Every professional trial and triumph brought you here today—hopefully somewhere amazing! But what if you had changed even one thing? Would you have achieved better, quicker, or totally different results? You can’t change the past, but you never know when insight into your career—maybe a path you wish you’d taken or a choice you wish you’d made—could benefit someone else. So what wisdom from the school of hard knocks could you impart to someone early in their career?

Attitude

Make yours a good one. Your outlook should be positive and pragmatic, not treacly and overeager, or negative and surly. Lift others up and look for ways to support the team. Since the work isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, you will have days when you’re feeling a less-than-fabulous attitude. When that happens, be aware of your mindset, do what you can (go for a walk, meditate, watch a comedy clip) to change it, and do your best to keep your negativity from spreading.

Networking

You never know when a network connection will teach you something amazing or steer you down a new path, so network early and often in your career. Build an awesome LinkedIn profile, join professional groups, go to the local lunch-and-learns, and participate in online alumni webinars from your alma mater. Make and maintain meaningful contacts, proving your value-add to others before you start asking for favors. And if your network needs bolstering, it’s never too late to start, whether you’re established in your field or looking to break into a new one.

Preparation

Proper preparation keeps you one step ahead, always ready for action. You’ll radiate respect and reliability when you build in prep time, whether it’s researching a project, gathering materials for a meeting, reviewing a resume before an interview, or showing up on time.

Goals

Without thoughtful goal-setting, you’ll end up going nowhere, or at least nowhere intentional. Ask yourself where you want to be in one year, five years, and ten years. Detail a course for getting there, but keep it realistic—you won’t be CEO of Alphabet six months after graduation. Also be willing to rethink your steps if (when?) things don’t go as planned. If you didn’t land that promotion, give yourself grace and either stay the course or rechart it. Stay focused on your goals and do your best work to achieve them.

In conclusion

You can’t change the past, but you can use your experience to make someone else’s journey smoother. You can even use self-reflection to chart new, better, or different courses for your own professional journey!