A few days ago I found an interesting speech by the famous American tycoon, computer scientist, philanthropist and co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates called "Eleven rules of life that your children will not learn in school." According to Forbes magazine, the creator of the technology company returned to his institute to give a dissertation to students on the guidelines that became his hallmark. Its content seemed right, timely and convenient to review.
First: "Life is not fair, get used to it." Wow is it true. I always tell my students, even repeatedly, that in life two plus two is not four. In mathematics, yes, in life you must consider subjective, emotional and various factors that, in multiple situations, tip the balance against you. Justice is simply a legitimate desire.
Second: "The world does not care about your self-esteem, the world will wait for you to achieve something, before you feel good about yourself." Self-assessment is essential to strengthen in your training process in order to have the internal security that facilitates becoming an autonomous being capable of forging your own destiny. However, the rest cares little or nothing about how you are doing: they only expect results. At times, difficult to assume.
Third: "You will not earn $ 4,000 a month right out of college and you will not be vice president until your effort has earned both." Hundreds of young people believe that a degree will ensure an immediate job boom. The path to comfort is not around the corner, unless you are the son of a powerful businessman. It is imperative to attend, with equal emphasis, your intellectual, cultural, spiritual and emotional ascent. Well, it is unlikely to be able to reconcile an outstanding professional if a person of integrity has not been trained before.
Fourth: “If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you have a boss. That one will not have the vocation of teaching or the patience required ”. What an unequivocal statement. Young people assume that the teacher is ruthless. When you enter the labor market, they will know the true severity, injustice and even the meanness of bosses used to treating their collaborators in pejorative conditions under the pretext that they "pay the right to the floor."
Quinto: “Dedicarse a freír hamburguesas no te quita dignidad. Tus abuelos tenían una palabra diferente para describirlo: lo llamaban oportunidad”. Lleva acabo, como parte del crecimiento, progreso e incluso de la acumulación de experiencias, un sinfín de vivencias por más básicas que parezcan. Todas enaltecen, forman y preparan para mayores emprendimientos. Así lograrás contar con enormes pericias que te servirán a fin de ser empático cuando dirijas tu compañía.
Sixth: "If you screw up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't be sorry for your mistakes, learn from them." When you make mistakes, avoid transferring commitments to your parents. Remember: falls are part of life and help you in that infinite process of training and evolution. Avoid punishing yourself for your mistakes, get the most meaningful lessons and be able to cultivate their teachings.
Seventh: “Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got into it by paying your bills, cleaning your clothes, and listening to you talk about your problems. So start the journey by cleaning things up in your own life, starting with your room. " Understand their sacrifices and organize your existence without depending on them. Life is cyclical and, sooner rather than later, you will have to return their generous dedication. Taking on obligations and challenges contributes to personal maturity.
Eighth: “In school the difference between winners and losers may have been eliminated, but not in real life. In some schools school years are no longer lost and they give you the answers to solve a test and fewer and fewer responsibilities. That has nothing to do with real life ”. In our survival there is a dispute –for sordid moments- between supposed “winners” and “failures”: let's clarify their interpretations. Some associate success with material goods, credit cards, financial status, and the like. Be careful not to confuse these concepts and end up living to satisfy appearances. Identify yourself with more noble and consistent goals than, solely, amassing countless tangible wealth.
Ninth: “Life is not divided into semesters. You won't have long summer vacations in faraway places, and very few bosses will be interested in helping you find yourself. All this you will have to do in your free time ”. If you manage to do what fulfills and rewards you, you will not demand long breaks. Work will be a pleasure and, in addition, a daily delight. There will be no room for long pauses when you want to achieve new plans.
Tenth: “Television is not daily life. In everyday life, people really have to get out of the movie cafe to go to work. " Still many young people believe that it reflects habitual existence in all its depths. Nothing could be more wrong: television refuses to project the dimensions, sufferings, knowledge and that rich mosaic of opportunities inherent to the human species. Avoid substituting this means of communication for your personal testimony. Get closer to the culture and its varied and exuberant manifestations and, in this way, you will achieve a better perception of what is happening around you. Wisdom is an essential instrument of revolt, reflection and disagreement.
Eleventh: “Be nice to nerds. There are many possibilities that you end up working for one of them. Life is also a series of bewilderment, unforeseen events and surprising revelations. The chance is latent that at some point you are hired by that fellow student - limited in his social skills - viewed with disdain and whom you thought incompetent to forge a prosperous future.
Dear reader, I have tried to share with you a few and scattered deliberations in relation to the lessons of life: that wonderful and inexhaustible school of achievements, hopes and ups and downs present before our eyes. Perhaps the writer, playwright, literary critic and Nobel Prize in Literature (1922), the Spaniard Jacinto Benavente, was right when he stated: “Life is like a voyage by sea: there are calm days and stormy days. The important thing is to be a good captain of our boat ”.
