Luck

The following list was created by my tutor, Ruth. I saw it posted in her office last week when I stopped by to review my first term and to discuss electives for next year. Ruth is a faithful reader of this blog, and I asked if I could share it with you. She has kindly agreed.

Those who know me will realise that the sort of person who would write this is very much the sort of person who should be advising me.

Thanks, Ruth.

Things I wish I’d known when I was 30

1. Don’t avoid talking to people who are dying.
2. Don’t avoid talking to the bereaved.
3. Most people don’t want to see you fail.
4. Everyone’s scared sometimes.
5. Bad things happen, but you do get over them; or replace them with other bad things.
6. Take comfort from the fact that most people don’t care enough to notice.
7. Never be arrogant enough to assume that impressions don’t matter. They do. A lot.
8. Never lose your temper in public.
9. The customer’s always right, but he’s not always the right customer. Ditto the boss.
10. If you can’t do anything about it, it’s not your problem.
11. Not everything is your fault. It really isn’t.
12. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Most of them don’t matter after a while.
13. Very few people can keep a secret.
14. Swearing isn’t clever.
15. It’s difficult to worry about several big things at once.
16. You shouldn’t let your self-image depend on other people.
17. Being good at filing makes life simpler.
18. People think in different ways; they’re not all wrong.
19. Money is important; it makes life easier.
20. Give money when people need it.
21. Ask questions and then listen to the answers.
22. Most tasks are easier than you think they’ll be.
23. Have an agenda. And a plan. But it’s okay to ignore them.
24. A lot of stuff goes on in other people’s lives; don’t assume that you know what they’re thinking.
25. Always say ‘thank you’. Especially when it’s not expected.
26. Speaking only one language, however well, is ignorant.
27. Learn to say No. And Yes.
28. It always seems like a good idea at the time. The tabloids mightn’t agree.
29. It’s okay not to like champagne.
30. No job is permanent; probably, nothing is.

Written by Ruth, September 2006.