When I was a child, as far back as I can remember, I knew when it was pay day. That was the day we could have takeaways, usually KFC. I remember sitting there happily and after I had finished eating I would start talking with my siblings. My parents would keep eating, inspect the bones of the chicken we ate and then continue to eat whatever morsels were left on them until the bones were totally bare. I used to think that they must've been really really hungry until I found myself doing exactly the same thing with my kids. Why? Because we work damn hard to put food on their plates and we are going to make sure every last bit is eaten.
Our family is a one-income family and we are blessed to get government support to help with the children's schooling and general welfare. It's a concious choice we have made to have one of us at home to be there 24/7 for the children and one that we are very grafeful for because it's not an option that everyone has. We have to carefully manage our budget and although it means we do have to miss out on a few things, at least we can feed, house and clothe them.
I have never had the desire to climb to the top of the company ladder. I'm a realist when it comes to that. It's not that I don't think I have the drive or determination, it's just that I have a very low tolerance for self serving and non-genuine people. And there are spade-loads of those everywhere. Don't get me wrong - I do admire ambitious people, just not those that step on top of others or throw people under buses to get to where they want to be.
Education is the key.
I'm not talking about the degrees or diplomas or stuff you learn in the classroom. That will get you a look in. It's street smarts. It's figuring out what the game is and how you want to play it to get where you want to be. I've seen it all throughout my whole working life. The reality is that someone who wears a size 10 skirt, who's hemline is nearly hitting the heavens will probably have more opportunities than someone like me. Or when two people have exactly the same position, but one has access to more resources than the other. Obviously it's not fair - but life isn't always fair.
Again, education is the key.
Learning from others and a willingness to share knowledge has been a key factor for me. There is also the belief that hard work does pay off. I am grateful that there are many good executives out there willing to give opportunities to all. The other key factor is being able to live with myself for my actions.
At the end of day, even if I don't like the size of the person looking at me in the mirror - at least I can look her in the eye.
Lessons learnt from those childhood moments are more than finger lickn' good. It's way better than pay day. Amen.
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