To my future child,
Over the years I have collected a lot of advices and kept the ones that are quite useful. Here are some simple rules so you can navigate the boring stuff of life and enjoy the less boring parts of it.
I hope that they will help you and that you may add some more to them, pass them along so people you care about will enjoy life with you, because a life in solitary and with no one to share what you know with, is a life not well lived.
Imagine you are in a heated argument with a coworker, your spouse, or just a friend. Be the one to keep calm, be the reasonable one, you often don't know what the other person is going through and why they are reacting badly to your argument, it could be something completely different than what the argument is about.
When you don't know what the job is about, hire somebody that is liberal and creative.
Try to have an option around your choices. Don't be forced into using a particular one. On the other hand, if there is no viable alternative, don't sweat it.
Usually a swan is white, but once in a while a black swan comes along . This holds true for the animal but also for our society. A black swan event is a major event that changes society and the way we think about the world.
We usually have our focus on analyzing level of wrongness rather than needs. If my partner wants more affection and attention we are internally evaluating this as needy and dependant.
If you don't react well to your children in a given situation, ask them what you did wrong and how it made them feel. The goal is for the children to express their feelings in a safe environment.
Try to limit your exposure to social media as much as you can. They are not bad. They are a tool. Tools need to be used appropriately. Don't compare yourself to others on social media, you don't know what the influencer you are following is doing to show off like that. Use social media for what they are, a tool to socialize. Leave the comparison and hierarchy for the real life.
Here are some examples of manifestation of negative emotions: Frustration - when approaching a goal and you are blocked. Disappointment - when pursuing a goal and it doesn't work. Grief - when loosing something. Pain - marker for damage. Anxiety - marker for the possibility of damage.
When there is no need for electronic devices, don't use them. If you can do one thing better with a pen and paper, use that. Don't try to emulate everything with electronics. Use it when it makes sense. It will make you robust and you will not lose touch with things that have been around for a very long time.
There was a rumor going around that Aristotle Onassis would have dinner before going on a date. Be prepared and don't get angry when things don't go the way you planned on a date with your spouse.