Are you(th) wondering What Next? Here is what you need to know?

To every fresh graduate (and student) asking “What’s Next?” Here’s what you need to know.

There are certain elements of your life that you need to take care of even before you begin asking what next. Look here, your health is so important that if you’re unhealthy, all your dreams and aspirations will be meaningless. You’re at your peak right now, so eat well, drink moderately, practise fitness, If you can afford to go to the gym do so. Your body will thank you for this. Here are some of the things that I challenge you to think through.

1. Work

It’s time for the real grind. The world will only reward you for the effort you put in. At this stage, you’ll only be exchanging your time for money. That’s it. Work hard and smart. Understand the job and give it as much effort as you can. If you are lucky or aggressive enough, you can land a job in an organisation, company or firm. Understand the industry and the environment within which you are operating.

2. Wake up. Dress up. Show up. Step up

I don’t care whether it’s your hustle, a job, a family business or whatever. Learn and practice to always show up and step up each time. Whatever you choose to do today, do it to the best of your ability. Nothing hurts (and sucks) like regret years down the road.

3. Learn

A lot of very intricate life lessons are coming your way. Learn from them. Grow from them. And remember that you can always learn from both the negative intricacies and the positive circumstances that life throws at you randomly. You need to build your skills to begin earning more either through higher pay or diversified income. You have to study more than you ever studied at school. A former education is decent enough to get you into the workspace. But what you learn and gather outside of the classroom will keep you in the workspace.

4. Toughen up

The work world is chaos. You need to get out of your comfort zone. There is no room for the long term compassion for you from your employers or workmates. It hurts to hear this, but the truth of the matter is everyone is busy running their work and personal challenges that yours matter least. Some people will drive you insane. And the places and people that were your refuge will disappear. You will have amazing days, and you’ll have really bad days. You have to always toughen up and wade through the storm.

5. Be patient 

True legitimate success takes time. The things you’re dreaming about now, the odds are so high that they are likely not to arrive for the next 5-10 years. But if you’re intentional about continuous growth, build your skills, and work diligently and patiently, you will be successful.

6. Master money

This is a very vital skill to learn. Even for adults aged 30 plus, some of them are still battling with this skill. The better you are learning and practising it now. Learn how to save from Day 1. Save 20% of EVERY SINGLE payment you get. This might seem challenging given that you have to also have a fun life, get a nice dress or take your girl out. All the fun things are good, but think about what you can do when the time is right and all your saving can help do all the nice things you like hustle free.  Master this one discipline. This is a deep personal regret for me. But let’s just say broke at 30 slaps different. Save. Save. Save. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll have in 10 years.

7. Understand Time 

It’s said that we overestimate what we can do in 1 year and under-estimate what we can do in 10 years. Pace yourself, look at the big picture, break down your goals into 10-year, 5-year, 2-year, annual, and monthly goals and you’ll be unstoppable. There is not much to say about this because we all have separate goals that can be matched to individual needs. However, the bottom line is that the goals have to be clearly defined. Having a goal in your mind is all not enough. Practice the art of writing those goals down. This is necessary for personal accountability. And do this, every day that you work.

8. Focus on you

Stop comparing yourself to celebrity X or Influencer Y. While you’re wishful thinking, they’re grinding. Some of these celebrities work harder in 1 day than you’ll wish to work in 1 month. Focus on you, grow into yourself, let Future You become your hero.

9. Compound Interest

Learn it, understand it, master it, leverage it and you’ll discover a (slow) but extremely effective roadmap to wealth. Also, compound interest comes with Patience (point 5) and Money Mastery (point 6). These three are inseparable.

10. There’s no quick money

Don’t chase instant wealth dreams. You know the ones I’m talking about. “There’s a ka deal here.” “If you buy X and convince five friends to buy X and they also…”Those roads only lead to heartbreak. Be patient, be consistent, be intentional.

11. For the love of Batman

Please learn to write well, spell well and have proper grammar. Communicate well and professionally. Your writing is almost always the first interaction people will have with you, and you know what they say about first impressions.

12. Keep hold of what’s important

In all of this, don’t forget to make time for friends and family. The older you get, the more friendships die or fade away and the harder it is to make new friends. Spend time with family, you will start losing them and regret is a bitch.

13. Enjoy life

And hey, It’s not all about money or wealth. How you respond to simple pushes in life also matters. Think through your life choices. From choosing to have children when you are a child. Find your purpose, be kind to others, practise empathy and above all, take the time to stop and be thankful.w

Parts of this article have been adopted here from Solomon King’s tweets on #WhatNext that has been trending online. Solomon is the Founder of Fundibots.