If you are a 22 something years of age , you must have graduated
from college , looking for job , or got a job or planning for
higher studies. This is a peak time where you are starting on a
career path and want to start of right.It doesn not have matter if
you have missed on opportunities in the past or how well your peers
are doing , what matters is how you look at the present and future
keeping in mind the learnings from the past. Thats it ! There are
so many wonderful things one can do and i shall list down few of
them. Dont think you have to do it all at one go , select a few ,
stick to it , once you get it on your routine, keep adding to it :)
Alright great , so Lets get started !
1) Read as many Books as possible !:
Reading benefits an individual I n so many different ways. To
name a few : a) Improves your vocabulary b) Broadens your knowledge
c) Builds self confidence d) Has a positive impact on your
perception
Read more here :10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read
Every Day
2) Learn a new language :
You are young , minds are fresh and willing to take in as much
data as possible. Make the best out of it. Some of the benefits are
: a) Learning a new language actually makes you smarter. b) Keeps
you and your brain engaged in a positive manner. c) Improves your
career prospects d) Helps widen your social circle to an
international level :)
Read more here :12 Benefits of Learning a Foreign Language
Some of the sites/apps best to learn new languages are
:a)https://www.duolingo.com/b)https://www.busuu.com/enc/c)https://www.memrise.com/d)http://www.babbel.com/?locale=en
3) Learn to play a musical instrument:Any. But do.
a)Simply put , They are too cool a skills. b)It actually
increases your memory capacity c)Sharpens your concentration d)
Helps better express yourself
Watch it here :How playing an instrument benefits your brain -
Anita Collins
There are so many professionals who have learned their choice of
musical instrument through videos on youtube. Its that easy ! So go
ahead , pick up your instrument and happy learning !! :)
4) Play a sport regularly:
You do not have to master it. Just playing a sport regularly
keeps you mentally and physically fit.
Read more here :Benefits of Sports & Health Information for
Teens
5) Volunteering is a must !:Like many suggested , volunteer. And
before you do , understand what cause you believe in.
Find the right NGO that works towards that cause and give your
best. Trust me there is no beter feeling in the world than working
with full dedication for a cause you strongly believe in.Thats a
whole new level of satisfaction.
Read more here :Volunteering and its Surprising Benefits
Keep looking for volunteering opportunities at various NGOs. And
when you do , make sure to pull in your friends too because any
work only gets better when you do it together with your friends
!
6)Yoga :Meditate. It is probably the easiest and quickest way to
stay healthy , both physically and mentally.
In case you have a busy schedule , and dont find time for yoga
postures , or dont seem to find the right spot for it , there still
is a simple solution.Pranayama. This can be done anytime and
anywhere. it simply is deep breath in and breath out.
Read more here :Benefits of Pranayama
7) Learn to code !
Not many would be comfortable learning to code. Some just hate
it and thats only because they dint find the right guide.
Coding is an amazing skill. Its nothing less than a super power
and you no less than a superhuman ! Today , you don't have to join
classes to learn it , you can stay home, chose a comfortable seat ,
and learn at your own sweet pace while mastering the not just the
basics but all of it !!
Please check these sites
:1)http://www.codecademy.com/2)http://code.org/3)http://www.w3schools.com/
8) Spend time with family :The environment at home greatly
affects your external behavior.
Having a healthy relationship with your sibling , spending time
with family is huge plus for a healthy lifestyle. It keeps you
happy even after a bad day as your the presence of your family ate
home help you cope up with all the negativity to a good extent.
Read more here :A Wise Investment: Benefits from Families
Spending Time Together
9) Plan your daily schedule :
Each day before going to bed , Plan your schedule for tomorrow.
Right from waking up time , jogging , yoga etc, split each tasks by
giving a specific time period and work by it. Of course there will
be changes the next day and strictly adhering to the timeline might
not always be possible, but try to go by it as much as
possible.
Planning your day has many benefits and to name a few :
a) Since your day has mentally been organised , it keeps your
mind attentive as the next task is scheduled soon. b) Brings
discipline to life and that this change will be seen in your work
too. c) Once you get used to planning out tasks , you tend to keep
everything organised, which makes your life simple in the long run.
d) You gain more clarity on how things are to be done.
10) Jot down those 'Light-Bulb' ideas ! :
We cant deny the fact that invariably all of us , get some mind
blowing ideas every now and then , random times. But thanks to
smartphones and our addiction to them , we always have it with in
our palms. So always keep a "Take Notes" app in your phone , and
write down whatever comes to your mind.
It could be irrelevant what you currently do , it could be for
the future , some business ides that might seem impossible or any
such thing. DOESN'T MATTER ! Irrespective of the possibility of it
happening , YOU HAVE TO NOTE IT DOWN.
Just start off , even share it with your friends, talk about it
, ask them their opinions , and just see the magic (your ideas )
Happen !
Some of the apps that can help you take down your brilliant ides
, plan them out and help better execute are :
a) Google Keepb) Evernotec) Any Dod) Microsoft One Note
11) Get a White board in your room ! :
I love white boards. So easy to write on it that you feel like
thinking more just to write something more on it ! So yes to me its
a must to have one as its very presence will force to you write ,
draw or plan something out thereby putting points 9 and 10 into
your routine.
There are somethings smartphones , computers , projectors etc
can never replace. For example , even though we have all the
newspapers on net , there's nothing like reading a newspaper on a
quiet morning sipping a hot cup of coffee, Right ? In the same way
, white boards are thee best to plan out tasks , a tool for
explaining concepts , and what not. Its simply a wonder . So please
do have one in your room ! You will definitely see the change.
12) Join the Toastmasters Club !:
Now this is one unique club. Scared of public speaking or want
to enhance your leadership skills or you want to just have a great
time , this is just the club for you. I realized the existence of
this club pretty late , 22 is a prime time and its always best to
start early on this.
Some of the benefits of Toastmasters Club are : a) Public
speaking ? Ace it with ease ! b) Extend your network of friends. c)
Improve oratory skills d) Enhance your leadership skills
Learn more here :Toastmasters International -Home
13) Be a part of a committed NGO! :
In case you have plans of higher studies like MBA , a full time
NGO experience is a good value addition to your resume while giving
you a satisfaction of serving the society.There are thousands of
NGOs out there doing some amazing work in various fields around the
world.Volunteering can be taken up as a full time career. So here
am going to talk about few fellowships that people can take up as
full time career for a year or two. Some of the prominent
fellowships i have come across are as follows :
a)Teach for All network:
Teach For Allis a global network of independent nonprofit
organizations that apply the model pioneered by Teach For America
and Teach First in the UK.
Teach For all currently has 34 partner organizations around the
world. Within this network, Teach For All is supporting over 11,000
teachers that are impacting nearly 800,000 students.
Just as Teach For America and Teach First place top college
graduates and professionals into low-income communities throughout
America and the UK, Teach For All organizations place their
nations' most promising future leaders as teachers in high-need
classrooms around the world.
b)Young India Fellowship:The Young India Fellowship (YIF) seeks
to groom young women and men like you who will lead India through
the 21st century.
The YIF will bring together 200 emerging leaders from around
India in a one- year residential post-graduate programme in our
nations capital. We will launch you on your leadership journey by
opening your mind to a rich and diverse set of subjects and
perspectives, delivered by some of the finest teachers of our
generation from around the world.
Learn more here :http://www.youngindiafellowship....
NOTE : The average cost of the programme per Fellow is INR 6
lakhs with an additional INR 75,000 as food cost.Each Fellow is
sponsored fully or partially by a sponsor.ThanksAishwarya Jainfor
pointing it out.This is a critical info you have given.For
scholarship details , you may check
:http://www.youngindiafellowship....
c)American India Foundation :
The American India Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing social
and economic change in India and building a lasting bridge between
the United States and India.
Learn more here :Clinton Fellowship | American India
Foundation
d)Gandhi Fellowship-
The Fellowship is an intensive 2-year rural residential program
that helps talented young people develop the leadership skills
necessary for positive change in society. The Fellowship challenges
these young people to support primary school headmasters to
transform their schools. In the process, Fellows discover what they
want to do with their own lives and how to go about converting
their ideas into reality.
Learn more here :Gandhi Fellowship
e)Azim Premji Foundation Fellowship Program-
The Fellowship is an opportunity for you to explore various
dimensions of education, and to discover if this is your calling.
It is a 2-year full-time program, where a fellow will get to
understand and experience the realities of rural Government
schools. The fellowship involves-a) 5 weeks classroom module to
strengthen conceptual understanding of education and development
issuesb) 22 months of intense field engagement at the grass roots
level in the district institutes of the foundation.c) Working on a
live project that has significant purpose of improving quality at
practice level.
Learn more here :Fellowship | Azim Premji Foundation
There are hundreds of other fellowship programs across the
world. I am still learning. Please do suggest and let us know of
any such NGO fellowship programmes which you think are doing some
great work !