Left to my own devices

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day;

teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime."

Well maybe not, according to Jeff Walker.  His rationale being that these days people seek instant gratification, so catching the fish is not enough.  You need to fillet and cook it for them too!

Literally food for thought. 

Do we expect too much?  Are we asking people to do too much for us, rendering us incapable of looking after ourselves in whatever we are trying to do – be it starting a business or mastering new technology.

Certainly people seem to want the short cuts, the fast track to being successful whether it is in their business or personal lives. Trouble is there is no real magical recipe for success.  No sure way to get ahead.  For most of us it involved trial and error, hard work as well as the tenacity to stay the course.

But what’s the message that the “helicopter parents” are giving their children when they do everything for them. Little wonder there is a sense of entitlement out there. 

Yes, we want to protect our children from harm’s way, but truth is they are going to have to face their own challenges, make the own decisions and with that, make their own mistakes.  It’s called growing up, becoming an adult.  And yes, some of us aren’t there yet.J  

Trouble is, I am as guilty as the next in terms of pulling the pathetic pose,  especially around technology.

I got a new computer for Christmas and it’s taken me four weeks to start using it.  Why?  Because I was scared to transfer files and lose stuff. Instead I waited until my daughter’s partner was around to do it for me.

And while I didn’t fillet and cook fish in return, I did make a great bowl of mushroom soup.  Perhaps we should call this bartering, not avoidance on my part. 

Whatever. I just know left literally to my own devices, the computer would still be in the box.  Now that I have nailed myself as technophobic, I am determined to take charge of a new software program we’ve just purchased and learn it for myself.  If nothing else but to prove the old brain cells are working. 

No more waiting for others to do it for me.  No, instead, you will be the ones waiting for me to set it up as it’s for the Company of Women AcademyJ  So stay tuned.  You have a vested interest in my success.