Take a look at this picture…
That’s me when I was 19.
I was a mess back then…
I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life…
I didn’t understand business…
Or relationships…
Or even who I was…
Now that I’m 39, if I could go back to that day and give young Justin some advice…
Here’s what I’d say…
– When it comes to making money, focus on one thing until you’re good at it. Whether that’s copywriting, Facebook ads, SEO or whatever. Don’t hop around from idea to idea. Get really damn good at one thing.
– Find a mentor. Do whatever it takes. Work for free if you have to. Find someone who is doing what you want to do, and learn everything you can from them. This is the quickest way to learn.
– Consistently invest the money you’re making into acquiring more skills that will increase your income. This is the best investment you can make when you’re young.
– Don’t try to be a lone wolf. Meet other people in business, and become friends with them. You’ll get a lot further being friends with people than you will if you see them as “enemies”.
– Understand that making money is great, but it won’t ever fill the hole inside you. Money won’t do it, women won’t do it, buying nice cars won’t do it. All those things can make your life more enjoyable, but if you’re looking for those things to fix you, and make you feel better about yourself, they never will.
– A lot of people are going to try to get you to go into the traditional route of school -> marriage -> kids -> house. If that appeals to you, then by all means, do it. But don’t let others dictate what you do. Find the path that works for you.
– The people closest to you will probably have the least faith in you as an entrepreneur. You’ll expect them to support you and encourage you, but many times they’ll be the most negative about your new venture. It sucks, but you just have to have faith in yourself and keep going
– Once you start making some money, do NOT increase your lifestyle expenses at the same time. Keep your expenses at the same level, and allow yourself to save up some money. If your expenses keep going up as your income increases, you’ll wind up making $200k a year and living paycheck to paycheck.
– Allow yourself to be who you really are. You don’t have to wear a “mask” all the time. You don’t have to hide who you are. If you want to have real connections with people, you need to let them see the real you (flaws and all).
I’m sure I could add more to this…
But off the top of my head, I think that’s some good advice that would have helped 19-year old Justin.
I’m not sure he would understand all of it…
But it’d be good for him to hear…
Hope this was helpful…
And you got a nugget or two from it…
If you had to give one piece of advice to your 19-year old self, what would that be?
Feel free to hit “reply” and share it with me.
I’d love to hear it…
– Justin
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