I was asked recently what lessons I had learned from my life. When I said I had no idea, the inquirer got impatient with me, so I said I would think about it. And some have now come to mind:
- Life has ups and downs and don’t celebrate and indulge in hubris when you are up because surely those you have bested will have their day too and will not easily forget your self-satisfaction. Similarly, when you are down don’t give up, keep at it, and you will be rewarded.
- Material status possessions don’t provide lasting satisfaction.
- Someone recently told me I was “very lucky” that my boys were doing well and my first thought was that life has its ups and downs (see above) and the second was how much was luck and how much was hard work, very hard work on their part and their parents. The comment attributed to a former landsman comes to mind – when asked how much of his golfing prowess was attributable to luck, Gary Player said he had found that the harder he practised (worked), the luckier he got.
- Be careful what you say for once the words have left your mouth (your internet media delivery system) you cannot get them back. As a wise man once said, gossip is like taking a pillow filled with feathers outside on a windy day. Once you slit it open you will never be able to recover all the feathers.
- If you skate on thin ice, eventually you will fall through. Success breeds hubris and a conviction that you are smarter than the rest and can cut corners with impunity. This does not mean being risk averse, but you must assess and calibrate the risk with the knowledge that one day the odds will turn against you.
- Stay clean (ethics) and maintain your integrity since this is the right way to live. This is about ethics, the one above is about pragmatism.
- Help the underdog – it makes for a better society and social security.
And no doubt a few more will come to mind.