This is a way overdue blog post, but one that I will enjoy writing.
I have learned much from my past work and social experiences here in the UK. One thing I don't have(fortunately) are regrets. All my decisions have paid off so far and I now sit in a great position in my life where I have many opportunities available.
Here are some of the basic lessons:
Work
1. Nothing comes to you without sacrifice. You need to find something that you are passionate about and then it will be easier to make those sacrifices to achieve your goals. There are many people chasing the same goal as you so you need to be ahead of the rest.
2. Excuses valid or invalid account for nothing. Everybody has an excuse for not achieving any goal they have every tried to achieve. Excuses unfortunately get you nowhere. This is a fact that pertains to you a person's social and work life. I personally don't like people that always have an excuse for why life is so hard on them. You have to learn to take responsibility for your actions. Be hard on yourself, that way you are less likely to make the same mistake twice.
3. Always be honest. Even though you may end up as the "black sheep" at your company your piers will respect you for standing up and speaking your mind. Politics is a disease many companies have and honesty and openness always pays off in the long run. All the great programmers/thinkers I have met have this attribute in the extreme. If you look at architects like Billy Hollis and Alan Cooper, you will notice that when these guys get hired to do a job they cut straight through the company politics like it never existed. One of my favourite Thinkers in this respect is Robert Scoble. (This deserves a blog post of its own!)
4. Know when to shut up. If you are in the company of workers who are more proficient than you are, don't shoot your mouth off with ideas when a problem arises. Listen and learn from those that are better than you are at your job, and give them respect.
5. Stay positive. Even when the chips are down, and the pressure is through the roof. Keep in things in perspective and don't panic. Panic and stress only slow you and those around you down. Also managers should never use fear as a tactic to get their staff to work harder. Fear breeds contempt and does not pay off in the long run.
6. Always stand back and look at the big picture. My father taught me this trick and it saved me countless times. When things don't feel right, and everybody is running around like a headless chicken, stop what you are doing, go make yourself a coffee and look at things from an outsiders perspective. This ALWAYS brings the root problem to the surface.... and the irony of it all is that 99% of the time stress comes from the unknown variables in the problem you are tackling. Cut down the unknowns and you will have a stress free job. (Another blog post will come out of this... ).
Social Life
1. Remain a good person no matter what life deals you. There are so many tainted people out there. Bad experiences can psychologically scare a person, but most of us in our later years are able to put these experiences behind us and move on. It's difficult to move on sometimes when you really loved somebody and they threw it back in your face, but you should never let a break up lower your perception of who you are. People have flaws, and if two people don't suit each other then remain friends and move on.
2. Don't judge other people too quickly. Sometimes somebody that may look as though they don't like you or give you a hard time sometimes have issues that they are trying to deal with and are taking out their problems on the people around them. Always respect nerds (because I am one... ;-)) Nerds can be sometimes be laughed at but intelligent people are normally the survivors in this day and age.
3. Always ensure you reward those who are good to you. This is as basic as just saying 'thank you' sometimes. Greeting your fellow work colleagues in the morning and being courteous is critical to your success. Coming into work in the morning in a mood and taking it out on your work colleagues will only damage your career.
4. Love yourself. You have to believe in yourself to succeed. Give yourself the credit you deserve, and don't be afraid to boast of your achievements. I've meet countless people in my life that are brilliant at what they do but never got anywhere because they didn't believe in themselves. It's scary what we can achieve if we have the right mind set and the confidence required. There are people out there that survive purely off their confidence. Top level managers and directors which require confidence in the extreme. Nothing is wrong with a bit of arrogance either.
Anyway that is all for the moment.
Lots of love to everybody out there.
Jean