3 Things Millennials Should Do to Achieve Success – HuffPost

What do most millennials think about when considering their career? They want a vocation they have a passion for. Weve all heard the saying, If you love your job, youll never work a day in your life. Rather than only working for money, many millennials want to do something they love and enjoy for the rest of their life -- and make a living from it. Ive been fortunate enough to create the life I wanted. As a millennial raised by hard-working parents who did whatever it took to put food on the table, I have always felt like their example created an opportunity for me to have a successful career doing something I enjoy with great passion. So, I took that opportunity.

After graduating from university, I spent a small stretch of time in the Future Executive program with the Hudsons Bay Company. It was a program that would groom me to one day run a big retail store like The Bay or Zellers (for my American friends, think Nordstrom). After four months, I realized that it just wasnt for me. The title of Future Executive had quickly lost its appeal. At the same point in time, my friend was starting a spring break company. He told me about his big dream of expanding it across Canada and asked me to join him in his venture.

When I approached my mother about leaving the program I was enrolled in to work in a spring break company, she was extremely worried, as any mother would be. I was reducing my salary from $50,000 a year to $30,000 a year, for one. Secondly, she thought I was chasing a quick thrill instead of rooting myself in a sustainable career.

I ended up making $100,000 a year and traveling the world. I worked on commission, so as the company grew, so did my salary. As a 24-year-old, getting to travel all over the Caribbean and Canada was my dream job. The best experience of it all, though, was being at the forefront of a rapidly growing company. From there, I learned many business skills that set me up to later build and run multimillion-dollar companies. The risk I had taken of leaving my better-paying job with a well-established company to join a startup with zero certainties led me to the place I am today. Do something you are passionate about at a young age. Take the chance while you dont have as many bills to pay and when you are lucky enough to live at home under the security of your parents. Youll gain experience, knowledge, and skills for your future. Take the risk. Youll only grow from there.

Outperform the Older Generation

Apologies to my older colleagues, but with the advancement of technology, the internet and just the general changing of the times, millennials have gained an advantage when it comes to the latest trends in technology. Take a closer look at your industry and find out how you can modernize what you bring to your role to create better results. As a 26-year-old, I started a construction company that quickly became successful. We ended up growing to $5 million a year in sales in just three years. Part of our success came from our ability to harness our expertise in online marketing to dominate the industry. This came at a crucial time when others in the construction industry barely knew how to use email, let alone set up a website, build a brand and digitally market their company. We generated millions of dollars worth of leads every month.

In addition, we built systems with CRMs that evolved into ERPs, which scaled our business to higher heights. Older industry professionals arent usually connoisseurs in this domain, and it's something that comes naturally and intuitively to younger generations since computers and technology were part of our childhood. This is our competitive advantage as millennials. So, the question you always have to ask yourself is, how can you outperform your competition by leveraging innovative techniques? Whether you're an entrepreneur or an employee working in a company, you can outshine your peers and competition by being innovative and using the ever-changing landscape of technological advancements to be one step ahead of those who came before you. Which brings me to my next and final tip:

Always Work on Building for the Future

Distractions plague the lives of many millennials. Social media plays a huge part in the sometimes endless amounts of distractions and stimuli of todays modern world. And, if not controlled, we can lose ourselves (and a lot of time) in it. We are oversaturated with images and breakthroughs in technology.

Unfortunately, time can never be rewound. We have to be cautious about the way in which we use it. Yes, its important to travel, update ourselves on the latest social media trends, get inspired by others on Instagram, hang out with friends and try to go to as many social gatherings as possible. But it isnt as important as setting up the rest of your life. Every moment spent scrolling and looking at what other people are doing is a moment that could be used as a step to build your own future. It isnt all about the future and its not all about living in the moment and forgetting that the future even exists. Its a balance and blend of both. Think big, think smart, and start building for the future.

Millennials have the opportunity and potential that will propel themselves to exactly where they want to be. Everything is at our fingertips. When you're young, you dont really have any impending overhead bills or too many commitments. You dont want to find yourself in your thirties or forties wishing and regretting the things you should or could have done. Success starts with one idea. The other 99 percent is execution.

Fares Elsabbagh is a passionate individual, with a sincere devotion to his business, family and friends. An advocate and believer in continuous learning and self-improvement, he finds himself on a journey of knowledge seeking and spiritual enlightenment.

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3 Things Millennials Should Do to Achieve Success - HuffPost

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