Dana Perino - Everything will be okay : life lessons for young women (from a former young woman)

The hardest part of any workout is the first step out the doorbut if you make it to the gym, youre always glad you did.

Its the same with opening a book of advice.

So, congratulations! You made it to page 1.

I promise this will be worth your time (and you wont have to break a sweat!).

Ever since the spring of 2015 when I wrote And the Good News Is Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side, the mentoring chapter is the one I am most often asked about when talking with young women.

I still get emails about my suggestion to stop wearing UGGs to work (and other tips for professional attire), that young women shouldnt shuffle around the office, seeming to be barely interested in their work. (Pick up your feet!)

Im often credited for helping readers break the habit of overusing exclamation points(!!!)doing so causes unnecessary panic and doesnt present an I can handle this image.

The advice on bigger-picture issues helped my readers, toosuch as, not being afraid to move to a new town for work or other opportunities. And that choosing to be loved is not a career-limiting decision (and sometimes you should move for love but maybe not after one date).

Oh, and this one was memorable, too: Find your strong voiceand then use it wisely.

Im grateful that my advice has apparently been helpful to quite a few people. That mentoring chapter packed a punch. And it was just a slice of the conversations Ive had with and stories Ive heard from so many young women who Ive tried to help during the first phase of their careers.

Those early years are when you get your first job and love going to work every day. Then suddenly you grow out of that first position and cant wait to get on to your next role.

Thats also when youre trying to decide what direction to go in and whether you even want to be in a particular industry or follow a certain profession. You may start questioning your choices from collegewhat you majored in may have been interesting but it may not have been a good choice for helping you reach your financial goals (yes, Dad, I knowI should have taken more business courses!).

Those early career days are when you start asking yourself, When should I leave a job? How do I move on without burning a bridge? How can the next move get me closer to achieving long-term goals?

You might notice that young men your age seem to get promoted sooner than young womenyou think thats unfair but are unsure how to deal with it (trust metaking up smoking cigars, going out for beers, or buying expensive golf clubs to try to fit in with them is not the answer).

The first few years can be exciting and fun, while also being confusing and difficult. Hey, they call it work for a reason.

And soon enough, youre making the transition from your first job to your second or third job. Thats whenhopefullyeverything starts falling into place. But thats also when the decisions you make begin to carry a lot more weight. The stakes are raised.

In your mid to late twenties, you gain more responsibility and you work much longer hours. Its also when youre trying to be taken more seriously and you may have to fight to be in the room for important meetings. Youre not the boss yetbut youre also not a junior staffer anymore. Youre expected to get results and earn your keep. The pressure builds.

And all of this is going on while youre trying to have an enjoyable personal life as well. You might be getting pressure from family or friends for working too much. Youre wondering when youre going to meet a stable, responsible, goal-oriented, and attractive life partner who makes you laugh like crazy. You want to get a dog (but dont do it yet!). You want it alland quickly. But you realize it is not happening as you imagined it would.

Your thoughts race. Im even typing faster now.

How do I know what youre thinking?

Because not so long ago, I was you. I went through all of this. I made mistakes along the waymany, in fact. I wish I had this book when I was first starting out.

That said, everything turned out well. (I even got the dog.)

And heres what I want you to know. Youre not alone in thinking or feeling the way you do. There are millions of young women in your age group that are trying to figure it out. Sometimes knowing that you arent the only one with these worries can help. Noyoure not crazy.