How I'd Re-do My 20s if I had a 2nd Chance [Thread]

Last week, @TirzahMJ asked those of us in our 30s what advice we had for those of you in your 20s. I'm expanding on that today.

#30DaysofThreads #R1D19

(Yes, that is Silas).

CERTS & SKILLS > PARTYING

I partied A LOT in my 20s. I was lost, had no idea what I wanted to do, and didn't know the things I know now about tech.

I would definitely learn to code and rack up on tech certs.

I'd also enroll at WGU & grab a tech degree (comes w/ certs too)

Why? Options! Always have options. You open more doors for yourself with certs, a degree with a positive ROI, etc.

I don't have a degree & there are some convos I'm not even considered for because of that. That's annoying.

Use this time & energy wisely.

SAVE, SAVE, SAVE

One of the best things you could do *right now* is book a money consult with @capital_sb & then IMPLEMENT it.

There's nothing I bought in my 20s that I remember or am using now, outside of education & coaching.

Think about that.

Make sure to follow @blankspacedj and @XaviercMiller and do some rounds of #StackSeason.

Strengthening your discipline will help you in many areas of your life.

DECREASE EXPENSES, INCREASE INCOME

I'm not a high-risk person. I lean towards stability instead of risk it all

Keep your day job, increase your salary and benefits. If that's not possible, skill up & go elsewhere.

This is insane but I'd probably do this:

M-F: Work 9-5
Mon-Thurs: Use those evenings to code, cert, or take classes
Fri-Sun night: Job w/ tips
Sat-Sun AM: Cert, studying, do 1 social thing, 1 networking thing

Toss in exercise & good sleep.

TRAVEL!

Save money but travel? Yeah.

Follow @jasminexETH and @55mmbae, they have all the travel deal info.

Reward yourself with travel for your hard work.

Traveling, imo, makes you a better person.

READING > NETFLIX

Every time you want to login to Netflix, pick up a book.

Business. Mindset. Storytelling. Marketing. Anything!

WAIT TO HAVE KIDS

My personal opinion, have them if you want.

I won't say having a kid held me back, it just forced me to move very different and more efficiently.

BUT I had something to move different & efficiently with, my business.

I would have waited until I was 30 th

START A SIDE HUSTLE ASAP

Having one stream of income is too risky.

Not sure what to do? Follow #30DaysofThreads and schedule time to go through there and take notes & decide action steps.

There's so much info online for getting started in anything, stop bs'ing.

If you're scared, nervous... so what? Push through that!

Not having options & "fck you" money is scarier.

AS FAR AS BUSINESS

Start building your personal brand now.

Everything should ultimately get people on your email list where you can then provide value and make offers.

Create valuable content daily. That's your portfolio.

There's a lot you can do with an audience.

Remember, we like options.

With an audience, you have these options:
- consult calls
- digital products & courses
- events
- affiliate
- service business

You can then leverage the capital from your day job and side hustles to fund the more long-term plays that

@joshthedavid @B_REInvest @AoverK @stunlovesyou talk about.

If you missed Stun's stuff, sorry. It's gone now lol.

BEING A STUDENT > BEING A HATER

If someone is doing better than you or doing something different, study them!

Being a hater is expensive.

Becoming a student is invaluable.

Take what's applicable or interesting and run with it.

DON'T RUSH INTO RELATIONSHIPS

I'm still learning this lesson and I'll be 31 in March!

This is probably just a note to self.

There's beauty in saying no to a relationship and yes to a friendship.

Don't get distracted. You come first, always.

Learn to enjoy being alone and enjoying your own company.

Learn to love and be happy with yourself.

Take care of yourself!

That's all the advice I have for you today.

If you're 30+, add your own!

If you’re enjoying my threads and advice, make sure to sign up for my email list: http://learnwithari.com/twitter-email-list

I’ll be sharing there that won’t be on Twitter (personal systems, templates, advice, etc).

[/END]

I also want to add, if you're also a Black woman and intend on having kids, PLEASE focus on your bag and yourself first!

I'm not going to get into the stats of Black women & kids but do everything possible to set yourself up for success so you're an exception & not a statistic.

When I got pregnant, I already knew I had to prepare and accept that there's a good chance I needed to be ready to do it on my own.

Luckily, I was in a position to do so as far as finances, business savvy, and network.

If you're already a Black mother, I'm going to start making

some resources and collaborating with other Black business mothers to get y'all some good info.