Successful People Share: Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 22

Aside from graduating, what were you up to when you were 22 years old?

If you’re at that point in your life, whatever it is you’re doing, the time is now to do something your future self will be thankful for.

Even if you are young and have lots of room to make mistakes, it’s never going to hurt to apply some topnotch advice from the best personalities in business and other fields. Most likely if you’re this age, you’re a fresh graduate in need of all the help you can get to plant positive seeds this early in your journey. For sure, listening to people who’ve gone through what you’re going through will lessen those “I wish you knew then what I know now” moments.

One unexpected place to get such advice is LinkedIn. As featured in a Business Insider article by Jacquelyn Smith, Kathleen Elkins and Rachel Sugar, the business-oriented social networking service asked successful thought leaders, “Influencers,” the valuable lessons they wished they had known at the ripe age of 22. Hindsight is always 20/20 so take heed. Make sure some lessons stay with you. Here are five of them:

Personal finance expert Suze Orman: It’s okay to take time to figure out what you want.

At 22, Orman spent her first years working as a waitress. After seven years of that, she proceeded to land a job as a stock broker trainee when she turned 30. Though she does not recommend 22 year-olds to take that much time to figure out what they want to do, she advises they take the sufficient time and space to decide what they want to do. Orman is grateful for her experiences and shares that she would never trade it for anything else since it is a testament that things eventually work out better than expected.

Croatian-born Canadian businessman, investor, and media personality Robert Herjavec: Dream bigger

Herjavec felt his 22 year-old self didn’t dream big enough. He calls this the reason why he couldn’t figure out how to translate his creativity into something tangible. To translate unique skills into work he was passionate is something he wished he figured out earlier. For bosses, he advises investing in young people who show they can dream big dreams. Dreams, for Herjavec, are portals to discovering what one is passionate about as well as success.

Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post: There’s enough time for the important things in life.

Brian Andreas’ quote, “Everything changed the day she figured out there was exactly enough time for the important things in her life,” showed Huffington the value of making time and space for the important things in life. She imagines how her life would have turned out much better if she heard that quote when she was 22. Often, she says, people go through their day experiencing “time famine” – being stressed out and frazzled due to feeling rushed. Huffington believes that its opposite – “time affluence” or having enough/surplus time – is possible.  Redefine your meaning of success by making time for what matters the most to you in the big picture.

Jet.com CEO Marc Lore: Money isn’t everything

After graduating from college, Lore looked to get a good-paying job, eventually landing one at Banker’s Trust. As he made his living in the banking industry, he realized the industry’s chief motivating factor was “personal financial gain”. Thus, he measured his career by the amount of money he was achieving and the opportunities he was landing. It was a heart attack scare that made him realize his journey towards the top was hollow and devoid of fulfillment. After, he left the banking industry to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur. Success, according to Lore, is about focusing on what you can give, and the impact you have on others. At 22, he made the mistake of looking at his job based on what he could get out of it.

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson: Everyone deserves a second chance

Branson believes everyone should be given a second chance to show their capabilities to change, learn, and grow. Be the person who embraces the possibility of change, both in yourself and in others, he advises. Past mistakes, he says, must not define the person.

Director of Design for Jaguar Cars Ian Callum: Work 10% harder than everyone else

Callum encourages people to go the extra mile. This is his formula: giving the extra 10% of effort makes a 100% difference. Having a good work ethic can bring you more than the desired results. It all boils down to having the patient, positive belief that results will eventually arrive even if it may not seem that way. Callum suggests that a constant and unwavering work ethic makes it happen.

Which of these valuable pieces of advice are you raring to apply in your job search and work life? Share them in the comments below! And of course, be inspired in your everyday life and to do your best daily with these great lessons in tow.

*Photo of Suze Orman from LinkedIn Pulse