Although I’m still keeping the Young in YoungMoneyFinance, I feel like I’m becoming more MiddleAgedMoneyFinance, having been out of college for almost a decade. It’s been an incredible journey and I’ve had a blast throughout. There have been ups and downs but I feel very happy and very blessed. I’ve had 4 jobs since graduating, bought 2 houses, gotten married, rolled over retirement plans, had my car stolen, had a kid and gotten a few raises to name a few things I’ve been busy with. Although I’m certainly no expert in life, I do feel like I’ve learned a few things worthy of sharing! 

Dream big 

I always say that it’s important to have dreams and to know where you want to go in life, because if you don’t know where you’re going you’ll certainly never get there! As I’ll get into in the next section, big plans rarely work out as intended but it’s still good to make them!

For me, I had a goal to advance in my career and grow professionally through learning new skills and through promotions. I also wanted to increase my earning through raises. Mrs. Money and I knew that we wanted to be homeowners and one day have children. Having big dreams is so important, otherwise you won’t push yourself to achieve them and remain stagnant in your life. I saw a sign that said, “it costs you nothing to dream but everything not to”. 

Figure out what’s important to you in your own life and dream big for what you want to accomplish!

Go with the flow

Life rarely turns out as we dreamed or planned for, but sometimes that’s for the best. I look back on my own life and reflect how things always seemed to work out and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I’ve learned that life will sometimes give you lemons and it’s important to make lemonade out of it. Unintended, sometimes bad things will occur, but you need to bounce back from them. If life knocks you down, get back up! Having my car stolen really sucked, but it ended up getting me a fair value cash out for my totaled vehicle (it was recovered) and I ended up getting an electric car which was pretty sweet. Getting acquired by a private equity firm known for deep cuts wasn’t fun, but it led me to start looking for new jobs which landed me my current awesome job! 

I’ve found that some of my biggest times of growth came in more of the difficult times in my life. Don’t be afraid of change and be reactive and flexible, because life is too hard not to be!

Leverage jobs

Along with dreaming big and forming plans, I’ve found great success leveraging jobs, with one leading to a more successful one. It’s important to think strategically about your career and take opportunities when they come. I’ve been in healthcare for a number of years and leveraged my experience in one to the next. Subsequent jobs were with firms that had a growing healthcare space and needed people with experience, experience that I had and was able to bring to the table! 

You are valuable and your knowledge and experience is a great addition to any team. Learn to spot opportunities and advance your career. 

Enjoy the ride 

Life is way too short to work so hard that you don’t enjoy it, or to stress too much. Life will throw you curveballs but with a positive attitude and being flexible, you’ll get through it, not only surviving, but also thriving! Find a work schedule that works for you – one that allows you to still enjoy friends and family. Have hobbies, eat out (within reason), go on trips…enjoy your money because you can’t take it to the grave with you! Although I save/invest a fair amount of my money, I do still have plenty of money in the “fun” and “travel” buckets, and fully spend them! 

Life is what you make it, so make sure as best you can you’re always living your best life! What about you, what life lessons have you learned in your time as a young professional?