The other day, my boss sent around an article from the Harvard Business Review, Turning 60: The Twelve Most Important Lessons I’ve Learned So Far.

I decided to overlook the fact that I have just gotten over the shock of officially being in my late twenties and consider some life lessons I’ve experienced in my 27 short years.

  1. People change – embrace it. Our twenties are a turbulent time. We go from college students, to young professionals to, in some cases, husbands or wives. We HAVE to change to survive! In just ten short years, we experience such major life changes that we must embrace how we change and how those we love change. One of life’s biggest challenges is understanding that we can’t keep life as it is or people as they are. We have to understand that people are meant to grow and change. Guess that is why they call it growing up!
  2. Your job may not be your career. Post graduation, a job is everything. After four years (maybe five or six, this is a judgement-free zone) of studying for the real world, I finally made my entrance. Guess what? It wasn’t all that grand! I jumped around from PR to Events to Marketing and never stopped questioning along the way. Even now, I am incredibly happy in my job, but I am not sure that it is going to be my career. Don’t expect each job to be your life’s purpose. A job is something you do, not who you are. Keep your long-term goals in mind and view each job as a stepping stone to achieving them.
  3. Appreciate everything. The good, the bad, the ugly; they all have an impact. Life moves on before we know it, all that we’ll have left is memories of that time when. Savor every moment. Appreciate every person, thing and occurrence. Regardless of how big or small, they all matter.
  4. Always consider perspective. Your perspective is your reality. Sometimes, all that is needed is a shift in perspective to view a situation or circumstance in a whole new light. You have the power to determine what kind of impact you let things have on your life.

Still contemplating? Here are Tony Schwartz’s life lessons from the article in the Harvard Business Review:

  1. The more we know about ourselves, the more power we have to behave better.
  2. Notice the good.
  3. Let go of certainty.
  4. Never seek your value at the expense of someone else’s.
  5. Do the most important thing first int he morning and you’ll never have an unproductive day.
  6. It’s possible to be excellent at anything, but nothing valuable comes easy and discomfort is part of growth.
  7. The more behaviors you intentionally make automatic in your life, the more you’ll get done.
  8. Slow down.
  9. The feeling of having enough is magical.
  10. 10. Do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, and don’t expect anything in return.
  11. Add more value in the world than you’re using up.
  12. Savor every moment – even the difficult ones. It all goes so fast.