My Advice for Success at Work and in Life

I am grateful for the opportunity to share some of my experiences with younger women just starting out in their careers and trying to navigate the workplace and their lives. Here are three pieces of advice that have kept my life on a positive course and helped me achieve success:

1) Know your values and never compromise: This applies to both your professional and personal life. On a personal note, clearly know what type of friend, employee, leader, or partner you want to be; then live by those values. Know what you are willing to negotiate in a relationship and what the deal breakers are, and stick to that. Your core values will probably not change much over time; however, your behavior and choices can adjust to reflect your values over time.

“Open your arms to change but don’t let go of your values.” –The 14th Dalai Lama

2) Learn to embrace change: There are two kinds of change you will experience in your life—unexpected and planned. Typically, we are a lot more comfortable with the planned change, feeling more in control and empowered. The unexpected change sometimes feels as if “it” is being done to us and could bring about fear, resulting in resistance. How you decide to approach unexpected change can make the experience much more positive. I’m not saying all changes are good or that you will ultimately want to accept a particular change, but take your time in evaluating your options and understand the outcome of proposed changes before you resist. Unexpected change can also help you develop resilience and strength of character, because it often forces you into uncomfortable and unfamiliar situations.

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.” –Charles Darwin

3) Giving back: I guarantee that giving back to others will have a profound impact on your personal and professional life. Research shows a 20 percent decrease in the mortality rate among volunteers compared to non-volunteers. Volunteering can be a great way to gain work experience and learn new skills, while giving back. Volunteering, whether by performing acts of kindness or building houses for those less fortunate, strengthens our communities, brings people together, and provides us with valuable experience and insight.

Best of luck on your journey!