This article has gathered dust in my files for some time. I don’t remember where I found it, but I think most parents who read this will agree with Bill Gates … who wrote the first eleven rules.
Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it.
Rule 2: The world doesn’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 till 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. 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 parent’s 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 will 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 employers are not 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.
Rule 12: (added by me) Years ago I put a statement on the fridge that went something like this:
To all young people living here…
If you are tired of following rules…
Pack up your stuff and move out…
While you still know everything…
Signed by unreasonable parents
Don’t remember where I read this but it fits.
May Your Glass Always Be Half Full
______________________
They are so true indeed..Sometimes we tend to overlook such facts..so its great to read them over and be a more realistic.
You’re right, Prateek. I think we have all overlooked the rules at some point. Gotta pay attention to get on in life.
Blessings – Maxi
I did see this in an email. The real world is a rude awakening for many.
You’re right, Patti, stepping into the real world can be a shock … especially for the young.
Blessings – Maxi
Yes, yes and yes! I never tire of these rules.
The Rules of Life support our belief and experience, they will never change, young people just have to catch up.
Blessings – Maxi
Printing this off for my fridge..
Thank you Maxi
Aren’t these rules great? Especially for uncooperative teens…
Blessings – Maxi
They fit almost anyone under 40
You said a mouthful in so little words…
Blessings – Maxi
Thanks for the insight Maxi. When working with college students, one of the constant battles is expectations. Getting decent grades in school with no plan or professional experiences almost always leads to disappointment when the student is not presented a pot of gold near or after graduation.
Those who are not afraid to get dirty and work seem to be more scarce these days.
You’re right, Slam. It begins in the lower grades where everyone gets a trophy; the hard-working kids are not given the recognition they deserve and those who do nothing are rewarded.
By the time they reach graduation the do-nothing kids have a sense of entitlement; those who worked hard feel discouraged.
As you say, those who are not afraid of hard work are in the minority.
Blessings – Maxi
Great post! I will remember these 12 rules for sure & will try my best to follow them. Everything you have written in this list is so true & important. Thank you for this list.
Thank you, Arindam. I think this list should be posted next to the blackboard in every classroom in America. Our children should see it everyday as they go through school, maybe by the time they graduate the truth of the rules will make an impression.
Blessings – Maxi