What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20

Lecture By Tina Seelig

This was a great lecture, probably one of my favorites now, as I was able to find examples of my own experience that relate to what she said. The lecture tries to motivate and empower you by examples and stories.

One of the things she emphasizes is that "the bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity", pointing out that in order to start a potential company, we should aim to solve big problems.

She also mentions that "the harder I work, the luckier I get", trying to underline that getting "luckier" is almost always related to the amount of work done.

Regarding startups, she suggests to "find the intersection between your passion, skills and the market in order to build a successful career".

Also, she advices to "try a lot of things and keep what works", and to "be willing to take risks and to fail" (early if possible). She points out that the ratio of failures and successes is usually constant, so the more failures you have, the more successes you will be likely to have.

Tina Seelig then mentions that "You don’t need to wait to be anointed", that one should take the responsibilities by our own; which in most cases will end up in a recognition of those responsibilities, either in the case of a promotion or an award.

"It is a small world, don’t burn bridges". This is true, it is very likely that you will get in contact with the people you met earlier, so try to avoid having bad experiences with them.

About personal goals, she recommends to "know what your priorities are" and to "re-assess your goals  regularly" so you have a clear picture of what you want to accomplish and measure whether you are following the right path.

She ends with the quote: "Never miss an opportunity to be fabulous", referring to that we should always give our best on whatever we do, not just giving the minimum effort.