5 Things I Thought I Knew at 22 That Turned Out to Be Totally Wrong

•

Jun. 30, 2015

• •

5
Things I Thought I Knew
at 22 That Turned Out to Be
@annhandley
TOTALLYTOTALLY
WRONGWRONG

I like to think I was thoughtful and
professional, eager but measured,
when I was 22.

The truth is that I was impatient
and usually felt inadequate.

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5 Things I Thought I Knew at 22 That Turned Out to Be Totally Wrong

Jun. 30, 2015

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Here are 5 things I thought I knew at 22 that turned out to be totally wrong about a professional career (and life).

Ann Handley Keynote Author

Author of "Everybody Writes" and "Content Rules," Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs

Here are 5 things I thought I knew at 22 that turned out to be totally wrong about a professional career (and life).

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5 Things I Thought I Knew at 22 That Turned Out to Be Totally Wrong

5 Things I Thought I Knew at 22 That Turned Out to Be @annhandley TOTALLYTOTALLY WRONGWRONG
I like to think I was thoughtful and professional, eager but measured, when I was 22.
The truth is that I was impatient and usually felt inadequate.
Uncomfortable. Skeptical. Clueless.
Here are five things I thought I knew then that turned out to be totally wrong.
1 At some point, you’ll be competent.
1 At some point, you’ll be competent. Nope.
"To stand still is to fall behind." —Mark Twain
In truth...
In truth... The more you master, the more you realize you don’t know.
The more you understand challenges, the more you challenge yourself to learn more.
The more you hone your skills, the sharper still you want to make them.
2 At some point, you’ll be rewarded for your hard work.
2 At some point, you’ll be rewarded for your hard work. Nope.
Recognition is like viral marketing: a happy accident, not a goal.
In truth...
Not only is it unlikely that anyone else will reward you, but the very notion of anticipating some kind of recognition is both folly and a little childish. In truth...
The only validation that ultimately means anything is the satisfaction of knowing that you did the best you could on something that matters.
3 At some point, you won’t have to work so hard.
3 At some point, you won’t have to work so hard. Nope.
"You learn the value of hard work by working hard." —Margaret Mead
In truth...
If you aren’t working hard, you probably don’t care a whole lot about what you’re working on. In truth...
You never stop giving it your all.
4 At some point, you’ll realize your fate.
4 At some point, you’ll realize your fate. Nope.
"Destiny is for losers. It’s just a stupid excuse to wait for things to happen instead of making them happen." —Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl)
"Destiny is for losers. It’s just a stupid excuse to wait for things to happen instead of making them happen." —Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl)That's it. That's the truth.
5 At some point, you’ll always be right.
5 At some point, you’ll always be right. Nope.
But guess what?
But guess what? Being wrong —at least once in a while— is surprisingly awesome.
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