Business – Dear 20-year-old me

Bite off more than you can chew and then learn to chew. That is the headline. You are standing at the front edge of a dozen possible careers, a dozen friendships, a dozen crazy ideas. You do not need permission. Jump first, figure it out in motion, and keep your promises. The secret I only learned at 40 is that no one really feels ready. We are all making it up day by day. The difference with age is we get more comfortable doing it that way.

Right now your overheads are low. That is a superpower. Use quiet patches and long summers to stack experience. Offer to help, even if there is no invoice yet. Show people what you can do. Bring a sample, not a pitch. If a business you like is hiring, send them a one-pager that solves a real problem you can see from the outside. You are not “working for free,” you are buying an education at a discount and building a reputation that pays back for years.

Choose work that stretches you. Say yes to the job that scares you because it requires a new tool, a new industry, or a new room of people. Work in steps with sign-offs. Week one, deliver the small version. Week three, deliver the real thing. If you fail, fail in public and be the first to write the lessons down. You will be shocked how many doors open for the person who owns their mistakes and keeps moving.

Network like a decent human. Be curious. Ask good questions. Follow up once. Then add value without being asked. Introduce two people who should know each other. Send a short note after you read something useful. Your 20s are about building the list of people who will take your call in your 30s.

Money matters, but pace yourself. Take the job that pays enough and teaches a lot. Live cheap on purpose so you can choose interesting work over the tidy option. When you do get paid, keep a little runway. Six weeks of costs in the bank is the difference between playing scared and playing free.

You will look at older people and assume they have it sorted. They do not. That is not a worry, it is permission. Nobody is watching you as closely as you think. Most people are busy thinking about themselves. So volunteer to lead. Put your hand up. Ask with initiative.

Last thing. Swim in the deep end, but learn how to float. Rest is part of progress. When in doubt, choose action, choose kindness, and keep your word. Do that for a decade, and you will wake up with a career you respect and a community that backs you.

Love, me.