Today is November 11 and the Navigate the Chaos question to consider is “How often do you remind yourself of the lessons you won’t learn in school?”
People who navigate the chaos know that they learn more outside of the classroom then they ever could inside one. In his book Dumbing Down Our Kids, author and educator Charles Sykes offers these “11 Rules You Won’t Learn in School”:
1)Life is not fair – get used to it.” The more time you spend complaining about the things you can’t control, the less time you’ll devote to the things you can.
2)“The world doesn’t care about your self-esteem.” You need to achieve something on your own in order for others to stand up and applaud your contribution.
3)You won’t earn $60,000 right out of high school.” You’ll need to work your way up, and the lessons and failures you experience along the way will serve as your real education.
4)“If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.” In many cases, it’s your tuition that’s paying the teacher. In the business world, it’s the teacher who’s paying you.
5)“Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity.” When your grandparents were young, flipping burgers was an opportunity to learn.
6)“If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault … It’s yours.” Don’t waste time blaming others. They’ll resent you, and it doesn’t earn you any real respect.
7)“Take responsibility for your own contribution, rather than waiting for others to place opportunities in front of you.” Don’t waste time waiting for someone to hand you the roadmap to success.
8)“Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not.” Hard work is often its own reward. And consistent hard work leads to greater rewards.
9)“Life is not divided into semesters and you won’t have the summers off.” Make time for yourself, but devote yourself to being focused and equal to the task on a daily basis.
10)“Television is not real life.” You need to step outside your comfort zone to really experience life.
11)“Be nice to nerds … Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.”
Which of these lessons do you remind yourself on a daily basis?