TOP 10 THINGS WE LEARNED FROM PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL:
1. You can learn something useful from anyone.
Whenever we find ourselves ignoring someone because we’ve already determined that they aren’t “smart” enough to say something meaningful, we’ve made a big mistake. Besides being presumptuous and arrogant, this mindset blocks out every useful thing the other person might pass along. Instead
1. You can learn something useful from anyone.
Whenever we find ourselves ignoring someone because we’ve already determined that they aren’t “smart” enough to say something meaningful, we’ve made a big mistake. Besides being presumptuous and arrogant, this mindset blocks out every useful thing the other person might pass along. Instead
d of just listening and mining the
conversation for nuggets of wisdom, we allow our pre-existing bias to
brand everything as “not smart enough for me." Incredibly bad idea. We
should stop looking down on people because of education.
2. If quality slips, it really doesn’t matter how good your ideas were.
The most ingenious design plans, no matter how many brains contributed to them, can fatally falter in the execution phase if quality slips. This is equally true for intangible plans. Imparting greatness requires a continuum of effort and attention, not just an initial brain-fueled flurry to get exemplary ideas on paper.
3. Don’t ever let a bully intimidate you – not even once.
“When you let a bully intimidate you, the bully doesn’t necessarily win, but you definitely lose.” What he meant was, you lose upstairs where the loss takes a progressively worse toll on your psyche. Yes you can recover from that, but it’s going to take a lot more effort to bring your self-esteem up to par again than if you’d stood your ground to begin with. Reasonable people can differ on this, of course, but I think it’s sound advice. There are people who like to make others feel inferior or push them into doing things they don't want. The truth about bullies is that they are insecure themselves that's why they act the way they do.
4. Reciprocity is the name of the relationship game and always will be.
While relationships shouldn’t be tit for tat arrangements, the underlying willingness to reciprocate—even if it’s really hard to do—must be there for the relationship to grow and flourish. None of us are one-way streets.
5. Learning is good; Doing is better.
Well, ok, this one is a little bit on the nose. Learning is more than good – it’s essential. Learning is the elixir that makes the human brain the most powerful organic decision-making and problem-solving tool on the planet. The main point here is that there’s a certain magic in doing that many people simply miss out on.
6. Kindness isn’t optional.
Kurt Vonnegut famously said, "There's only one rule that I know of… you've got to be kind.” Why do some people just “get” this while others find being kind a chore? It has a lot to do with our need to feel right, and an attendant unwillingness to consider that maybe we really aren’t right, and it’s not worth treating another person unkindly to prove whatever point is on the table. Besides that, being unkind is illogical because it only incites unkindness aimed at you, and who wants that?
7. You can survive anything (assuming it doesn’t physically kill you).
More than one person has said something like this to me, and I think it’s dead on right. Often it’s rumination about how we won’t survive this or that calamity that really gets us. But usually we can find the inner reserves to overcome just about anything, and will probably surprise ourselves that we pulled it off. I’m not saying it won’t hurt like hell, or bring us to our very brink, but we usually give ourselves far too little credit for being able to overcome difficulty.
8. Money is important, but experience is invaluable.
I honestly can’t recall where I first heard this but I’m putting it on this list anyway because I think it’s really important. When you buy something, you’ll enjoy that thing for awhile, but our in-built tendency toward habituation will eventually assert itself and the thing will become yet another thing we own. When we invest in experience, however, we are buying memories, and new learning, and new ways of thinking, and a whole lot more. Those are things that become part of who we are, and no physical item can touch that naira for naira.
9. Just be ready.
We’ll end with a nice bit of simple logic. Just be ready…for anything. Quoting that inestimable philosopher, Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan - until they get punched in the face.” Exactly. So be ready to get punched in the face, and then refer back to #7 on this list.
10. Dreams are not for those who sleep, but those who wake up and do
2. If quality slips, it really doesn’t matter how good your ideas were.
The most ingenious design plans, no matter how many brains contributed to them, can fatally falter in the execution phase if quality slips. This is equally true for intangible plans. Imparting greatness requires a continuum of effort and attention, not just an initial brain-fueled flurry to get exemplary ideas on paper.
3. Don’t ever let a bully intimidate you – not even once.
“When you let a bully intimidate you, the bully doesn’t necessarily win, but you definitely lose.” What he meant was, you lose upstairs where the loss takes a progressively worse toll on your psyche. Yes you can recover from that, but it’s going to take a lot more effort to bring your self-esteem up to par again than if you’d stood your ground to begin with. Reasonable people can differ on this, of course, but I think it’s sound advice. There are people who like to make others feel inferior or push them into doing things they don't want. The truth about bullies is that they are insecure themselves that's why they act the way they do.
4. Reciprocity is the name of the relationship game and always will be.
While relationships shouldn’t be tit for tat arrangements, the underlying willingness to reciprocate—even if it’s really hard to do—must be there for the relationship to grow and flourish. None of us are one-way streets.
5. Learning is good; Doing is better.
Well, ok, this one is a little bit on the nose. Learning is more than good – it’s essential. Learning is the elixir that makes the human brain the most powerful organic decision-making and problem-solving tool on the planet. The main point here is that there’s a certain magic in doing that many people simply miss out on.
6. Kindness isn’t optional.
Kurt Vonnegut famously said, "There's only one rule that I know of… you've got to be kind.” Why do some people just “get” this while others find being kind a chore? It has a lot to do with our need to feel right, and an attendant unwillingness to consider that maybe we really aren’t right, and it’s not worth treating another person unkindly to prove whatever point is on the table. Besides that, being unkind is illogical because it only incites unkindness aimed at you, and who wants that?
7. You can survive anything (assuming it doesn’t physically kill you).
More than one person has said something like this to me, and I think it’s dead on right. Often it’s rumination about how we won’t survive this or that calamity that really gets us. But usually we can find the inner reserves to overcome just about anything, and will probably surprise ourselves that we pulled it off. I’m not saying it won’t hurt like hell, or bring us to our very brink, but we usually give ourselves far too little credit for being able to overcome difficulty.
8. Money is important, but experience is invaluable.
I honestly can’t recall where I first heard this but I’m putting it on this list anyway because I think it’s really important. When you buy something, you’ll enjoy that thing for awhile, but our in-built tendency toward habituation will eventually assert itself and the thing will become yet another thing we own. When we invest in experience, however, we are buying memories, and new learning, and new ways of thinking, and a whole lot more. Those are things that become part of who we are, and no physical item can touch that naira for naira.
9. Just be ready.
We’ll end with a nice bit of simple logic. Just be ready…for anything. Quoting that inestimable philosopher, Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan - until they get punched in the face.” Exactly. So be ready to get punched in the face, and then refer back to #7 on this list.
10. Dreams are not for those who sleep, but those who wake up and do
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