Identity Capital.
The Obsession | Edition - 036
Identity Capital is a term that was coined my Dr Meg Jay in her book The Defining Decade. One of my favorite books that I think is applicable to 20 somethings but also to parents and employers. I will touch on that more in a future blog post.
For today I want to share a core principle from her book, which is Identity Capital.
Identity Capital is the personal currency that you use to "purchase" jobs, relationships, and opportunities in the “adult” world.
With this term, she puts words and action to an idea that many 20 somethings might need to hear to make better critical decisions.
Below is what I learned from her book. All credit to Meg Jay and I would encourage you to read her book.
Meg’s stance is that what you do in your 20s has the largest effect on your future. When it comes to work, she shares that during your 20s you want to be building Identity Capital, which is made up of 3 parts; Resume And Career Assets, Soft Skills, Personal Traits.
Resume and Career Assets
This is your opportunity to build experience, professional experience. That can be through different jobs and levels of education. When you enter your mid to late 30s this becomes much more difficult to do. Why? Because of life.
I would encourage you to take those leaps that seem over your head and to chase after unique opportunities to build career assets that will help you know what you want to do long term and launch into that faster as you get older.
However work is not everything…
Soft Skills
Soft Skills are how you solve problems, adapt to change, and communicate. These are not only learned in a corporate job setting. I would argue they are learned best outside of that environment. Things like leading a summer camp, working on a college project, and leading a group of people.
In your 20s, you need and should have experiences outside of college and work. These add to who you are as a person, they add to your story, they make you more interesting. A lot of times these skills are what get you to the next stage in your career that allow you an opportunity to prove your more technical skills.
What does that really look like…
Personal Traits
Before my first interview for an internship, a mentor once told me that the interviewers ask themselves one main question: “Would I get a beer with this guy?”
That is essentially what personal traits are. They are your hobbies, unique life experiences, values, and your personal brand that would make you a more interesting person.
You need to build this over the course of your 20s. It can be anything from a gap year, mission trips, studying abroad, college extracurriculars, trips to explore, classes taken, golf courses played, waves surfed, hikes hiked, and so on.
Putting a Bow on It
The point that I want to leave you with is that there is a balance of living life and doing the things you may never do again when you are older, and making decisions that further prepare you to launch into the life you want as you age. It is not one or the other.
You can’t just wake up when you are 30 something and decide you are ready for the “real world”. You have to take steps over time to be as prepared as you can.
Are you taking enough risks in your 20s?
THE WEEKLY 3
1) One Question I Asked Myself
Am I building identity capital right now, or am I just going through the motions waiting for the next thing to happen?
2) One Idea That Shifted Me
Your 20s aren't a waiting room for your real life. They're the foundation for it. Every experience, job, trip, and conversation is adding to the currency you'll use later.
3) One Challenge to Take Into Your Week
Look at your identity capital across all three areas; resume, soft skills, and personal traits. Which one is lacking? Do one thing this week to add to it. Take a leap at work, lead something outside of it, or go do something that makes your story more interesting.
