Quarter life crisis

You are familiar with the term mid-life crisis, but are you familiar with the term quarter-life crisis? This is the younger people’s version of mid-life crisis.

My son, Bryan, together with his Japanese partner, Shinji, currently run a very successful restaurant chain. Both of them are successful musicians and businessmen in their early 30s. This year marks the beginning of Bryan’s entry into the professional craft of public speaking and training. (Bryan’s client quietly told me he is good.) But my son surprised me when he said he went through his Quarter Life Crisis.

He says that this is the critical period in a person’s life, usually from late teens to early 30s, when the person goes through the stress of becoming an adult and living the life ahead. 

My generation probably went through the same stage without knowing it was a crisis. We slugged it out in life whether we liked the job or not. Quitting was not an option. By the time I reached 30, I knew what I wanted to accomplish in life, I knew what I must do to achieve my goals. Crisis or no crisis, the game was on.

Life is not so simple for the young these days. The stress of coping with the unending challenges that face them can be overwhelming. Businesses want more done and delivered at faster speeds. Success has a very short shelf life and the threat of diseases, political unrest and economic uncertainties put additional pressures on them.

This is precisely the reason why leaders need to understand their pressures and learn leadership skills. People experiencing “quarter-life crisis” are the next leaders in the company’s succession plan. They are looking for inspiring leaders who can help them make their success journey worth their while.

Leaders should teach the young these vital lessons to help them navigate their way through life:

1. THE REAL HARD LESSONS ARE LEARNED OUTSIDE SCHOOLS.

Life is a non-stop learning experience. You need to invest in some think time to process the things and events that are happening in your life. There is always something you can learn in everything that happens to you. Do not waste the lessons.

2. ATTITUDE AND CHARACTER OUTPLAY SKILLS AND TRANSCRIPT.

You may have a diploma from a prestigious university, but once you enter the work place, nobody cares what school you came from or how impressive your transcript of record is.

Your attitude and character are the main determinants of your future career success or failure.

3. LOOK FOR MENTORS AND ACCEPT CORRECTIONS.

You are the company you keep. When you hang around successful people, their success formulas in life may rub off on you. Get a mentor no matter how harsh or strict that person is as long as he or she is good.

You will make mistakes. Take corrections humbly. Reprimands and rebukes are always painful but get over them quickly, process the lessons and move on.

4. BE ACCOUNTABLE AND RESPONSIBLE.

Constantly blaming someone else will quickly kick you out of your success game. Own up to your actions and decisions. Admit your mistakes and learn from it.

5. THERE IS NO SHORTCUT TO SUCCESS.

There is no magic in earning your living and building your career.

These two words have been uttered by (without exception) the truly successful people I have met, heard or read about.

Can you guess what these two words are? HARD WORK.

Many of the successful people simply work harder on their job and on themselves.

And finally, material success will never bring meaning to your life. You need to live a godly life and stick to old-fashioned virtues and values because they are unerring compass points that would help keep you on track towards your path to success.

There will be predicaments we have to face, may it be mid-life crisis or quarter-life crisis, but the fact is that life is a gift from God. It is our responsibility to live well.

Spend two life-transforming days with Francis Kong learning leadership and life skills as he present Level Up Leadership on March 17-18 at EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries, contact Inspire at 09158055910 or call 632-6310912 for details.