What If the Path to Success Is the Wrong Path?
I spent the last few weekends visiting old friends and my two daughters in college.
One daughter has a full-time job lined up after graduation. She's thrilled!
The other is exploring a creative career and wondering what her future will look like.
One has a clear path. The other doesn't know yet.
It got me thinking.
Are we teaching our kids how to succeed or just how to follow a path?
When I graduated from UC Berkeley, I dreamed of working on Wall Street.
Instead, I landed in financial planning at The Walt Disney Company.
Not exactly my dream job!
I hustled, networked, and eventually made it to Wall Street.
But here's what I wish I'd known.
I spent years trying to fit in, hiding the parts of my childhood I was embarrassed about.
Growing up with financial insecurity, helping my mother pay bills, becoming too responsible, and therefore risk-averse at such a young age.
It took a midlife crisis to realize those experiences had given me some of my greatest strengths and my source of what makes me unique.
- I was a good observer.
- I understood money.
- I knew how to figure things out.
What I thought were weaknesses were actually my superpowers.
Had I understood that earlier,
- I might have been more authentic,
- asked for help,
- listened better, and
- worried less about what other people thought.
But these hard lessons and mistakes set me up for who I am today.
So here's what I'd tell my younger self, and my daughters:
- Don't be embarrassed by what makes you different. It could be your greatest strength or alpha.
- Don't be afraid of uncertainty. Every opportunity is experience.
- Get over yourself and admit when you need help.
- And don't confuse following a path with finding your own.
If you want to be wildly successful, you have to be willing to be wildly unusual.
Sometimes the path you least expect becomes the best way forward.
Tiffany Kent
Your Friendly Wealth Engagement Guide
Disclosure: For informational purposes only. This material reflects general views and is not individualized investment, legal, or tax advice. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Wealth Engagement LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser; registration does not imply a particular level of skill or training.
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