My Favorite Career Profile Quotes of 2018

Yunha My Career Profile posts are unquestionably my favorite posts on Elana Lyn. The Internet has revolutionized mentorship by making it so easy to learn from people you admire. I know that I’ve learned so much from the women I’ve featured — and I hope you have as well. Here are my favorite quotes from the women featured in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018.

2018:

“If you never recognize the accomplishment factor, which is hard because you always know you can do better, it can be challenging. You can kind of slow down and feel tired, so feeling the energy of  ‘yes we did,’ ‘yes we can,’ and ‘yes we are going to’ is really important.” —Katia Beauchamp, Birchbox

“Gain self-awareness and self-acceptance and surround yourself with like-minded people. I believe we should really build on our strengths. Surrounding ourselves with the right people is crucial and a great support to being the greatest versions of ourselves.” —Aimee Barr, Therapist

“Get very comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you’re going to be your own boss—or potentially start your own company one day—you need to get used to learning things you don’t know, taking risks, and not knowing exactly what the next day will bring. Being your own boss isn’t easy, and yes, you will work long hours, but if you follow your passion and love what you do, it won’t seem like a job.” —Heidi Zak, ThirdLove

“You have to say to yourself, ‘Failure is a part of growth; it’s going to happen.’ Don’t be scared of it because if you hold back you aren’t going to get to the places that actually give you new skills and new experiences.” —Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Flywheel

“The best advice that I’ve gotten is advice I largely ignored when I was younger, but now really try to heed. That advice is to take as much time to enjoy what really matters in life – but also to not take everything so seriously. Things will happen. Mistakes will happen. Learn from those inevitable mistakes, but don’t dwell on them or beat yourself up.” —Dana Bash, CNN

“Just commit. It’s too easy to find reasons not to do something. Once you commit, all those questions you have about how to make it work suddenly solve themselves. And if you can’t solve it yourself, you will find the answers and people can help. But if you aren’t fully committed, those downs and challenges that are inevitable will scare you, hold you back and never let you get to those incredible highs.” —Anna Auerbach and Annie Dean, Werk

“I am incredibly lucky to have always had a great support system and a lot of encouragement to follow my ambition. I want to be that support system for people who don’t have it. My goal in life is to spread more joy and reduce suffering any way I can.” —Kristen Bell, Actress and Entrepreneur 

“The coolest opportunities that you’ll have in 30 years probably don’t even exist right now, so you’re definitely not considering them in your plan. Heck, maybe you’ll be running a company from Mars! Make the best decision each step of the way, and your career will take its natural path, though not the one that you necessarily planned.” —Kimmy Scotti, 8VC

“Dream big and be disruptive. If you are doing the same thing as everyone else, you’ve already failed. My advice is to take a look at your talents and what makes you unique and use those differentiators to build a business that stands apart from the rest. I promise you will find success when you dare to think differently.” —Kendra Scott, Kendra Scott Designs

“Create measurable goals for yourself as best you can. Figure out markers you want to hit in a week, a month, a year and five years.” —Kayla Tausche, CNBC

“If you want to start a business, find something that’s important to you – it can be anything as long as you truly care about it. There will be a lot of distractions along the way so having a north star is important. And most importantly, back yourself.” —Georgina Gooley, Billie

“The best advice I received was you can be good at everything, but not at the same time. I think women, especially, often bear the burden of “having it all,” and it is true that juggling the titles of wife, mom and executive is not always easy. In fact, it’s a good thing for me that success isn’t measured in one-day increments, because truth be told, some days just aren’t that pretty. But keeping focused on the long haul, on your aspirations over your whole life will help you prioritize the crucial moments for each part of your life so that you bring your best self to those moments. It will help crystallize the wins — like when you took that red-eye to make sure you made it to your son’s pre-k graduation (and he was thrilled!) — and keep the rest in perspective. On the whole, you’re no doubt kicking butt in life. It’s just that nobody’s a rock star every minute across everything. So breathe, you’re doing great!” —Maribel Perez Wadsworth, USA Today

“Your idea doesn’t have to be perfect, but you have to believe in it. If you think it’s good, there are probably others out there who will value it as well. Also, be patient with yourself – the ideal business idea might not come right away. Make sure to take advantage of every career opportunity you can to pick up new skills and experiences that can feed your entrepreneurial passion.” —Sarah Kauss, S’well

“Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. We are all on our own journey and timeline, and what someone else’s strengths and aspirations are may be different to yours, and that’s okay. When you start competing with other people both professionally and personally, you lose sight of the big picture and what you need to achieve.” —Kayla Itsines, Bikini Body Guide

“Find something that you are truly passionate about that you can be better at than anyone else. Work extra hard and don’t be afraid to fail. You’ll only learn from your mistakes, which will ultimately make you better at your craft.” —Julia Engel, Gal Meets Glam

“Don’t take work things personally. Don’t let emotions sap your energy. Ask for what you need and advocate for yourself. Make it more you.” —Amy Astley, Architectural Digest

“I live by the immigrant mentality to “earn your job every day.”The work never stops because the hustle is real, and there are many less fortunate people that would die for what you have. That’s how my parents raised me, and so, with every step up in my career, I feel a deep sense of responsibility to be louder, work harder and deliver greater impact.” —Kinjil Mathur, Squarespace

“A career path should have twists and turns. How dull would any journey be if you only walked in a straight line?” —Holly Branson, Virgin Group and Virgin Unite

“I’d say some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned are to trust things will work out and to not let every single thing get to me. I’ve also learned to take the good with the bad. Nothing is ever going to be perfect.” —Alli Webb, Drybar

“I used to think, ‘If only this would happen, I’d be set.’ I’ve learned through the years that everything you do is cumulative. There’s never one thing that will make or break you. The point is to edit and amplify existing successes while layering on fresh ideas.” —Cynthia Rowley, Fashion Designer

“The harder you work, the luckier you get. My father constantly uses that motto in his own companies, and it’s a mantra that both of my hard-working parents live by. No one accidentally stumbles upon success, you have to earn it.” —Daniella Pierson, The Newsette

“What makes you ‘weird’ is ultimately your biggest strength. Whether it’s coming from a different background than others in your industry, being empathetic in a sea of top-down leaders or being frustrated by a lack of representation of people like you in a certain market, how you’re using that experience to solve a problem that hasn’t been solved before is your secret weapon. Own it.” —Naomi Hirabayashi and Marah Lidey, Shine

“If you’re excited about something, take big risks and don’t be afraid to fail. With every experience, there is a lesson to be learned. But you have to commit. I remember making safe decisions when building my first company, Locket. Looking back, I didn’t give certain strategies 110%, and so, I can’t say with confidence whether or not our ideas worked or whether we just didn’t try hard enough. Now, I push myself and my team to think and act boldly. If you can walk away feeling confident that an idea was a failure, that is still a win in my book. Try, fail, find new solutions and then try again. That’s how you get better.” —Yunha Kim, Simple Habit

“I wish I had known that a plan is less important than a strategy. I worried a lot about following the next steps and trying to understand exactly where my path was headed. What I have come to believe is that progress is more important than knowing the destination. So, for instance, as long as you are building skills, expertise and relationships, you can figure out how to use them and you don’t have to have a master plan.” —Melissa Biggs Bradley, Indagare

“I have been lucky enough to have a handful of amazing mentors throughout my career. One of my former bosses taught me to ask for forgiveness instead of permission. It’s something that stuck with me and, as I began to build my own team, and it’s a mantra I try to encourage because it removes the fear of making mistakes, which can stifle true innovation.” —Rachel Drori, Daily Harvest

“I love what I do so much. I live and breath it. I’m constantly working and creating and dreaming. And I think when you are doing what you love and what you are meant to do, the success will just follow.” —Kristi Kohut, Kristi Kohut Studio

“There hasn’t been a transformative business idea that experts in the industry didn’t initially dismiss as impossible.” —Leslie Voorhees, Anomalie

“Hold your principles. Clayton Christensen, one of my professors from business school, said: ‘It’s easier to hold your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold them 98% of the time.’ To me, this holds true in life and in entrepreneurship. ” —Julia Cheek, EverlyWell

“Follow your interests and passions, find a job that will lead you there and work hard. And lastly, don’t be entitled – earn each step you take.” —Agnes Chapski, New Beauty and Beauty Engine

“The reality and “secret” of success is relentless repetition and commitment. I’ve learned this by waking up every day and getting to work no matter how tired, bored, uninspired, scared, frustrated, sick, sad or discouraged I feel. All of these experiences are impermanent and, by continuing to show up, you will experience success.” —Amanda Chantal Bacon, Moon Juice

“Connecting with other professional women has helped me tremendously through the years. The lessons that can be learned from those who have already been in the trenches, so to speak, are invaluable for weathering the inevitable storms and achieving long-term satisfaction.” —Nicola Palmer, Verizon

“Do something you love and believe in so that you get to live your dream and feel aligned with what you work on every day. I believe that nothing feels better than finding something you want to give 100% of yourself to. You’ll not only feel lit up every day, but it will be something that will compel you to grow into the biggest, best version of yourself.” —Loren Brill, Sweet Loren’s

“Don’t change who you are because you think that’s what is expected of you. If we were all truer to ourselves, we’d all be a bit better off.” —Andrea Hippeau, Lerer Hippeau

“We wish we had appreciated that careers are long and never linear. I think this is as much our personalities as it is our generation, but when we were first out of school we were both hyper-focused on planning out every step of our careers. It never ends up where you think it will, and we’re really grateful for that.” —Lindsey Johnson and Liz Eicholtz, Weezie Towels

“Run your race. This applies to everyone and everything in life. To me, it means to follow your instincts and live a life you are proud of.” —Shalane Flanagan, Olympic Athlete and NYC Marathon Winner

“Follow your bliss. None of this will feel like a chore if you are passionate about what you do.” —Alisyn Camerota, CNN anchor and co-host of New Day

“I think collaboration is at the core of greatness and creativity. Working together, asking for help when you need it and giving help where you can makes not only everyone’s work better, but it also makes the working environment a lot better.” —Yael Cohen Braun, FCancer, Motherlucker, and Bumble

“Be okay with feeling a little uncomfortable. It’s those moments that will really make you who you are – in work and life. And when you’ve found your path…help other women find theirs.” —Brooke Baldwin, CNN

“Careers are a delicate balance of pushing your boundaries and driving toward success and knowing when to take your foot off the gas to recalibrate and ask yourself, ‘Am I still enjoying this?’ And if not, that’s okay. Give yourself permission to grow and do something different.” —Maile Pacheco and Jennifer Musselman, beGlammed

“Never let anyone take you less seriously than they take your male peers. Don’t fail to notice when that happens and don’t fail to do something about it.” —Kasie Hunt, NBC News and MSNBC

“Invest in your network and relationships. A smart person once framed it out very clearly for me – the tools you have are your time, talent and relationships. Invest in building and strengthening all three!” —Michelle Kelly, Lilly Pulitzer

“My advice to anyone who is early in their career is to focus on the ‘coulds’ not the ‘shoulds.’ Don’t worry about what you think you should be doing, but rather what you want to be doing, what you’re passionate about and how you can make the most impact to your teams.” —Melanie Whelan, SoulCycle

—

2017:

“Surround yourself with people who keep you curious and inspire you to be better at anything and everything.” —Jeni Lambertson, The Constellations

“Get rid of the idea of the way things ‘should’ be. Craft a life that works for you on your own terms. Free yourself from old ideas and restrictions about life, work and love. Be true to what matters to you, and chase the things that matter.” —Ann Shoket, The Big Life

“Be bold in your pursuits and don’t rely on others to give you opportunities. Create them for yourself.”— Jasmeet Sidhu, MasterClass

“My story works because I’ve learned tough lessons and been told no.” —Lauren McGoodwin, Career Contessa

“Growth means pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone. Remember, your dreams are on the other side of your fears. Courage isn’t the absence of fear but the willingness to feel fear but do it anyway.” —Naomi Mdudu, The Lifestyle Edit

“We love to frame everything in the context of an overnight success, but success rarely ever happens that way. We don’t hear about other peoples’ struggles enough, so when we struggle we feel like failures because we’re led to believe our heroes never dealt with the same difficulties, which is just not true. Everyone stumbles, but the great get back up and keep fighting.”  —Nur-E Farhana Rahman, Knotty Gal

“Be proactive, not reactive. Take action if you don’t like something. Don’t complain.” —Whitney Tingle and Danielle Duboise, Sakara Life

“My mum always told me to just keep going. It’s a lesson that applies to work and to life. Understanding that nothing is fatal builds resilience and helps you evolve and grow.” —Nisha Dua, BBG Ventures

“Create your own luck. Rather than sitting around, waiting for your lucky break, put yourself out there and make it happen.” —Debbie Sterling, GoldieBlox

“Believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid to take a risk, listen to your gut and visualize your success. Trust that the universe will lead you to that success. We create our own realities.” —Rachel Parcell, Pink Peonies

“Ultimately, women can have it all, but they need to loop others in along the way.” —Arielle Patrick, Edelman

“Networking mostly just means being nice. There’s an assumption that when you’re fresh into your career, networking is inherently opportunistic, but my best connections come from striking up normal conversations with people who are in my industry and becoming real friends with them.” —Katie Becker, Coveteur

“You should also have a network of other women (and men) that will support you on your journey. Don’t try to go it alone.” —Dr. Christyl Johnson, NASA

“Be the person you want your children to have as a role model. Listen to what people say, as well as what they aren’t saying. Be confident, honest and kind.” —Liz Dee, Sarah Dee, and Jessica Dee Sawyer, Smarties Candy Company

“Don’t compare their highlight reel to your day-to-day. The reality is, you have no idea how they got there or what struggles they faced on their journey, and it’s very likely that they faced a lot. It is better to focus on what you’re doing and not what anyone else is.” —Danit Zamir and Julia Capalino, Bloomerent

“Trying everything you think you might be interested in is the fastest way to build an interesting life, which is the ultimate goal.” —Molly Ford Beck, Author, Consultant, and Blogger

“Keep your eyes, mind and heart open to new learning opportunities. Don’t be too siloed.” —Alexia Brue and Melisse Gelula, Well+Good

“Remember: No ‘thing’ can generate happiness. No goal met or accomplishment checked off the list can provide true fulfillment. Happiness, satisfaction, and contentment are found within, which makes understanding yourself a step you can’t skip or take lightly.” —Kimberly Barnes, ContentPark

“Don’t be afraid to take a risk in your career, whether it’s taking a new job, forging a new career path or starting your own passion project. If you’re not a little scared, you’re probably not challenging yourself to reach your full potential.” —Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn, Tone It Up

“The difference between succeeding and failing may be just in the speed you can dust off, regroup and start running again.” —Susan Tynan, Framebridge

“Take ownership of your career. No one is going to care more or know what you want better than you.” —Rachel ten Brink, Scentbird and Deck of Scarlet

“Don’t worry if you don’t have the best idea – you’ll iterate on it. Don’t worry if you don’t have the financial means – you’ll start slowly. Don’t sit on your great idea. Build it.” —Mia Saini Duchnowski and Laura Lisowski Cox, Oars + Alps

“The biggest lesson is honestly to be yourself. The reason you are there is because you are different. You are original.” —Lucy Sykes, Author and Fashion Designer

“Don’t spend so much time looking at your neighbor’s grass that you forget to water your own.” —Jaclyn Johnson, Create & Cultivate

“Always have a goal and work toward it every single day. Everyone starts at the bottom and, if you have to be an assistant for a few years to someday reach your goal of becoming CEO, then be the very best assistant that the company has ever had.” —Christy Doramus, Crowns By Christy

“You have to take control over your career because no one else will do it for you.” —Alexandra Cavoulacos, The Muse

“Take in all the advice and suggestions people throw your way, but in the end, listen to your gut. No one else is in your shoes or has the sum total of experiences you have, so you need to make the decision that is best for you.” —Rachel Rothman, Good Housekeeping

“My goal is for my site to be a destination for anyone who entertains, loves their home, and appreciates beautiful things!” —Amanda Gluck, Fashionable Hostess

“Recognize that you’re the only person standing in your way, and the faster you can stop listening to the little voice that says you can’t do it, the faster you’ll start really living! You’ll be surprised the doors that open when you trust yourself and put in the work to get there.” —Julia Gudish Krieger, VillageLuxe

“It’s a tough job to be a modern woman: Professional and family responsibilities can be overwhelming sometimes! Take care of yourself.” —Evgeniya Khromina, Panah

“You have to keep challenging yourself, creating more work for yourself, looking toward what’s next and continuously setting higher and higher goals for yourself and your company as a whole. And the basis for all of this is passion—if you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, it will be significantly harder to succeed at it.” —Stephanie Kaplan, Her Campus

“There are a lot of things that we’d like to see happen – whether for our own careers, for others, or in our personal lives, and we spend a lot of time and energy scheming to make them happen, rather than just ask for them directly from those who have the authority to act. It’s super scary! But immensely rewarding.” —Ellyn Canfield, The NYC Mayor’s Office

“The lesson for everyone is this: Your story is worth it and there will always be people who will be willing to listen without judgment the whole way through.” —Emily Belden, Author

“Observe how much time you spend judging yourself and others. Note that it’s a total and complete energy suck and if you can work on it, you’ll have so much more emotional bandwidth to do positive things. Also, work on giving less f*cks.” —Claire Wasserman, Ladies Get Paid

“It’s important to remember that it’s as much about the journey as where you plan on ending up. Time is going to pass anyway, might as well work on something you’re excited about. Don’t let perfection stop your progress.” —Reese Evans, Yes Supply Co.

“Don’t write an entire career or industry off just because you think you won’t fit in or don’t see others there already that resemble you. In fact, those are the places where your voice is needed most.” —Laurence Bradford, Learn to Code With Me and Teachable

“You’re only as strong as you let yourself be—knowing your worth internally will help you exude that confidence externally too.” —Emily Drewry, Forbes

“Be confident in what you do well, but adaptable about how you do it. I felt a lot of pressure in my early twenties to be all things to all people—especially employers. Experience has made me more self-assured about what I excel at and more honest about what I suck at.” —Lauren Maffeo, Get App and Journalist

“When you’re the highest possible expression of yourself, all the right opportunities and people will be drawn onto your path.” —Maxie McCoy, Writer and Speaker

“Find your own way and stop listening to others dictate what’s best for you and your business.” —Jenny Dorsey, Wednesdays NYC and Jenny Dorsey Consulting

“Take the path of least regret. I always say that we regret the things we don’t do more than the things that we do. When in doubt, take the leap and if it doesn’t work out move forward.” —Amanda Freeman, SLT

“Once I decided to let go of every comfort, excuse and shred of doubt is when the miracles started to happen. I took a chance on myself and my dreams and every day I see miracles happen that push me forward. Choosing to believe whole-heartedly in yourself is the best advice I can give.” —Lillian Garcia, The Way U

“Do what makes you happy. Don’t get caught up in the societal pressure of what’s going on around you — just do what makes you happy and makes you feel good. With all that joy and confidence, the rest will fall into place!” —Agathe Assouline-Lichten, Red Velvet NYC

“I wish I knew that it’s ok to not know exactly what you what to do right out of the gate. Sometimes you know exactly where you want to be, but it’s also completely alright to fall into it. Keep your eyes open and find your passion.” —Shannon Maguire, Comedy Central

“Even if there is failure, we will all learn from it and then grow from it.” —Rachel Piskin, ChaiseFitness

“We can do anything we want, the trick is, it’s usually waiting for us just beyond our comfort zone.” —Julia Pimsleur, Million Dollar Women

My Favorite Career Profile Quotes From 2016:

“Women tend to be helpers, which means we often put the needs of others ahead of ourselves. Sometimes your needs, goals, and accomplishments should take center stage.” —Sarah Soden, Children’s Mercy Hospital Kansas City

“Anything is possible with hard work. I really do believe that anything can be accomplished with hard work and never taking the easy road.” —Maggie Lord, Rustic Wedding Chic

“Passion, resilience, and determination. Being an entrepreneur will force you to make a lot of tough choices that a more typical career path won’t have you face. If you don’t have those three things, it will be hard to take those leaps.” —Annie Shafran, Bellgray

“You can be or do anything you want. Whether or not it’s 100% true, doesn’t matter. My dad always told me that my whole life, so I believed it. It powered me through a lot.” —Leah Ginsberg, Forbes

“It’s a group you call your squad. It’s the people who support you, who advise you, who lift you up when you need it, your unconditional professional support system, your girl gang.” —Jessica Bennett, Feminist Fight Club

“If you are in a position of privilege and power and have a voice that can be heard, use it to help bring others up.” —Meredith Walker, Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls

“Believe in what you set out to do. Follow your north star.” —Brit Morin, Brit + Co

“A support system is crucial – one cannot move mountains alone.” —Claudia Mason, model and author

“Do what makes you happy and what brings you the most joy because likely, that’s what you’ll be best at.” —Lucie Fink, Refinery29

“If you’re ever going to commit to doing something, you’d better give it your all.” —Liz Wessel, WayUp

“Work hard, don’t cut corners and be nice to those around you.” —Johanna Lanus, Work With Balance

“The answer is always within you just surround yourself with great people who will ask you great and challenging questions.” —Maja Svensson, Elsa and Me

“Be extraordinary.” —Callie Schweitzer, Time Inc.

“Push past your comfort zone in all facets of life: emotionally, physically and mentally. You’re usually capable of more than meets the eye if you really believe in what you set your mind to.” —Ali Martillotta, BRANDSTYLE Communications

“If you truly believe in something, you will find a way to teach yourself the necessary skills to get the job done. Action is better than inaction.” —Jenna Tanenbaum, GreenBlender

“Always be true to yourself. At the end of the day, you have to go home to yourself. You have to be with yourself. So make sure what you do is representative of who you are and that you feel comfortable to stand behind your work.” —Kathryn Finney, digitalundivided

“My profession brings out my adventurous side, forces me to leave my comfort zone, and exposes me to worlds I would have never otherwise discovered.” —Suzannah Weiss, Freelance Writer

“The best job is one that combines your personal interests with your professional interests. Once you find a profession and job you love, stick to it!” —Jessica Pollack, Crunch Gym

“So my advice is basically you do you! Know yourself, trust your gut, and have the determination to make your dreams a reality.” —Monica Gray, DreamWakers

“Always set goals for yourself. How can you accomplish great things if you don’t know what they are?”  —Amanda Galvin, LinkedIn

“I have a general rule of thumb to say ‘yes’ more than I say ‘no’ to new opportunities and challenges – and that has guided me.” —Tracy Brower, Mars Drinks

“Be passionate about your career and it will never feel like work.” —Lisa Ronis, Lisa Ronis Matchmaking

“Find great mentors and maintain those relationships vigorously.” —Alyssa Rapp, AJR Ventures

“You know yourself better than you think you do, and if you trust your instincts and follow your gut, you’ll end up in the right place.” —Carolyn Stine, Club Monaco

“Trust your intuition, your instinct, and find the joy in a few leaps-of-faith along the way. That’s where the magic happens.” —Elizabeth Lane, quarterlane

“Don’t be afraid of making mistakes. I used to associate mistakes with failure rather than learning something. I was really hard on myself early in my career.” —Claire Cook, Girls Who Code

“Sometimes if we just sit with ourselves in the discomfort and let it move through us instead of acting out or responding right away, we start to feel empowered instead of powerless.” —Ellie Burrows, MNDFL Meditation

“Be honest with yourself. Respect yourself. Listen to that small, still voice that tells you try something new, to push forward, not to give up. Life’s too short to live with regrets.” —Dr. Melanie Ross Mills, Therapist

“You only get what you ask for, so find out what you need to be happy, and get after it.” —Kate Gremillion, Mavenly + Co.

“Find three hobbies you love: one that could make you money, one to keep you in shape, and one to be creative.” —Tracy Dungo, Kalaki Riot

“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and ask for help. Starting out, I thought I had to have it all figured out, otherwise no one would take me seriously. However, being humble and asking for help goes a long way.”—Meika Hollender, Sustain

“Learning to live comfortably in the unknown was at first a challenge but is now a mindset that is filled with rewards.” —Olivia Fay, Rallier

“Surround yourself with other like-minded woman who motivate and inspire you.” —Alison Chace, Pink Wisdom

“There’s two women you should connect with at every job: one woman you look up to, and one woman who looks up to you.” —Caitlin Abber, Women’s Health

“Look forward, not backward — and don’t stress over trying to control things you have no control over.” —Deanne Kaczerski, InStyle

“Don’t be afraid to fail and don’t hide your failures. Your life will be a series of failures, learn from them and become braver by them.” —Reshma Saujani, Girls Who Code

“Progress, not perfection.” —Bigi Sann, Bandier

“Trust your potential. Visualize where you want to be, and map out what you think it will take for you to get there – and you will.” —Paris Rouzati, About.me

“Trust yourself. Usually you’re the one who has the answer.” —Nicole Ross, USA Fencing

“People care about action, not talk. If you can deliver, you’re golden.” —Pinsi Lei, Pinsi Lei Creative

My Favorite Career Profiles From 2015:

“Don’t be scared to do it alone (as daunting as it is to attend networking events or something on your own). I highly recommend putting yourself in those uncomfortable situations for those are the experiences that challenge you and offer you the most reward.” —Emily Merrell, INTERMIX and City Society

“Get out there and make it happen! Something I’ve learned over the years is that you need to look out for yourself and make yourself heard. You want a promotion or raise? You need to pitch yourself and not be afraid to ask for what you want, otherwise how will anyone know you even want it? Don’t hold yourself back, be brave and speak up.” —Amanda Shapin, Cosmopolitanand Seventeen

“Nothing is ever as scary as you think it is.” —Jordana Kier and Alexandra Friedman, LOLA

“Accept that there’s no such thing as balance. Some days you’re going to be awesome at one thing and other days you’ll be awesome at something else. Follow your heart. Different decisions are right for different people. Do what makes you happy and those around you will also be happy.” —Kari Saitowitz, The Fhitting Room

“Don’t let fear get in the way—you are largely only limited by your own mind.” —Jane Mosbacher Morris, To The Market

“Don’t be afraid to ask. Whether you are asking for an assignment on a project, a raise, or a promotion you always have to ask. I learned early on in my career that if you don’t ask, you generally won’t receive. It’s rare to find a manager who is always ahead of the curve in advocating for you, so you need to speak up and advocate for yourself (of course, you must also present the ‘why’ but that’s the easy part). This also applies to so many other situations in life and we may miss out on opportunities if we fail to ask the key questions. How will you know if you can get better pricing on a deal if you didn’t ask? How will you know what’s on someone’s mind if you didn’t ask? You may not always get the answer you want, but at least you can walk away from every situation feeling like no stone was unturned and you did your absolute best to get what you needed.” —Chelsea Kocis, SWERVE

“So what I learned is, you need to blog for the love of what you’re writing about and stay focused on that. As much as possible, try not to worry about things like pageviews, feedback, comparing yourself to others, growth or lack thereof, etc. If you feel burned out, take a break! But don’t have the attitude of all or nothing like I did.” —Jackie Clair, York Avenue and Operating Room Nurse

“The most important thing you can be is determined. Passion gets you started: Determination gets you over the goal line.” —Alesya Opelt, Alesya Bags

“The best piece of advice that I have received is to ‘tap into your intuition and learn to listen to it.’ It’s the best guiding principle for my life both personally and professionally. I’ve learned, and I’m continually learning, to avoid distractions because of my intuition.” —Tiannia Barnes, Tiannia Barnes

“I believe our thoughts are self-fulfilling prophecies. Pessimistic thoughts become negative feelings and translate to negative actions, even subconsciously. I love the notion that if we believe great things are coming our way, they’re already half way there.” —Samantha Emrich, Ketchum and Catching Dragonfly

“That it’s okay to fail. I was so scared of making mistakes that it kept me from taking on bigger projects and opportunities to grow. I stayed small so I could master the tasks I was doing. Since starting my business, my relationship with failure has been redefined. I’m failing all the time and have realized that failure is just a milestone in the process towards success. If I had known and lived that early on, my experience starting my career would have been very different.” —Ashley Feinstein, Knowing Your Worth

“As much as you want to have all the answers and have it all figured out, there are things you’ll wish you did differently, but things really do have a way of working out as they are meant to, try not to worry so much.” —Caroline Shifflett, Tory Burch

“I think the most important thing young professional women can do is respect one another. It is incredibly frustrating to see the lack of respect or the way women talk down to other women. We have to set a good example for our future daughters and other young female professionals and raise each other up!” —Amanda Keegan, Good Morning America

“Luck is something that’s truly found at the intersection of preparation and opportunity.” —Rhonesha Byng, Her Agenda

“I’m not sure who said it, but I love this one: ‘Amazing people do not just happen.’” —Evann Clingan, 360i and Evan Clingan

“Comparing yourself and your career to those around you is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you live in NYC. You are surrounded by some of the brightest, most driven people in the world. Let that energy be a source of inspiration and motivation rather than comparison. Everyone’s career is their own journey and there is no one definition of success.” —Alexandra Moncure, Financial Times

“Work hard. Pay attention. Ask questions. Listen.” —Bridie Clark Loverro, Andra Newman, and Betsy O’Reilly, Quad Jobs

“I’ve kept the same quote taped to my computer monitor for the last 3 years. The quote is by Maya Angelou and reads, ‘The question is not how to survive, but how to thrive with passion, compassion, humor, and style.’ I love this mantra for two reasons. Firstly, I think it’s both the most unusual and spot-on choice of words I’ve ever heard: passion, compassion, humor, and style. We can all only hope to embody those traits daily. (Right now, I’m shooting for just one day of the week.) And secondly, I never want to consider myself just ‘surviving.’ That breaks my heart. Whether professionally or personally, this mantra is a good reminder that if I’m not in a place, position, or relationship where I’m thriving, it’s time to make a change.” —Carly Potock, Google

“You are smarter than you know and more capable than you feel. Remember that; then just start.” —Jenna Arak, Jenna Arak Modern Day Storyteller

“I feel like it’s kind of weird to be giving advice when I haven’t graduated yet, but here’s the advice a guy gave me last week when he accidentally thought I was a college senior and started spewing all sorts of wisdom: ‘Embrace the panic, and enjoy the ride.’” —Lily Herman, The Prospect

“The best advice I was given and would give other entrepreneurs is that a ‘no,’ doesn’t really mean a ‘no,’ it just means you have to be persistent and stick with it until you get a ‘yes.’ Also, entrepreneurship is all about being able to take calculated risks, you have to approach it with a sense of adventure and not be bogged down by fear of failure. You can’t worry about failure too much because every failure you can eventually turn into a success. To get ahead, you have to be able to jump in.” —Agnieszka Burnett, Nomaterra

“Stay focused on you, and not what anyone else is doing. Don’t compare yourselves to others. Strive for greatness; be polite yet bold. If all of a sudden you want to take your career in another direction, DO IT. It’s never too late to just start all over. I switched the direction of my career after two years, anything is possible.” —Micaela English, Town and Country

“Be proactive. Don’t only do what you’re told. Find a better process or develop a new program that will help you stand out and be remembered.” —Tracey Skaler, Seventeen

“My dad once told me: ‘No one else knows what they’re doing, either.’ So many women—myself included—have this tendency to assume that everyone else has it all together, that we’re the only ones who are second-guessing ourselves. And it couldn’t be further from the truth. You learn specific skills over time, of course, but then life throws you into a completely different arena where those skills aren’t even applicable anymore. We’re all getting knocked down and crawling back to our feet over and over…but we only see our own stumbles.” —Julie Schechter, FitBallet

“Be curious, ask questions when you have them, and set goals for yourself in all areas of your life. Also, be flexible. It is good to have a routine that works for you but it is also important to be spontaneous. That is how you meet new people and expose yourself. I think that some of the greatest moments are those that happen unexpectedly.” —Madeleine Casella, The Museum of Modern Art

“If you are on the right road, keep your head down, do good work, and press forward.  You’ll get there little by little every day — and speak up when you’re ready for more responsibility!”—Meagan Hooper, bSmart Guide

“I loved the part in Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In when she writes about the best question an interviewee has ever asked her. The person she was interviewing asked, ‘What is the company’s biggest problem and what can I do to solve it?’ I think as you are networking, that is the most important question that you can possibly ask anyone. Not only is it a good question, you are essentially asking what that person really needs, but you are also asking what can you do to help, and people really do remember that, especially when you follow-through.” —Katie Schloss, Three Jane

“Don’t be afraid of hard work and always say yes. The early years of your career are critical for growth – work hard, always be willing to help out and don’t be afraid to speak up – especially when you have an idea!” —Cait Weingartner, Pretty and Fun

“I’ve always been inspired by this quote by Diane Von Furstenberg: ‘I didn’t always know what I wanted to do, but I always knew the woman I wanted to be.’ Becoming a Lovely It Girl is all about embracing who you are and letting go of who you think you should be.” —Michela Aramini, SELF and The Lovely It Girl

“Far too often we are hesitant to firmly answer a question if we are only 90% sure of an answer or caveat our opinions with phrases such as ‘I think,’ even when we are 100% sure. We know a lot and need to be better at touting our knowledge and opinions with confidence, but it’s not an easy thing to change overnight. Paying attention every time you start a sentence with ‘I think’ or ‘I feel’ is a great place to start.” —Dorie Golkin Smith and Emelyn Northway, Of Mercer