Message to all Millennials: Seven Tips for a Rockin’ Career

I have been in hiatus for the most part of 2018 and this prolonged ‘water stop’ from the rat race gave me a chance to reflect on my ‘yuppie years’ immediately following college graduation. While I cannot travel back in time to share these life lessons to my then fresh-grad self, I’m hoping that my son will read this blog (albeit 15 years down the road) and put some – if not all – of these lessons into good use.

Lesson # 1: Always Show Up.

Remember those days in school when you don’t want to be absent because you feel you will miss an important lesson, or miss the opportunity to bond with your friends? The same principle applies in your professional life.

Treat every day as a special time to become better at your job, get to know your colleagues, help your boss (and in the process, get to know him a little better every day). Yes, this includes after-office activities, company outings, and institutional parties. It may seem optional and unimportant…You may feel it has nothing to do with your JD (Job Description) or your Year-end Appraisal… There will be days when you feel too tired, or have better things to do but trust me, there is a reason for every invitation that you will receive and each presents an invaluable opportunity.

For God to shower you with His amazing graces, you will have to be present to receive it.

I have missed many opportunities because I decided to skip the socializing and go home early. It wasn’t that I did not want to (I am a people person and actually enjoy making friends and good conversations), it was more because I thought I did not need to and I was being selfless in choosing to skip that party to go home and serve my family. Of course our family is and should always be our topmost priority but integrating yourself to the company culture—a big part of which is cultivating good relationships and even forging friendships with your colleagues—will make going to work a lot easier and more fun, than if you “just work” as an outsider of your own team. Aside from gaining friendships and making memories with your bosses and colleagues, being present also fosters trust and reliability and deepens your love for what you do.

Lesson # 2: Be More Health-conscious, Less Fashion-conscious.

Had I known that I could have avoided 80% of my sick days had I chosen to eat more mindfully (instead of following the latest diet craze, skipping meals, eliminating food groups) and exercise more regularly (than enrolling in the latest fitness classes that are just too expensive and complicated to sustain in the long run), I would probably have saved enough cash to go to an all-expenses-paid trip to Maldives with
my husband and son (I am not exaggerating). My many hospitalizations, visits to specialists, lab work ups, not to mention my maintenance medicines and vitamins, all just to bring me back to a state of normal health – could really all have been avoided.

Lesson # 2 sounds simple but will spell the difference in your life. Eat the right food and exercise, not to lose weight or for superficial reasons but to enable you to follow Lesson # 1. Aside from showing up, taking care of our health allows us to be ready to accept God’s graces.

The added benefit of incorporating regular exercise into your schedule is that it serves as a much needed outlet for stress. Stress is (and will always be) part of the game and the best way to beat it is to manage it well. Exercise will give you happy hormones (serotonin and endorphins), increase your energy levels, and boost mental function by improving blood flow to the brain.

Lesson # 3: Begin and end the day in Prayer.

Nothing, yes, nothing else will bring you peace of mind and heart than a total acceptance of the reality that you are exactly where you are meant to be at this point in your life. A big chunk of that heavy feeling of resistance or resentment you feel for having to drag yourself to work every day will be offloaded by accepting this reality. Our God is a living God and He placed you in that situation for His divine purpose. Trust that He is in control.

So start the day by presenting all your things-to-do to God, asking Him for the strength and provision to finish all critical tasks and for His divine intervention to prune away all that’s not meant to be done, tasks which will only distract you from your primary purpose for being where you are. In short, surrender and abandon all your plans at the foot of the Lord, asking for His blessings, and have faith in how your day will unfold, treating both good and bad result, as His divine intervention.

Then at the end of the day, Thank Him for everything that happened, knowing that He has been watching you all day long and supplying all your needs as he deems right and necessary. We all know good quality sleep is needed for optimal brain and body function and deep sleep is only possible with a mind and spirit that is at peace. Surrender the day that was to God every night. It will be a brand new day when you wake up tomorrow. Try this short but very effective prayer:

“Lord, everything that happened today was not my Will, but Yours. I thank you and accept everything that happened, both the good and the bad, knowing that You are in control. Bless me to be still and sleep well tonight, knowing that You alone are God and I am not. Thy Will Be Done. Amen.”

Lesson # 4: Love your boss.

In light of being exactly where you are appointed to be (The key takeaway of Lesson # 3), Trust that your boss has been anointed by God Himself to be your shepherd. Take a moment to let that sink in because it’s true.

“Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you”
Hebrews 13:7

I have been blessed by good and Godly bosses throughout my fourteen years in the corporate world, but I have heard of toxic bosses who drain the life and goodness out of their direct reports. I know that such types exist and this lesson may be harder to practice during those instances. But even during those times, don’t worry. Our God is a merciful and just God. He will move heaven and earth to remove you from that situation if it is not good for you, and not in accordance with His plan. I know this is true because I have seen it happen more than twice. 🙂

Lesson # 5: Follow your passion to cultivate your talent.

I’m more a believer of “Love what you do” than “Do what you love”. I definitely won’t advocate quitting that stable job to follow your passion (unless you have a bank account that can sustain your family’s needs and lifestyle until your retirement). However, I do believe that one must find time for passion projects (known by my generation simply as hobbies). Choose to start that blog or vlog to showcase your writing skills, be a weekend warrior and pursue those golf lessons or badminton training, maybe even be a part-time makeup artist, photographer, or artist. Each one of us has been blessed with a talent. Chances are, these are just hidden or forgotten. In nurturing our God-given gifts, we don’t only show gratitude to our Creator but we will also live a life well lived. After our career, we will be glad we invested time doing what we’re passionate about and reaping the joy that comes from maximizing our talents and not letting these go to waste. You think it can’t be done? Or you don’t have the time to? In our local parlance, we have a saying: “Pag Gusto, may paraan. Pag ayaw, madaming dahilan.” In other words, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Lesson # 6: Saving for the rainy day is not a cliché.

Perhaps my biggest learning is to start saving early. Indeed, it’s true what our parents say that the best time to save is when you are still single (and probably living with them 🙂 ), when the income you earn can still be spent on your wants. Yes this is easier said than done and it will take a high dose of discipline and self-control not to indulge yourself, especially when you feel you “deserve it” after working so hard.

Lucky for today’s yuppies, there are a lot of saving instruments available in the market aside from traditional savings accounts and time deposits offered by banks. Nowadays, we have the option for Variable Universal Life (VUL) plans offered by Insurance companies that basically allows our cash to be invested in stocks or bonds, in a similar manner as a mutual fund, allowing for higher returns depending on market performance.

So when you are approached by Financial Advisors persuading you to trade that daily cup of specialty coffee for an Investment Plan (yes, you will be surprised that the cost is the same), you may want to consider. Treat it as your monthly forced savings for long-term use. Believe me, it will serve you well when unexpected things happen down the road and you will be forced to take a momentary hiatus from the rat race, to tend to your health or other more critical matters (myself as case in point 🙂 ).

Besides, aside from your talents (Lesson #5), that job that you hold now is ultimately a gift from God, including the salary and benefits you receive because of it. Those are God-given resources entrusted to you for your discretion, to bring Him greater glory. I’m pretty sure it wasn’t for that luxury mobile phone, designer bag, or expensive haircut. 😉

And lastly, this is actually more of a given, but just including it here anyway for emphasis…

Lesson # 7: Work hard for that A+

As we’ve all experienced while we were in school, the grade reflected on our report card is a result of the effort we put in during the school year. A so-so effort will result in a so-so grade of C+ or B. Giving a subject your 100% will give you an A+. Of course it’s not the end all and be all, and being the Subject Matter Expert (SME) of your Job Scope at work will not guarantee your rating as a high performer because out in the real world, your Key Results Area (KRA) will have non-controllable components such as market preference, competitive landscape, budget constraints or policy changes, not to mention the reality that you will be amidst other go-getters who will also be putting in their 100% and pushing that bell curve to their advantage. Nevertheless, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by working your ass off trying. At the very least, you will come out of it as a better person, and that alone would make all the hard work worthwhile.

If you will only have one takeaway from this article, I do hope that it is this. Please remember that “Your life (and all the opportunities, closed doors, talents, even people you meet) is God’s gift to you. What you do with your life is your gift back to God.” (quote loosely paraphrased from Leo Buscaglia) Make every day count. ♥