If I Were 22

Graduation season is upon us. I recently stumbled across a series called "If I Were 22," where more than 80 top LinkedIn influencers shared advice from their youth. I was inspired by their words and wanted to share some of my favorite tidbits of advice from one of the influencers, Guy Kawasaki, Chief Evangelist at Canva:

"Be brief. Contrary to school, in the work place there are few minimums. In my entire career, I can count on one hand the instances when an email, presentation, or report was too short. The perfect length for everything is when it is “complete”—more is less, and “shock and awe” doesn’t work in business or war. Here are guidelines: email—five sentences; presentations—tens slides and twenty minutes; report—one page.

"Enjoy your family and friends before they are gone. Nothing--not money, power, or fame--can replace your family and friends or bring them back once they are gone. You probably have delusions of immortality right now—that’s natural. At least consider that while you may be immortal, those around you are not.

"One more thing. When you were a child, you thought your parents were always right. Through high school and college, you thought your parents were always wrong. After college, you’ll realize that your parents were often right. And then, believe it or not, you’ll eventually become your parents. Wrap your young mind around that...."

Read the full piece here.

The series also caused me to reflect on what I would write if given the same prompt. Those who know me know I'm not much older than 22 myself, but a lot can change in a year. My best advice to new graduates entering the "real world" is to take life in stride. Take work seriously, and work really, really hard. But, when you're off the clock, go enjoy life. The best years of your life don't have to end when college does. Don't turn down an opportunity to meet new people or go somewhere you've never been because you're afraid of the unknown. Never stop learning or growing. This is just the beginning.