13 Game-Changing Insights I Wish I Had When I Was Younger

Looking back, I’ve learned important lessons from both successes and mistakes. It’s the mistakes, however, that have taught me the most.

I often think about what advice I’d give my younger self if I had the chance. Yet, I realize that some of the lessons I just needed to go through myself to really understand. One thing I know for sure, her life would be radically different now had she known all these things earlier.

So hopefully, you will listen on her behalf.

University graduation day, June 2010

1. Take opportunities you don’t feel qualified for - you are better than you think

This one has been proven to me again and again. Rooted in impostor syndrome, my perception of feeling qualified for things has been lower than other people’s. With time it got better.

One of the most obvious examples was when I applied to Google. I was a fresh grad living in Romania. I had no Olympiad medals or awards like many of my peers who got jobs at Google around the same time as me. I just good grades and internships. I strongly felt applying to Google was an overstretch. Well, guess what, it wasn’t.

Thankfully, I’ve been surrounded by very supportive people who encouraged me to push myself beyond what I thought I was ready for, and they were right!

So when you are faced with situations where you doubt yourself, remember: you are probably better than you think.

2. You don’t need to know all the answers ahead of time, you can figure things out as you go

Another belief that stems from impostor syndrome, is that feeling like you need to have all the answers before you start anything. This is nothing but a defense mechanism meant to prevent you from failure. The problem with this mindset is that it also leads to missed opportunities.