There is an e-mail going around the internet, forwarded by well-meaning friends, that claims to be a commencement speech given recently by Bill Gates to a High School class. The class is not identified and a check with Snopes.com and TruthorFiction.com disclose that the revered Mr. Gates is not the author of the article/speech/commencement address. No one knows who authored the piece, but it still rings loud and clear as good advice to late teens (and anyone else who have yet to hear the sound of reality). Rule 3 gives some indication that this piece was written before the modern era of everyone carrying a cell phone.

 

The supposed Gates speech lays out eleven rules of a successful career, or life.

 Probably, if these rules were posted in every High School locker room and on every bulletin board, we would graduate a generation of kids better prepared for business and for life in general. In thinking about these rules it can be seen that they could also apply to a lot of life in the workplace. It’s hard to remember that one should be happy just having a job and an opportunity to work every day. Bosses are often railed against when they push their people to work a little harder and a lot better. Those complaining people don’t realize that the more money they make for the company, the more money the company can afford to pay them.