Rules of Life

Rule of Life

Several newsletters have mentioned the core of a speech that Bill Gates supposedly gave to high school students about the things they didn't learn in school. He talks about how feel-good politically correct teachings has created a full generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept has set them up for failure in the real world. Whether you have kids now or you still are one, I think you'll find his words valuable IF you take them to heart and use the wisdom to guide your actions for years to come. The world of both business and attitudes that can keep you out of most kinds of trouble, get you out of trouble if you're already in it and push you towards success in life, however you define it. What Bill is supposed to have said is in fact taken from a book..."Kids: Why American Children Feel Good About Themselves But Can't Read, Write or Add." by educator Charles Sykes.

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 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be vice president with a car until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait 'til you get a bos. He doesn't have tenure.

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 parent's 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 are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents' generation, try delousing the closet in your room first.

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 need to get the right answer. This doesn't bare 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.