As we look to enter a new year filled with promise, it’s often important to take a look back. Typically, we look at the year we’ve just ended and think of all the things we want to improve. But what if you could look even farther back? I bet there are lessons you have learned over the past 10+ years that have helped you get where you are and could be applied for a successful 2012. In an effort to capture this, we’re going back to our teenage days. A few successful businesswomen are reflecting on what they wish they knew as teenagers and how it can effect their businesses moving forward. Please feel free to share your story in the comments or on my blog! Just email me – liz@lizkingevents.com!
@ExecutiveOasis
With Jamaican school teacher parents, definitely I received loads of advice:
- pay attention to your school work
- if a thing is worthwhile doing it’s worth doing well
- aim high – if you aim for the rooftop you may land on the ground, if you aim for the sky, you may land on the rooftoop
They also taught me that books are more important than boys. My father told me to never go alone to a man’s apartment or get in his car and by all means, don’t even think about getting pregnant until you’re married.
My aunt told me to always bring your own taxi fare when you go out on a date. It’s good advice even for corporate gigs. A couple of times, I have been at the other end of the earth and something went wrong. My transfers never showed up. It’s happened in Abu Dhabi, Cairo and Oman. It always pays to have a back-up plan.
This was good advice and I have used a lot of it throughout my life both personally and professionally. Now that I have raised a teenager, I assure you, I have passed all of this advice on to him.
Even with all of this great advice, I wish I had known a number of things. I wish I had known that:
- some opportunities come but once so you’d better grab them
- good times don’t last forever so save for a rainy day
- rainy days don’t go on indefinitely so don’t give up
- it may take you a lot longer to fulfill your dreams but, if you hang in there, you’ll see and accomplish more than you’ve ever dreamed of
- colour really does matter …. and some people just can’t see past it but it’s their problem, don’t make it yours
I wish I had known:
- all the places I would travel…(I would have taken time to learn Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic.)
- there are always options – you’ll see them clearly in hindsight so look a lot harder for them in the present.
- the importance of getting links from .edu and .gov domain.
The beauty is that life isn’t over and we can carry all of these lessons with us as we move forward to a new day.
Anne Thornley-Brown is the President of Toronto based, Executive Oasis International, specializing in team buiding and corporate event planning in Canada, Jamaica, Dubai, and Malaysia.
