If I was 30 years old 
I was interviewing a candidate for a position in my department. I asked her where she sees herself in the coming five years, and if she has a destination or goal in mind that she plans to reach in the coming years, and to my astonishment, she had it all figured out to the nitty gritty detail. I was impressed and amazed at how she had it all written down, from all aspects, as if she was describing the story of her future self to me during the interview.
That interview triggered an idea, a thought, in my head. If I was to go back in time to when I was 30 years old, what advice would I give myself?
In the movie from 2013 titled “About Time,” the hero character, Tim, can travel in time and change what happened and had happened in his life. Imagine that whenever you do something wrong or do not like the outcome of something you did, you can travel back in time and change it.
The movie closes with Tim’s quote: “We are all traveling through time together every day of our lives. All we can do is do our best to relish this remarkable ride.”
I cannot fly back in time, although that would be cool. But, if I were 30 years old, I would consider the following.
First things first: You do not know everything, and you never will, and it is OK not to know everything, but make sure you know yourself well. Everyone is different, so do not compare yourself to others, but to yourself yesterday or last year.
Professional life
The passion
Whatever career you choose, make sure you love doing it daily; otherwise, you will not be happy at your job.
Knowledge growth
Strive to learn more to develop your knowledge so you can grow at your job, focus on being good at it and never settle for being average.
Priorities
Jobs and careers are like elastic balls, so if they fall, they will eventually bounce back up again, so never give them more priority over your personal life.
The entrepreneurial within
Do not believe that we all must have our side business; that is not something for everyone, and it is not a sign or measurement of success. However, if you have an entrepreneur in you, then it is time to take a shot at it.
Making money
In short, learn to invest, and the earlier in life you start, the better. There are plenty of resources on planning your financials and being smart with money, so find your favorite plan and stick to it.
Personal Life
Your other half
If you are not married yet, choose your life’s companion wisely, with no rush, and once you find your other half, give that person the best of you. It is like establishing a business with a partner; that business needs constant attention, effort, and teamwork from you and your partner, nonstop, and never take it for granted. In his book “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work,” Dr. John Gottman advises, “Marry your best friend. The simple truth is that happy marriages are based on deep friendship. By this, I mean a mutual respect for and enjoyment of each other’s company.”
Bucketlist creation
If you do not have one already, create one. You must have a list of places to visit, experiences to live and memories to make.
Your health
It is the only body in the world that you are guaranteed to spend the rest of your life with, so if you do not take care of it now in your youth, you will take care of it in illness when you are much older.
Value of time
The only asset you have no control over, and you keep spending from it by the second. So, spend it wisely. Remember that this is the real thing; there are no repeats, no rehearsals, no extra lives, and most of all, no fixed timing, as game over can come any minute.
The higher you
It is your personal time with your inner self when you pray or meditate. It is purely a personal decision, but we all need that connection; regardless of our religious backgrounds. We all need that time to reflect, meditate, connect or pray.
• Rakan Tarabzoni is the chief operating officer of the FII Institute. He began his career in business management at Procter & Gamble. He later moved to Microsoft, then to the Public Investment Fund as head of corporate communications. Tarabzoni established a personal blog on self-development and growth in 2011 under his name www.RakanTarabzoni.com.
