35 Things You Should Have Done When You’re 35

1. Memorize your elevator pitch

It may change over time, but the essence of knowing how to sell your ideas, what you offer and your value remains. Invest part of your time identifying how you want to present yourself to others. Personal image is important. 

2. Learn to say no

Those who learn to say no are free to focus on their priorities.

When you say no to what does not interest you, you are being consistent with your life project.

Don’t be like most people who prefer to do things they don’t like just to avoid awkward situations. Also, learn to be clear, do not ramble with unclear answers such as “suddenly”, “let me look”, or “I’ll tell you later”; if there’s something you don’t want to do, be consistent from the start.

3. Know your weaknesses

You should also know your weaknesses, not to make you feel bad but to understand who you should surround yourself with. Look for someone who complements your weaknesses and dedicates yourself to improving your strengths.

Therein lies the importance of knowing the types of intelligence and which one is yours. 

4. Learn to delegate

You can’t do everything, let alone all the time. If you want to become a true leader, you must learn to invest your time wisely. Delegating will not always be easy, but it is necessary to continue growing.

5. You know your non-negotiable principles

In life you will be presented with many opportunities, you must know your values ​​and principles to know which ones to accept and which ones you should let go of. When you know where you want to go, you will be able to identify what is an opportunity and what is not.

Therein lies the key to being happy in life, being clear about your principles, and living according to them.

6. Do something you’re proud of.

It’s not just about the salary but about creating an impact in the world. Something that makes you feel happy because you gave the best of yourself or because it was simply an issue that you had to fulfill in your life (whether or not it has to do with your work).

7. Learn the lessons of a difficult failure

Do you remember that experience that you thought you were not going to overcome, that dismissal that you did not expect, that difficulty that questioned everything you did?

Ask yourself what you can learn from it and from the rest of the life lessons that will appear.

8. Expand your limits

If you can handle a 10-person team, order the 25-person group. The only way to know your limits is to break them.

Many times we do not believe that we are good enough until the moment comes when the only option we have is to be.

9. Do something that scares you

How about speaking at your company conference? If you explicitly ask your boss for a promotion? Or, do you just quit that job you can’t stand without a plan of action?

Big risks, when taken in a calculated way, lead to big results. This is synonymous with breaking out of your comfort zone.

10. Become friends with criticism

This does not mean that you should change with each criticism you receive, it means that you should extract those messages that seek your personal growth.

Listen to everything they say, but apply those constructive criticisms of those who have built something.

11. Learn to give feedback to others

It’s hard to be assertive. From reminding your boss of your work schedule to explaining to your colleagues why his attitude is affecting team performance. How you say it is just as important as what you say.

12. Know your superpower

Each of us has a skill that sets us apart from the rest. Identify it, invest in it and find scenarios where you can exploit it. If you want to live differently, find and build your life purpose.

13. Have a wide network of people you trust

One of the most important assets you will have in your career will be your network of contacts.

As some will say, «no friends, no money, better friends with money». Invest in your network, not to take advantage of it, but to build long-term relationships.

14. Have at least two mentors from your career

It has two people you can turn to when you have doubts about your professional future, new business opportunities, or changes you want to make in your life.

They do not necessarily have to be from your work, they can be friends, family, or relatives who you trust in their judgment.

15. Clean up your online presence

When someone searches for you on social networks or Google, what do they find? Your photos at parties? Your professional achievements?

It’s not about not having a personal life, but about limiting who can see it and who can’t. Take the test on Google and see what you find.

16. Organize your LinkedIn profile

When a client, future employee, or professional contact looks for you, the first place they will look is LinkedIn, what do you have there? When was the last time you updated your profile?

Make sure that the information you have there is up to date, with your skills, experiences, and knowledge.

The power of the web is incredible, not only can you earn money online, but it also allows you to get a job, and connect with new opportunities and people, so handle this tool with great care.

17. Have a portfolio with your best work

It can be that marketing campaign, those impossible clients that nobody thought you were going to get, the web pages you have designed, or whatever your work is, having a portfolio is important so that your boss, or future boss, has a reference for you.

18. Learn to sell and sell yourself

If you want to be successful you have to learn to sell; from your ideas, and vision of the world to the products and services you offer. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to know how to sell, if you want to succeed in your work, no matter what it is, you must learn to sell.

Moreover, successful entrepreneurs are not visionaries, they are salespeople. So start strengthening your sales skills.

19. Learn to negotiate

Life will not always give you what you deserve, so you must learn to negotiate so that you can get it.

From a promotion, an increase in your salary to the details of the sale of your company, know the basic principles to carry out an effective negotiation.

20. Communicate with your superiors

Your bosses will not always be right, so you must learn to communicate with them to make them see reason and present your point of view.

If you manage to do so, you will have an admirable professional career, since people will see you as a leader capable of managing different audiences.

21. Know how to send irresistible emails

You should never send an email that you are not proud of. You must communicate efficiently, and concisely and consider in your emails the possible responses that your recipient has. The key to emails is to communicate as much as you can in as few emails as possible.

22. Master your handshake

The key is in the details, even in a handshake. All this adds up to make an unforgettable first impression.

Some executives and businessmen have come to choose between two candidates based on the attitude they reflect through their greeting. So pay attention to these kinds of details.

23. Find a to-do list that works for you

At age 35, you should have a to-do system that works for you. It’s that simple, you must know under what scenarios you work best, at what times of the day, and with whom.

If you want to learn how to be successful, you must have defined a way of working that increases your productivity and improves your results.

24. Know your energy levels and know how to use them

You must identify those moments in which you do not want to work, as well as those in which you feel that your productivity is in the air.

In other words, you must know when you work better and when you don’t, in addition to identifying those things (such as coffee, the company, and the environment) that promote your performance and make you more productive.

25. Understand how many hours of sleep you need

Sleeping less will not make you more successful. Sleep is important for your mind, for your productivity, and for getting the results you want.

If your body doesn’t have time to recover and rest, the point will come where you can continue. Remember that it is not the hours that you sleep, but what you do while you are awake

To learn how to get up early without feeling tired, and define the schedule where you work best.

26. Know how to handle stress

If you do not identify what causes you stress, you will not be able to handle it, and worse still, it could even end your life. Stress is responsible for serious illnesses, so manage it immediately.

Learn how to remove stress and find those activities that free you from this evil.

27. Stop apologizing for everything

It is not about being polite or strengthening your reputation, asking for forgiveness for everything can have the opposite effect; it makes you look weak and questions your abilities.

Beyond apologizing for your mistakes, correct what you did wrong and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

28. Give up the “I don’t deserve it” syndrome

Your achievements are the product of your result and effort; the position you have today is the result of your hard work, so don’t feel like you don’t deserve what you have or earn.

Not only does this affect your self-esteem, but it projects a negative image to other people.

29. Have a plan b professionally

What if you lose your job tomorrow? The question is because, at this age, you must be clear that your salary should not be your only source of income.

If you want to learn how to be a millionaire you must have several sources of income, work to get money as well as know that money must also work for you.

Do you have savings for this type of event? Do you have any idea what you will do if the worst-case scenario were to happen?

Remember that success is due in large part to how you deal with difficulties, and not to the difficulties themselves.

30. Start a project that you are passionate about

Use 20% of your time to work on a project that you like; It can be creating a blog, giving advice on a topic you like, selling your products on the internet, or anything else that interests you.

Not only can it generate extra income for you, but it also disperses you and you learn new things.

31. Have started investing in your future

One of the keys to building your wealth is turning your savings into income-generating assets.

The best thing about this is that you are in time for the magic of compound interest to take effect, so start researching and investing your money.

You don’t need to be a finance expert, have a master’s degree in finance, or have a lot of capital to start investing. Get advice, define your investor profile and find which assets fit your needs.

32. Invest in yourself

The best way to have a young mind is to never stop learning. When was the last time you participated in a course in your career, bought a book, or attended a seminar?

Those who think that knowledge is limited to the university are destined for failure. So invest in yourself, in your knowledge, and in your training. Surely you will be smarter.

33. Invest your time in others

Whether by supporting foundations, doing international volunteering, donating books to those who can serve you, or simply contributing in the smallest way to create a fairer and more pleasant world.

Before continuing reading ask yourself, how many people are being impacted by your actions?

34. know what you don’t want to do

The best way to find your purpose in life is to identify all those things that you know you don’t like at all. The discard methodology.

At 35 years old, you must be very clear about what you do not want in life, what fields of your profession you do not like, and what you are not willing to give up.

35. allowing you to succeed or fail to do what you do want to do

Finally, life is too short not to allow yourself to try something that makes you happy. In this life you have zero new attempts, you are spending the only life you have, so do it in the best way possible.

No one is going to guarantee you successful results after giving yourself this opportunity, but rest assured that the learning and experiences will be worth it.

You don’t want to reach your 35th birthday feeling like you’re not getting the most out of your life.