Recently, I have been getting a slew of LinkedIn messages congratulating me on my work anniversary. At first I was confused, but soon realized that it was in relation to me adding “The Public Health Millennial” to my LinkedIn profile. Because clearly, I haven’t been in my new role for over a year as yet.
Can you believe it has been two years of having this platform?
Every day I am thankful that I was able to create this platform which will help inspire and assist public health people in navigating the next step of their careers. It has been a lot of growth that has happened for The Public Health Millennial and myself in general over the last two years.
Over 75 blog articles, 63 podcast episodes, 3,500+ Instagram Followers and still going. I look forward to continuing to share my thoughts, insights and platform to further public health. Thank you if you have supported in any way over the last two years.
Be sure to subscribe to the email listhttp://thephmillennial.com/signup/ – lots of information is going to be dropped there soon!
1. Just Start
Whatever it is you are thinking about starting? Do the research, see if there is a need for it. Develop your why for wanting to build whatever it is and then just start.
It would be idiotic to say that all ideas will be great ones. Regardless, many of the things that we “quit” or are deemed “unsuccessful” are not going to hurt you in the larger schema of your life. You should really think about these “losses” as means of growth and development in your life.
Nothing ventured nothing gained.
You are going to have doubts in your mind. Others are going to doubt you. At the end of the day, you have to live YOUR life. Many people feel uncomfortable (hell, sometimes threatened) when they see that their friends/peers are growing in ways that they are not.
It’s much better to live your life to the fullest now and have no space for regrets later on. So whatever you are thinking of starting, thinking of creating, thinking of doing…just start.
2. Ebbs & Flows
Like many things in life, the journey of development and growth comes with many ebbs & flows. The ups, the downs, the times making you question why you started to do this in the first place.
There have been times even before ‘The Public Health Millennial’ that I questioned starting this. There were times when my articles/IG post got no traction, and others when everyone loved and related with it. The point is that I’m still here doing the work and putting it out.
There are going to be parts of any journey that are going to feel euphoric while others feel like the biggest drag in life. During the ebbs and flows the important thing is that you keep pushing through.
If you are determined in what it is you had set aside to do. Then you shouldn’t let the ups and downs that come with it waiver you from doing what you had initially set out to do. The important and most critical parts of the journey are the ones that go on in your head. Ensure you have a strong why for what you are doing. Have a vision, continue to create, continue to innovate, and keep putting out the output.
3. Surround yourself with likeminded people
Having people who are wanting similar things in their life as you are invaluable to have in your circles.
Note these people don’t even have to be doing the same work as you, be in the same field as you, or be in the same part of their journey as you. What’s important is that you all have similar mindsets of wanting to grow and develop.
The journey to create anything – whether its a project, a brand, a website, a company, etc – can be demotivating (see point 2). Be sure to have people that can relate to your struggles in growth and can help you think it through or even just be an open ear.
This also doesn’t mean to cut off all your friends outside of this. There is space in life for many people, so if old friends still share the same values as you and aren’t hampering your growth – keep them around.
I was blessed to be able to have so many great public health people and other great people that I have come to learn and grow with. Be sure that you are making space in your development to find and surround yourself with likeminded others that can help you as you grow.
(Join The Public Health Millennial LinkedIn Group)
4. Growth comes with consistency
I’ve been for the most part very consistent over the last two years and I’d like to believe that it truly has culminated in all the value that I provide to you all.
Sometimes you feel like you are just busy in the busy work of creating. It feels like you are running on a hamster wheel week after week, month after month. Just know that the consistency that you continue to produce will pay dividend over the long time. It only takes one piece of content to really help grow whatever it is you’re doing. But won’t it be better to have a bunch of content that people can binge through rather than trying to solely focus on that one piece of “perfect” content that may not have the perceived impact you are thinking.
Different people are going to resonate with different things you say, not everything you say. And you have to know that this is okay. The point is the more you show up, the more it gives people the opportunity to resonate with whatever it is you are trying to share. Continue to be valuable in the long run.
I’ve seen great growth in ‘The Public Health Millennial’ and I’d like to think that it’s just getting started. However, over the past two years, I’ve have been able to experience growth in not only social metrics and individual impact, but also in personal understanding & growth.
Be consistent – or as consistent as you can be – and growth will laggingly follow.
You’d be surprised how much you can help someone with sharing something you thought was “common knowledge”. We have a great tendency to downplay the insights, knowledge and information we know.
I’ve heard so many people “think that their public health story won’t be helpful .
I have had many times when I didn’t think of sharing something because I thought it was either well understood already or was just stupid to talk about. Well…I was wrong. People have found value in many many things I thought would not be valuable. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
We are all in different periods of our lives. We have all experienced widely varying experiences in life. These factors all shape what we know in the world, what we find valuable and how we have view things in the world. That being said, what we easily know and understand can vary different from many people. This is regardless of being in the same Master of Public Health program, being public health students, being a professional.
Realize that you know a lot more valuable information than you give yourself credit for. I know this has been the case for me. Who would have thought that I’d be doing this right now? Not I. Share what you think is valuable and share what you think is not so valuable, you’d be surprised by what resonates with someone.
Summary
Thank you all for continuing to follow along on this journey as I continue to share with you all through The Public Health Millennial. There have been many lessons and growth points that have happened over the last two years. I’m glad to have started this platform and grateful that it has been able to help many public health people. Here’s to many more!
Here are 5 lessons I have learnt over the two years of continuing to share information with you all.
- Just Start
- Ebb & Flows
- Surround yourself with likeminded people
- Growth comes with consistency
- Share when you think it’s not valuable
I hope you all found this as helpful as other content I have created. I appreciate you all and look forward to sharing more great information to help public health people navigate their careers.
What has been the best takeaway that you have gained from everything posted through The Public Health Millennial over the last two years?
