Advice for Life - What should we really be telling students?

What advice or words of encouragement would you go back and tell a 14 year old version of yourself? Maybe it's exactly what our teachers were telling us but we were too young to really listen or thought we knew best.

I know that one of the biggest lessons in life that we are not telling our young young people in schools is the old adage:

"it's not what you know, it's who you know"

In fact I have adapted it slightly for assemblies that I have offered free in schools this year to:

"it IS what you know but also who you know"    Good results are still important of course! 

I also include the 'Pie Chart of Life" graphic (below) in these assemblies just to make the point that the GCSE/sixth form years are such a small part of life yet so important in order to lay the foundations for a good career and working life. 

In my recent blog post "Measure THAT Gove" (http://stephendcook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/measure-that-gove.html)

I talked about the impact that celebrities can have with students and the advice that Countdown's Rachel Riley had for students when she accompanied me into a secondary school in Essex which was essentially:

"Take your opportunities!"

   

The idea of personalities offering advice for life has become a book called "Handbook to Life" produced by Ci Research – a market research agency based in UK. It was produced to raise money for charity and has already sold over 6000 copies. I have a great interest in the book and the agency because my great friend Richard (referred to in my Australia blogposts) is a director of Ci Research. 

    

So back to my initial question. What is your advice for life? 

I'll leave the last words to 'Dragon' Theo Paphitis who contributed to the book:

“Life is not a dress rehearsal. You need to make the most of every minute of your waking day and live as though it’s your last, with no regrets and a clear conscience. Live ‘in the moment’ and focus on the here and now. As they say: yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That’s why it is called the present.”