5 Tips Every Millennial Should Know: Millennials360Life Podcast Featured Guest Interview

by Melanie Griffin September 06, 2020

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Spread Your Sunshine Founder Melanie S. Griffin, Esq. was recently the Featured Guest on Episode 38 of Millennials360Life – a podcast tackling all things valued by millennials. Hosted by sisters Erin Elser and Kelly Cassidy, these ladies cover it all, from home-buying tips, to generational trends, to social media marketing, to strategies for staying authentic in both your personal and professional life, and beyond.

With our mission to empower you to shine through the glass ceiling to achieve your dreams combined with mentorship of hundreds of students and young professionals, Spread Your Sunshine's strategies address several of the challenges faced by the Millennials360Life community. Listen to Episode 38 and read on for tips that Melanie, Erin and Kelly discussed that you can immediately implement to foster a growth mindset and create positive change in your daily life.

Find Your Purpose

To break through the glass ceiling and own what you bring to the table, you must know your worth and what makes YOU awesome. These things are YOUR purpose! Many people never ask themselves these questions, instead avoiding this analysis out of fear of “Impostor Syndrome” – the feeling that you are not enough in any realm. If this is you, you’re not alone. Plenty of men and women struggle to overcome the fear of failure and discover how they are uniquely talented to better this world. But you know what? They do the hard work anyway, overcoming these challenges and living their best lives as a result. You can, and must, complete this work, too. You were made for more.

“No” Is Not a Bad Word, Use It!

Saying "no" is a struggle for all of us! One of the best things you can do to empower yourself to say "no" is to determine the projects and issues about which you are passionate. They will provide a clear guide for your life's mission, for example, at Spread Your Sunshine, “empowerment through mentorship and confidence building.” Once your purpose is crystalized, you can best decide when an opportunity is a good fit and when it is not.

To illustrate, when presented with a new project, ask yourself, “Is the opportunity related to my mission?” If it is and it will bring you joy, make it happen! If it is not, no matter how worthy the project is, you must decline. Otherwise, you will spend your life fulfilling others' purposes instead of your own. Your time is precious and must be protected. So, stop thinking of "no" as a bad word. In hindsight, you'll be thankful you used it and saved space for what is most important to you.

Protect Your Time

Expressions like, “It doesn’t seem like there are enough hours in the day!,” are all too relatable. Nonetheless, there are ways to protect your time, including, for example, time blocking. Each week, identify one to three days when no appointments or meetings are scheduled and mark them as “busy.” In other words, even though there is "nothing" on your calendar, if a phone call is requested or conference needed, the blocked date is not an option and treated as if you are completely unavailable. Creating such uninterrupted time allows you to catch-up on unexpected tasks and concentrate on creative projects and long-term goals that require substantial time.

To that end, strategically plan your blocked days. Rather than use such precious time, say, responding to emails (that are others' priorities, not yours!), dedicate the day to tasks that further your life's work, like book writing or revamping your website.

When you do feel obligated to complete tasks assigned by others, don't voluntarily do more than you are asked, again, giving away your time when it is not required or in your best interests. For example, if someone asks you to host a fundraiser at your office and you feel the need to do so, arrange for the space as agreed. However, do not voluntarily complete additional tasks not included in the request, such as drafting the guest list or designing the invitation. It is enough to fulfill your obligations without creating additional work that you were not asked to do.

Plan Ahead

There is so much to be said about pre-planning to optimize your time and consolidate tasks. Whether it's a pre-packed set of materials taken to each presentation or a weekly appointment to set your hair so that it is polished every day, thinking ahead, including about the "small things," pays dividends in the long-run. So, analyze your calendar and task list to evaluate what can be automated, consolidated, and dismissed.

Prioritize Happiness

Above all, happiness is a critical component of a successful life. If you focus on what brings you joy in both your personal and professional life, you will experience clarity of purpose, fulfillment and contentment unassociated with superficial experiences. To see the broad array of alternative job opportunities available should you need to make a change, have a peek at these guys. The world is your oyster - explore it and take life up on the best it has to offer.

To learn more from the discussion about these topics and additional tips, trends, and things that make the most of the millennial lifestyle, listen to Millenial360Life Episode 38.

And, do YOU have additional tips that will help the SYS community?! We’re sure you do, so please share your advice by emailing Melanie@SpreadYourSunshine.com or by sending Spread Your Sunshine a message via Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter. We love hearing from you, as together we shine our brightest.