careers have valuable input to offer that can aid their employers’ expansion and growth. Being assertive is also an excellent way to be identified for promotions and career advancement opportunities.
Starting off in a career can mean constantly pushing yourself to prove your worth, enjoy life as much as possible, and compete with others in the workplace and beyond. During this rush, it’s easy to forget to look after your health, your body, and your mind. Unfortunately, it can be difficult or even near impossible to reach your goals without being in good health.
Here are five helpful tips to maintain the best path possible during this early career phase.
Stay fit, healthy. Experts suggest following a regular fitness routine, eat healthily within your budget, as Truly reports, and make time for yourself to preserve your mental health. Experts suggest you explore hobbies, invest in your growth and development, and save your time and energy for the things that matter the most to you in life.
Create boundaries. Without boundaries, you cannot safely meet your own needs and those of others without risking burnout, anxiety and resentment. USA Today recently reports that many young women struggle to say no for fear of disappointing or upsetting others, or missing out on opportunities. It’s crucial to bear in mind that if you are being pressured to do something that feels overwhelming, wrong, or uncomfortable, you have every right to assert your boundaries and decline.
Save, invest and plan. According to Very Well Mind, many young people identify as passionate online shoppers and the pandemic has reinforced this. More people than ever before are shopping online. But saving for the future and investing judiciously is a much smarter and more sustainable way of handling finances.
Shipra Baranwal, co-founder and business lead of Live From A Lounge in Mumbai and India, with an MBA from HEC Paris Business School, encourages women to view every expense they face as an investment into their futures. This will ensure financial independence and allow you to cover emergency costs when necessary.
“@ShipraAtALounge, co-founder and business lead of Live From A Lounge in Mumbai and India, with an MBA from HEC Paris Business School, encourages women to view every expense they face as an investment into their futures. This will ensure #financialindependence. ”
Go outside your comfort zone. Stepping outside your comfort zone is one of the most important steps you can take towards success. Take educated risks where you can, and have fun doing so. If you do encounter failures and make mistakes along the way, remain humble and willing to learn from your errors so that you can do better next time.
“Go outside your comfort zone. Stepping outside your comfort zone is one of the most important steps you can take towards #success. Take educated risks where you can, and have fun doing so. #careeradvice”
Follow your passion. If you find an opportunity to do something you are passionate about, grab it. Following your passion will make every day an adventure and make challenges significantly easier to overcome. Ask yourself what you are passionate about. What do you most enjoy reading and learning about? Which topics can you talk about for hours on end? How can you bring this passion into your life in a healthy and sustainable way? Ideally, if you can turn your passion into a profession, you’ll easily earn money doing what you love the most.
Megan Hudson is a content champion for various online publications, often covering a range of business topics from finance for startups to small business accounting tips.