Four questions to make your 20s count

"The 30s are the new 20s." Perhaps this is a statement that you are familiar with...maybe one that you take refuge in. For some reason - possibly in response to a delay in societal milestones or the fact that people are living longer - there is a new tendency to consider the 20s a decade that "doesn't count;" an extension of adolescence.

This, according to Meg Jay's white-hot TED talk, is dangerous. And we are doing 20-somethings a disservice by perpetuating this belief, one that fails to recognize the 20s as a "developmental sweet-spot" with significant consequences in terms of one's personal life and career. 

If you are a 20-something reading this or have one in your life, allow yourself/themselves to spend some time with these questions to open up clarity and purpose in their professional lives:

Who am I becoming as a professional? This question gets to the heart of your choices, actions, and state of being. It forces you to consider how what you are doing now is molding you for the future. When you answer this question, how does the response make you feel? Pay attention to these emotions and feelings; they can guide you to new areas of growth and exploration.

What am I willing/unwilling to change? When I work with clients, there is inevitably a hesitancy on their part to truly stand in the career decisions they make and the professionals that they want to become. This question asks - with openness and authenticity - what you will and will not compromise on, and to own it with genuineness and confidence.

What is the decision I have been avoiding? A great question to hone in on those decisions that you know would be best for you but you struggle following through on. Why are you struggling? What is the cost of avoiding this decision? More strong questions to provide clarity for your career.

What legacy do I want to leave? Our time is impermanent and this question gets at the heart of how we want others to benefit from the work that we put in while we were here.

Your 20s are an incredible time of career growth and intentional life-exploration. Sit with these questions and claim your 20s for the important and substantive time that they are. 

Want to Change your Career and Life? Change your Perception.

Have you ever met someone who has a totally different perception of a person or situation than you do? Often if we have formed an opinion of a person, when we meet someone whose opinion differs from our own, we dismiss their perception as wrong. What if you are the one who is wrong?

John Moore said "Your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception - do not confuse them with "facts" or "truth." Wars have been fought and millions have been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that everybody has a different viewpoint." This concept applies to people as well as it applies to situations.

Often, we find ourselves wanting to change careers, leave a job, or work for a different boss simply because our perception is skewed. Ask yourself, did you have a realistic perception of what the job would be like when you accepted the position? Before you make a change, you must define the root cause of your discomfort. Here are some tips to broaden your career perspective in order to make decisions that are based in fact.

• Ask yourself why you believe what you believe. For example, if you are feeling that you are too old to make a career change, you will never have the courage to make a change because of the perception you have of your limitations. Chances are you have bought into a societal rule or a common opinion regarding age in your family. as opposed to the truth of the situation.

• Remove the limitations that have been imposed on you by society, your family, your previous boss, or any one of the number of voices in your head telling you that you can't do it.

• Make sure your expectations and perceptions are based in reality. If you fantasize about a new job coming along to "save" you from a job you dislike, you are probably glorifying what that new job can do for you.

• Before rushing to judgment about a person, put yourself in their shoes. Does your boss yell at you because they are so stressed and under so much pressure that they need an outlet? Possibly they are yelling because they need an outlet for the stress they are experiencing due to the fact that their father is dying of cancer.

• Take time to be introspective. When you have a strong opinion or belief, take time to evaluate the "why" behind the opinion to determine whether or not you need to revise your stance.