This was a picture of me taken 2 years ago.

Yes – I am on top of a volcano.

Yes – I am about to slide down that volcano on a janky wooden board.

& Yes – I am having the time of life in Nicaragua.

It was a magical time of adventure, freedom, and a careful disregard for entering this thing called the, “real world.”

But what a new and fascinating journey it has been since those days! 2 years has flown right by, speeding past as quickly as my descent down that dust and dirt filled mountain of Cerro Negro.

My life has truly changed since then and I can only ponder in positive expectancy for what’s to come. But it’s in these moments of introspection where I can take time to just pause and think more deeply about the bigger picture of it all.

On this particular night, my mind wanders about the mind itself.

What mindsets have I developed over these past 2 years whilst in the “real world?” 

What has the Employee in me taught me about this life? 

And how can I become a better version of myself moving forward in these next couple years? 

I attempt to answer those questions here with:

3 Mindsets That’s Helped Me Find Success As A Recent Grad

1. Building Habits For My Mid-Twenties Starts Now

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle 

We’ve heard this quote before but I think it’s worth to hear it again. Like investing, how we decide to allocate our time/focus/energy/emotions/etc. now will gradually (assuming you’re playing the blue chip + ETFs + mutual fund game), see its returns later – which in this case, is our mid-twenties.

It might not make sense now and we might not see the results right away, but if Aristotle’s quote stands true, we can have faith that we’ll just be that much of a better version of ourselves than what we know and see now.

And this goes for good habits AND bad habits.

I can only wonder how different my habits would be now if I made conscious decisions back in my high school days to say NO to “Senioritis.” Thankfully, I’ve slowly buried those consuming weeds to allow new buds to grow. 🙂

2. Never Stop Learning & Learning To Learn

“Educating yourself does not mean that you were stupid in the first place; it means that you are intelligent enough to know that there is plenty left to learn.” – Melanie Joy.

The power of Google searching “how to’s” became very apparent to me at an earlier age…although those how to’s fell more into the realm of book shortcuts and quick answers to tough math questions.

Regardless- by utilizing and understanding the explosive potential of the Internet, and all the educational resources that comes FREELY attached, I’ve found something valuable in my own confidence and ability to learn, anything.

As a Technical Recruiter in the heart of Silicon Valley, my work requires constant education in understanding the complexities of web applications, mobile development, data storage, etc as well as modern methodologies to find the most talented and motivated engineers. By developing a genuine sense of curiosity and hungriness to learn and understand, any subject – whether it’s for work or for pleasure becomes just that much easier to digest and to enjoy.

3. Saying No To Your Lizard Brain 

From Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable on the lizard brain:

“The lizard brain is hungry, scared, angry, and horny.

The lizard brain only wants to eat and be safe.

The lizard brain will fight (to the death) if it has to, but would rather run away. It likes a vendetta and has no trouble getting angry.

The lizard brain cares what everyone else thinks, because status in the tribe is essential to its survival.

A squirrel runs around looking for nuts, hiding from foxes, listening for predators, and watching for other squirrels. The squirrel does this because that’s all it can do. All the squirrel has is a lizard brain.

The only correct answer to ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ is ‘Because it’s lizard brain told it to.’ Wild animals are wild because the only brain they posses is a lizard brain.

The lizard brain is not merely a concept. It’s real, and it’s living on the top of your spine, fighting for your survival. But, of course, survival and success are not the same thing.

The lizard brain is the reason you’re afraid, the reason you don’t do all the art you can, the reason you don’t ship when you can. The lizard brain is the source of the resistance.”

The first job or second job can be a brutal realization to some that their “dream job” probably a) does not exist b) will take some grinding and monotonous work to get there. We are on the bottom of the totem pole fellas.

However, that’s no excuse to limit ourselves in the inner creativity and strengths that lay dormant within us, waiting to spring forth into glorious action.

Yes. It’s much easier to just mimic our peers and colleagues in robotic, passive minded ways but I think we are capable of so much more. It’s for that reason why I love mingling with people in the Silicon Valley so much! They are hackers and innovators, fearless in their decisions to be more than just another number and finding opportunities to grow from failure and change.

So take a look at your own role in your own team. Are you doing the bare minimum because everyone else is? Are you appeasing to your lizard brain and just reusing ineffective email templates?

—

The next 2 years are going to be brilliant.

I want you to soak and revel in that fact.

It’s easy to just want it all and to want it all NOW, but what’s missing in that axiom is the pleasure of the overall PROCESS. The process to refine some habits, to develop a knack for learning and to resist the lizard brain that begs for our attention. It’s the process of it all that shapes our character to be stronger and become influential leaders in our work, our community, and to our own friends and family.

And with that my dear reader,

I say goodnight and adieu until Spring Break of 2017.

God Bless,

-AL

PS It’s your turn now. What mindsets have shaped you in revealing success? What’s’ missing here?

PPS I’m always open to having a discussion about personal development/career advice. Email me at thealbertliao [at] gmail [dot] com if you ever want to set up a time to chat. 🙂