top of page
Front & Center - Logo

Things We Wish We Knew In Our Teens and Twenties (And Are Glad We Know Now)

Writer's picture: Mary Beth HendersonMary Beth Henderson

The gals of Front & Center said adieu to 2017 without much fanfare, and by 12:01 on January 1st were already knee deep in both quiet and raging reflection. (You know us – calm, cool, collected on the outside while approximately one million gears are turning at different speeds on the inside. Some to overlapping musical scores.) What we didn’t realize was that we were also soon to be nearly knee deep in snow. In Charleston. For days. Like an awkward house guest who doesn’t know when to take a hint and leave, it lingered.


Once we were finally able to get back to our CrossFit box (for our regularly scheduled release of endorphins) and were enjoying some sense of normalcy, we did some reflection on our cabin fever reflection. (Have you seen Inception? We have, too. This is sort of like that, only we aren’t getting ourselves in to any crazy sort of sleep-danger by exploring.) This reflection on reflection on reflection produced some pretty wondrous results in the way of personal and professional cheerleading and thought leadership; all of which we'd (finally, after much synthesis) like to share with you today. Look at us using all of our tiny, sometimes misfiring gears for good instead of evil!


We feel that this collective of advice and best practices is best summed up by our blog title Things We Wish We Knew In Our Teens and Twenties (And Are Glad We Know Now). If you could use a little Monday pep-talk, read on! (We could always use one, and you bet your bottom dollar it will also involve generous helpings of quiche. In fact, Mary Beth is quiche-ing as you read this.)


Disclaimer: We are in our 30s and still trying to things out, but we are closer than ever before!

  1. Be unapologetically you. Even if you are still finding out who that is.

  2. Confidence is sexy. Trust us on this one.

  3. Know what isn’t sexy? Excuses. Don’t make them. Hear someone you care about making them? Call them on it and challenge them to be better.

  4. Your major doesn’t matter. Be curious and learn everything you can and you will go far.

  5. Everyone tries to think outside the box. Deconstruct the box. Look at the spaces in between.

  6. Trust your gut. Spoiler alert – it is right.

  7. Don’t hide your dreams. Talk about them until you make them a reality.

  8. Fake it ‘till you make it. Don’t know what you are doing? Act like you do anyway.

  9. Learn how to sell yourself and your ideas.

  10. Be flexible. Titles and checked boxes (personally and professionally) will come. Not everything renders in black and white.

  11. Execution is everything. Stop strategizing and start doing.

  12. Connect with people, because it does take a village. Don’t be a martyr.

  13. Create an active lifestyle. Your health and longevity are worth it.

  14. Spend time alone and learn to love it.

  15. Don’t give away your power to others. It is sacredly yours, now and always.

  16. When in doubt, make the effort. It is easier to look back and say you tried instead of look back and regret not trying.

  17. Fail. If you haven’t failed, you haven’t tried hard enough.

  18. Bank 2,000 percent on your strengths. Figure out what you are good at and cultivate those skills.

  19. Calculated risk taking? ALL DAY.

  20. If you don’t know what to say, be silent. The words will eventually come.

  21. End relationships that are anything short of awesome. There are 7.5 billion people in the world. You deserve awesome and it is statistically proven that you can get it.

  22. Under promise and over deliver.

  23. You’re not losing friends. You’re finding out who the real ones are.

  24. If you want to move somewhere new, do it now.

  25. Do what you want to do. Be a little selfish. Better to do it now than later.

If you enjoy a good pep talk and want to get to know us better, let's chat. We'd love to hear about your wildly important goals and how we can help you reach them!

36 views0 comments

Comments


bottom of page