OT - Bill Gates 11 rules of life..

el_grande_mauro_mina · Post by **el_grande_mauro_mina** » 16 Dec 2007, 04:23

I quite liked it, he used this as part of a speech at his old high school.
What do you think?

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 a vice-president with a car phone, until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. 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 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 are. 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.

jim wright · Post by **jim wright** » 16 Dec 2007, 04:49

There are some pearls of wisdom in there. However, Bill gates didn't say these rules, that is just an urban myth that has been doing the rounds on the internet.

The rules are in fact an extract from a book called "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college graduates.

el_grande_mauro_mina · Post by **el_grande_mauro_mina** » 16 Dec 2007, 04:55

jim wright wrote:There are some pearls of wisdom in there. However, Bill gates didn't say these rules, that is just an urban myth that has been doing the rounds on the internet.

The rules are in fact an extract from a book called "Dumbing Down our Kids" by educator Charles Sykes. It is a list of eleven things you did not learn in school and directed at high school and college graduates.

Ah right, cheers for clarifying the facts!

Sammy Mendelson · Post by **Sammy Mendelson** » 16 Dec 2007, 06:15

I think that if you need somebody to tell you that stuff, chances are, you're a bit of a waster anyway. It's all obvious to me.

Peter Hick · Post by **Peter Hick** » 16 Dec 2007, 06:57

Well personally I do blame my parents for all my problems and rightly so

And why does "winning and losing" in life have to be defined by how much money you make and how successful you are? Surely happiness and peace of mind are more important than material things?

I mean was Kurt Cobain a winner or a loser?

Sammy Mendelson · Post by **Sammy Mendelson** » 16 Dec 2007, 06:59

Peter Hick wrote:I mean was Kurt Cobain a winner or a loser?

He didn't miss, so I guess that makes him a winner.

harrygreb · Post by **harrygreb** » 16 Dec 2007, 07:10

i liked it - its good advice however obvious it is.

Southpaw Stylist · Post by **Southpaw Stylist** » 16 Dec 2007, 07:28

Sammy Mendelson wrote:I think that if you need somebody to tell you that stuff, chances are, you're a bit of a waster anyway. It's all obvious to me.

It's nice for them to be re-affirmed from time to time.

They are purely motivational, not instructional.

jammidodger · Post by **jammidodger** » 16 Dec 2007, 08:30

Sammy Mendelson wrote:
Peter Hick wrote:I mean was Kurt Cobain a winner or a loser?
He didn't miss, so I guess that makes him a winner.

LOFL!!!!!!!!!

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 16 Dec 2007, 08:35

Peter Hick wrote:Well personally I do blame my parents for all my problems and rightly so

And why does "winning and losing" in life have to be defined by how much money you make and how successful you are? Surely happiness and peace of mind are more important than material things?

I mean was Kurt Cobain a winner or a loser?

I suppose if you hadnt been born you wouldnt have problems - On that basis, I reckon you could blame your parents - Life is about winners and losers - Happiness is just a temporary state of mind, it usually doesnt last long - Material things dont always bring happiness but they can be a mark of your success in life and therefore be satisfying to own - When I was young I drove old bangers that were always letting me down - Now I own a new car, have full AA membership and a mobile phone - That for me is peace of mind, knowing I can always get home - Owning a holiday home does bring me happiness and contentment, somewhere to retreat to - The most important thing for anybody is GOOD HEALTH, without it life can be miserable - Having someone to love and being loved in return is another vital necessity for finding happiness - Life is what you make it and you have to give to receive - Put nothing into life and you get nothing back - As for Kurt Cobain I can only speak in general about people in the music business - Early success makes them happy but few remain that way - They are winners that often end up losers, drugs and alcohol abuse is often the cause.

harrygreb · Post by **harrygreb** » 16 Dec 2007, 17:48

cobain did not have what you so rightly indicate as
essential to happiness, he suffered from manic depression which is a desperate curse no matter how loaded you are.

i'm a multi millionaire with twenty homes in 15 countries i'm as fit as a fiddle but.....nobody loves me