Top Time Tip #116
Life Lessons For All Generations
10th March 2009
The half day event in Wellington with my friends Allie Mooney and Yvonne Godfrey went very well, so we've decided to continue to roll it out further afield. I know folks in Christchurch are champing at the bit to get us down, but before we head to the South Island we figure it makes sense to run some programmes in the regional areas nearer home. So, watch this space for the next event by the Three Divas - we'll be calling it 'Keeping Life Real'.
Because all three of us are country girls from Northland we have a desire to contribute something back to the area that nurtured us, so first up we may possibly head north to Whangarei. And although the topics we cover are totally suitable for guys, every marketing expert says 'focus' so we've decided to indulge ourselves and target the programme specifically for women. If you're part of a women's group that would like to share the excitement, energy, the marketing and the benefits, do drop me a line at robyn@gettingagrip.com
You might remember I was heading to Papua New Guinea last time we 'spoke'. I loved working with the people - their generosity of spirit, grace and warmth made me totally welcome.
Now I want to go back and see something other than Port Moresby (it does have a few problems, especially with crime).
Everyone assures me that the country is beautiful, so fingers crossed for further opportunities - PNG is an easy country to access for us Kiwis.
Yours in having fun and exploring new horizons
Cheers,
Lead Article - Life Lessons For All Generations
Some time ago a delightful list of life rules for graduating students passed across my desk, attributed to Bill Gates. Considering that a deluge of ex-students are hitting our workforce right now I thought it would be a fun (and useful) list to share with you. However, I had a tiny intuitive nudge this morning just before I slapped willing fingers to waiting keyboard, to check if it really was written by the amazing Mr Gates. The results of a few minutes' web investigation have given me another, and just as delightful, angle to share with you.
Here's a shortened version of what our boy Bill is supposed to have said.
Rule 1: Life is not fair - get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault so don't whine about your mistakes. Learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.
I liked what I read. It fitted with the child-raising philosophy I applied with my own six kids as well as my own life experience. I was all ready to expand on this delightful bit of home-spun wisdom.
But - I've just had a life lesson of my own reinforced and it's given a whole new slant to this article. It takes nothing away from the value of the rules above. Instead, I want to add two of my own rules.
Robyn's Rule No 1:
Don't believe everything you read in print.
You could be dreadfully embarrassed.
If you take a look at http://www.snopes.com/language/document/liferule.asp you'll find a very interesting overview of how the authorship of this list has morphed. Bill Gates has never claimed it as his; presumably someone other than the original author foolishly thought it added extra credibility. The true author is Charles J Sykes, author of the 1996 book 'Dumbing down our kids: why American children feel good about themselves but can't read, write or add'.
In this day of instant information at our fingertips it's way too easy to take something off the internet and, because it's reproduced by a reputable source, assume it's correct. Even the most experienced journalists and editors can get it wrong. (Just recently there have been several cases of journalistic plagiarism from normally very impeccable sources.) In my case I first saw the list above in a very reputable industry journal. (I won't embarrass the usually very professional editors by mentioning which one!) I've chuckled over the list, shared it with friends, and was about to pass it on to you.
And quite aside from this list, how many of us have passed on something that's popped up on our computers, only to be embarrassed by a note back from a more cautious friend who took the time to check, alerting us that the story or warning was a scam or hoax? I know I certainly have. If in doubt, check http://www.snopes.com// or any other of the urban legend sites.
Robyn's Rule No. 2:
Listen to your intuition.
It could not only save you embarrassment but also time!
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