Mentors provide unique insights and their own experience for the sole purpose of helping you succeed. Finding a mentor who is passionate about helping others can excel your career much more than you might initially imagine.

I once told someone that I looked up to that I wanted to "Be just like them one day." She looked at me and replied, "You don't want to be like me, there is only one you. Be like you." This message has continued to stick with me over the past years. When looking for a new opportunity, you want to be considered for who you are as your whole self. There is no reason to conform to what you think the company or employer wants you to be, no job or company is worth sacrificing who you are. Always seek out varying opinions and surround yourself with people that will challenge you. Ask how you can improve, admit when you make mistakes, and be there to inspire and create change in others when given the opportunity.

As a young adult and early career professional, you may have an idea of what you want to do or achieve long-term, i.e. your passion and main driving force, or maybe you don't and are still looking for something that sparks meaning. Either one is okay! The most important thing is that you are authentically you. It takes a lot of courage and self-awareness to identify your strengths and opportunities for growth -- both of which can be hard! If you are constantly putting yourself down or downplaying your accomplishments, you may not feel like you have a lot of strengths. In that case, you need to allow yourself to be comfortable speaking about your successes and accomplishments, even though it may feel like bragging. In fact, it's a great skill to be able to brag, because that is how you sell yourself! Practice by writing down a brag sheet and rehearsing a couple elevator pitches where you share something cool that you recently worked on, such as a project milestone (even small ones!) or a problem that stumped you for a while (those take tenacity and grit!). These should boost your confidence when networking and interviewing. Re-framing what you perceive to be your "weaknesses" as Opportunities is a great way to pivot from a fixed to a growth mindset. We are not defined by our problems but by how we choose to approach them. Take a look at yourself regularly and reflect on what has been giving you problems lately. You can also ask for feedback from anyone you work or collaborate with. It can be tough to put yourself in a vulnerable position like that, but you will gain so much insight and potentially learn something about yourself. After identifying your problem spots, research ways you can tangibly improve. Are there any new skills you could learn, articles or books you can read, experts you can reach out to?