7 Life Lessons I Wish I Knew Before 25 (Mindset, Self Care, and Success)

At the time of recording this video, I am 32 years old, living my dream life as a millionaire entrepreneur and I'm married to the love of my life. But in

my 20s, I felt lost. I was broke and I had no idea if I was going to be successful. This is the advice I wish

successful. This is the advice I wish that I could have given myself that would have changed everything. The first

is probably the toughest lesson that you will ever learn. Who you date and ultimately decide to marry will have everything to do with how successful you become. Everyone has heard the saying,

become. Everyone has heard the saying, you become like the five people that you spend the most amount of time with. The

person that you date and ultimately decide to be with for the rest of your life will create an environment that either helps you get to where you want to go or entirely takes you in a

different direction. They will either be

different direction. They will either be your biggest cheerleader, your biggest support, the person who you go to for advice and wisdom, or they're going to be the person that asks questions like,

"Do you really need all of that?" "Oh,

you think you're too good for me?" Or

the worst of this is when they start saying invalidating things like, "I don't know if you could really get there." And if you can't trust the

there." And if you can't trust the person that you are dating with the goals that you have, with the vision that you have for your life, how do you think that they're actually going to support you in order to get there? If

you're not satisfied with who you are, with what you've done, with where you are today, why would the expectation be that the person that you're with should be satisfied with that person? You want

them to see the potential that you have.

You want them to share in the vision that you have with your life, not be really excited that you're going to the bars and that you're hanging out and doing stupid [ __ ] pretending like you're still young and using being young as an excuse when you really know that

you want to be taken seriously and that you want to make a lot of money and you want to have responsibility. So, you'll

find somebody to fall in love with who is falling in love with the version of you today. They need to be accepting of

you today. They need to be accepting of the person that you are today while also fully a believer of and fully in support of the person that you are trying to become. When I talk with people in their

become. When I talk with people in their 20s, they're prioritizing chemistry and comfort in the relationship instead of really looking at, can that person be a partner to me? Can that person help me

get to where I'm trying to go? It has

nothing to do with comfort and chemistry and has everything to do with the fact that you will spend the most amount of time in your life with this one person.

The right partner for you will be the one who is aligned with your vision for your future and who pushes you towards it. Remember that this momentum

it. Remember that this momentum compounds over time. So, don't waste your 20s in situationships that drain you emotionally and hold you back from your goals. If your futures aren't

your goals. If your futures aren't ultimately aligned with the person that you want to spend your time with, then no amount of love or history will build the dream life that you're going after.

Next up is number two. Learn to love feedback. When I was in my 20s, I did

feedback. When I was in my 20s, I did it, too. Criticism felt so personal. If

it, too. Criticism felt so personal. If

somebody knew that I wasn't perfect at something, I would get really irritated with myself because I wanted to be perfect, but then they knew I wasn't perfect and it would just be something I wanted to conceal. But now that I

actually understand that the criticism I received that challenged me with the truth was what actually made me grow the fastest. It's a gift to have people who

fastest. It's a gift to have people who are willing to give you feedback. And

even if it feels like criticism, recognize it as a gift. That person

cares enough about you to point out, "Hey, you don't know how to do this.

Hey, that thing was wrong over there.

Hey, make sure you fix the situation here because they're giving you these indicators of what does and doesn't work. And without somebody pointing

work. And without somebody pointing those things out to you, you won't know.

One of the most mind-blowing things that I ever heard was a speech about blind spots. And it changed my life because

spots. And it changed my life because the speaker said, "The funny thing about blind spots is you are the only person who doesn't see them." Meaning,

everybody in your life sees your blind spots. you're the only person who

spots. you're the only person who doesn't see your blind spots. So, if

somebody is giving you feedback or they're being critical, stomach that [ __ ] just like sit there, accept the criticism, and try to see the other person's point of view. As soon as you

start to feel those emotions boiling up, maybe your heart is going a little faster. Maybe you want to get in an

faster. Maybe you want to get in an argument or a discussion. Let that be the sign. It is the ultimate indicator

the sign. It is the ultimate indicator that you should say nothing. And really

look at what that person is trying to communicate to you. Think of feedback like a mirror. It's just reflecting what's already there. So you don't run from it in order to get to where you're trying to go. You have to run towards

it. That is where you find your

it. That is where you find your competitive edge. In your 20s, you have

competitive edge. In your 20s, you have to remember that as much as feedback or failure may hurt and be painful, it is a gift and it is a lesson. And the funny thing is, no one actually expects you to

be great anyway. Most people aren't great. So, you getting feedback and

great. So, you getting feedback and failing early is part of your ability to be successful later on. You just have to get that all done and handled in your 20s. Now, we're on to number three, the

20s. Now, we're on to number three, the readiness myth. You see, I had this

readiness myth. You see, I had this really interesting experience when I was in my 20s because I was dating somebody who was much older than me and much more experienced than me and we worked

together. So, I thought of him as the

together. So, I thought of him as the ultimate picture of having it together and he was so eloquent and he had so much experience and he was so smart and

all of these things were why I loved him so much. But they also held me back

so much. But they also held me back because I thought that I had to have all of this stuff in order to be ready. And

the real unlock for me with this was recognizing that I had a short window of time to make as many failures as possible in order to actually be ready

one day because I never was going to feel ready if I just continued to put off the opportunity to gain experience.

That's what you get in your 20s. Nobody

expects you to be good at anything. So,

you are bad at things and it feels uncomfortable and it feels like people care, but they don't really care because the expectations truly are so low. Use

your age and being young to your advantage. But when you lean into that

advantage. But when you lean into that and you realize that you're going to feel the same way in your 30s and your 40s and your 50s if you don't get over it in your 20s. Age doesn't make you feel more confident and age doesn't

actually give you experience. There are

a lot of inexperienced 80-year-olds who just never took the steps when they were in their 20s to learn how to become uncomfortable with not being ready. You

do not have to have it all figured out.

And to be honest with you, you can't figure it all out. The process is taking small steps every single day. And I

promise that if you do this, you will start to figure it out as you go. Next

is number four, and it's one that we can all relate to. You are not too young. I

remember the day that my life changed was when I found out that Kylie Jenner was a billionaire. And why this day changed my life is Kylie Jenner is

younger than me. And at the time I was in my mid20s and she was already a billionaire. And for whatever reason, I

billionaire. And for whatever reason, I just couldn't even think with the fact that people who were younger than me could be more successful than me. I just

thought of myself as really young until I realized that there are people who do big [ __ ] on this planet at a very young age. There are people Forbes 30 under 30

age. There are people Forbes 30 under 30 lists who should inspire you to remind you that you are not too young to do big things and the bigger things that you take on in your 20s will have this snowball effect because you're just

going to start taking on bigger and bigger and bigger things. But thinking

that you are too young is going to have you in this mindset that you're just going to push off the important things to when you're older. But this is the problem. You never actually learn the

problem. You never actually learn the skills by the time that you're older. It

is a myth to think that you were too young. You're actually too old. You're

young. You're actually too old. You're

too old to have the excuses that you have for not putting the work in on yourself. You are too old to not take

yourself. You are too old to not take your goals seriously. You are too old to be wasting your time doing things that do not align with who you want to become. So start thinking with you're

become. So start thinking with you're too old. I haven't done enough with my

too old. I haven't done enough with my life yet. I got to get going. And that

life yet. I got to get going. And that

reframe will change every single action that you take throughout the day because it is a lie to tell yourself that you're too young. The people who tell

too young. The people who tell themselves that will never become successful. It is only people who create

successful. It is only people who create urgency right now that create success for themselves because they have urgency to get something done. Take the time in your 20s to invest in your skills, in

your mindset, in your relationships, in your mentors. You are not too young to

your mentors. You are not too young to want to build a great life. I've been

thinking about my 20s a lot recently as I am going into this new era in my career. I have to get this really

career. I have to get this really technical understanding of accounting.

And what's hilarious to me is the time that somebody is taught these accounting skills is between the ages of 18 and 22.

That is when all of the learning happens. Here I'm 32, but I have to go

happens. Here I'm 32, but I have to go back to the things that I could have learned and paid more attention to in college. So the fact that the

college. So the fact that the expectation is that you could learn these things in those ages between 18 and 22 is just a complete reframe on the most important skills and the foundation

of you understanding communication and math and science actually happens at such a young age. But you're not too young to learn those things. You

actually have to learn those things. And

if you don't learn them now, you're not going to go back in your 40s and learn them. I don't really want to go back and

them. I don't really want to go back and I'm 32 and learn these things. But I

recognize it's what's required. But if I would have taken it more seriously when I was in my 20s, I wouldn't have to spend the extra time doing it today.

Number five is next. You have to find the right mentors. I have avoided so many bad decisions because I started to learn from other people's decades worth

of mistakes and I skipped the period of the trial and the error. This is what mentors are for. And here's the hard truth. Mentors who shaped my life the

truth. Mentors who shaped my life the most were not the nice ones. They were

the ones who demanded more and they pressured me to grow. It was never convenient and it never felt good. I

will never forget one of my very first mentors in the first job that I had. She

was a badass. At the beginning of the meeting that we had flown all the way from Portland, Oregon to Atlanta, Georgia in order to be there for one day. I asked her for a computer charger.

day. I asked her for a computer charger.

And when I asked her for this charger, she looked at me and she said, "You have to be prepared at all times, Natalie. It

is not my job to keep you prepared." And

I was like, "Hold the [ __ ] phone."

Like, "I lost my char. Like, I had all these reasons. I had all these things

these reasons. I had all these things that this is why I don't have my computer charger." But that never left

computer charger." But that never left me. She was where she got to because she

me. She was where she got to because she was prepared and she took things seriously. And as much as I wanted to

seriously. And as much as I wanted to get irritated or frustrated or defend myself in that moment, it was right. I

should have been prepared before big meetings. Is your computer charged? Is

meetings. Is your computer charged? Is

your phone charged? Are your notes prepared? Did you do due diligence? What

prepared? Did you do due diligence? What

research did you do ahead of time to make sure that you knew exactly what questions you were going to ask? That

level of preparation is required. But I

would never have learned that if somebody wouldn't have very inconveniently pointed out to me something that I wasn't doing. So your

mentors can be people that you aspire to be like, but they can also be the people inside your current job, inside your family, around your environment who do things that drive you crazy. Because

those things that drive you crazy about other people are teaching you how you should create an environment for other people when you are in the position that those people are in. You're getting

mentored by the people in your life consistently. You're getting mentored by

consistently. You're getting mentored by the people that you follow on Instagram.

You're getting mentored by the boss that you currently hate. You're getting

mentored by the people around you who might treat people like [ __ ] Those people are telling you what does and doesn't work, what does create success, and what holds people back. So pay

attention to those things and don't expect that it's going to be delivered to you on some platter of how somebody is going to mentor you and they're they're just going to take you under their wing and fly you off to the

promised land of success. It is never going to work like that. It will always be inconvenient and mentors are everywhere. So start paying attention to

everywhere. So start paying attention to those little indications in your life of the people who are doing things that you can learn from so you get better and you create the environment that will actually allow you to have the life that

you want. The goal is not to look for

you want. The goal is not to look for mentors who make you comfortable. Look

for the ones who will push you to do more and to be better. Look for the ones who will bring you into new environments and who elevate the standards that you've set. Now, we're on to number six.

you've set. Now, we're on to number six.

Your environment is everything. Every

part of your environment is a reflection of your standards. Even Chris Jenner says that she judges people by how clean their cars are. This is a physical example of your standards. How you keep

your things, how organized your desk is, what your bedroom looks like, how you do everything actually matters. Even if you think it is so immaterial, it's not

immaterial. What I didn't realize when I

immaterial. What I didn't realize when I was younger, that if I'm going to try to make an impact on the world, which is something I've always wanted to do since I was in elementary school, I remember just thinking about what would it be

like to make a huge impact on the world.

I believe people are born with massive dreams. But I didn't understand that if I couldn't even control this environment, I can't control me, I can't control what my car looks like, I can't

control what I do or don't eat or if I get myself to the gym. If those things aren't handled for me, how on earth am I going to have the confidence to control somebody else's environment? I don't

have confidence to control my own environment. So, it took me a little

environment. So, it took me a little while to learn this lesson because I was a little bit messy and chaotic and I was always running around like a chicken with my head cut off until I realized that wait, it's actually a sign of

success if I can control my environment.

If I can control who I am because once I know I can do that and I have confidence in myself, then I can help other people.

But I can't help people before I can help myself. In your 20s, this is where

help myself. In your 20s, this is where you decide where you're living and what car you drive and the people that you surround yourself with. And all of that is going to send a signal about who you

are becoming and what you value. So if

you want to become the very best version of yourself, you have to be in absolute control of your environment. And this

means letting go of the people, the places, and the things that no longer serve you because they're going to block your ability to advance. One of the things I do in my business with every

one of my team members is set goals.

Because if I can help people get clear on their goals, I can help them get to their goals. So, if you want the form

their goals. So, if you want the form that I use inside my business in order to help people establish goals and align those goals with their actions, go to

Natalie Dawson on Instagram, send me a DM that says goals, and I will send over the form that I use. Last up is number seven. One of my personal favorites,

seven. One of my personal favorites, pressure is a privilege. When I was in my 20s, I always thought that the heavy feeling of pressure meant that something was wrong. Every deadline felt like it

was wrong. Every deadline felt like it was suffocating and the expectations felt completely unfair until I heard this quote that pressure is a privilege.

When you're in your 20s, you have to own that you are the main character of your life. And when you are the main

life. And when you are the main character of your life, it may sound ridiculous that you feel pressure over some assignment that seems immaterial that your boss gave you and that you're

going to like get all serious about completing this deadline and making it happen. But you're the freaking main

happen. But you're the freaking main character and pressure is a good thing.

And you have to learn how to convert these inconvenient things in order to be able to create the thing that you ultimately are trying to create. And the

big things don't happen without learning how to convert those moments of pressure that seem insignificant into moments that really do matter so that you perform. One of the most ridiculous life

perform. One of the most ridiculous life hacks that I have that I am like cringing on the inside actually verbalizing to the world of YouTube

right now but is like a real thing to me is listening to rap songs where they're talking about violence and things that are real pressures in life. And I'm over

here listening to this getting hyped up in order to go have a team meeting that I'm going to crush. But I'm the main character in my life. And those songs actually help me get hyped up to go do

things that do matter in my life. And my

ability to convert inconvenient things, things like running team meetings, things like hitting deadlines, things like putting an event together and actually hitting on that, they might seem like no big deal to somebody who's

really struggling with real pressures, but you can't invalidate the pressures that you've chosen. You can't invalidate the choices that you're making in order to get yourself to where you're trying to go. And you doing whatever is

to go. And you doing whatever is required to hype yourself up to make the stakes high. Even if it sounds

stakes high. Even if it sounds ridiculous to your friends, to your family, to anybody that you would ever tell. But guess what? Because you used

tell. But guess what? Because you used it to prepare. You learned this invaluable skill of converting things that have to happen in your life, of converting things that are uncomfortable and that you don't want to do this

pressure into a real result. And if you learn this in your 20s, it is game over for the rest of your life because nobody can take that skill away from you. And

it's a skill that compounds and compounds because you gain more confidence and your ability to do big things. So those were the seven lessons

things. So those were the seven lessons that I wish I knew in my 20s that changed the game for me and they helped me build my dream life. If you like this video, subscribe to my channel.