6 things that seem to be true ... but are not

1. It should be easier than this. It should, shouldn’t it? But it isn’t. Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers writes some fascinating things about why some people are successful and others are not.


2. Other people don’t struggle like I do. Paul Simon said some people’s lives roll easy – and maybe he knew. My suspicion is that they had to work pretty hard too.


3. We have enough technology. We are too curious to be ever satisfied with the technology we have. There will always be something faster, smaller and whizzier. We won’t necessarily need it, but we will buy it anyway - particularly if it comes with a cool case.


4. Children grow up faster than they did in my day. Maybe, but children are still children – even though they sound scarily sophisticated. Love, nurturing and listening are needed as much today as ever.


5. You can build loyalty. Maybe you can buy it for a short term – but the battle starts over again every day. Business intelligence and performance management don’t top the IT Director’s shopping list for fun.


6. We can save enough energy to make a difference. After getting a new electricity meter counter gadget it has now become a hanging offence to turn on the spotlights in the hallway in my house. Using the last of the loo paper is a minor offence by comparison. Everyone is going green and saving energy – and quite right too. But it still won’t be enough to let all the world’s children grow up at the speed they are determined to.