June Challenge: Day 24: My top 3 worst traits

Day 24, Monday: My  top 3 worst traits

Hmmmm. Only a top three? I think a lot of people might think I have more than that but there are three traits that stand out for me. 

1. A lack of self confidence. Anyone who has seen me at work standing up in front of over a hundred people and presenting may well disagree but I am actually quite shy. I get incredibly nervous in new social situations and I spend a lot of time over analysing whether I'm good enough for a particular situation or circumstance. I have been working on this for years but recent events have proven to me that I've not quite tackled it yet. 

2. Argumentative spirit. I like to make my point, especially because I'm good at making said point eloquently both in writing and verbally.  However sometimes this urge to ensure my point is made means I end up bickering with people. That's not to say my point of view is not correct, usually I have a clear and coherent viewpoint that others will support. I guess the issue is that sometimes I really do need to know when to let something drop. On the plus side however I'm excellent at getting what I want from banks, councils etc. 

3. Laziness. I'm the queen of procrastination and doing nothing. I can be as efficient as I want Monday to Friday working hours but outside of that I practically have to be coerced into doing what is needed, even when that something is a pleasant treat. If I could get away with spending my weekends and evenings vegetating then I'm sure I would do that. Unfortunately the to do list of doom is always there waiting for me and I battle against completing it on a daily basis. 

I'm sure there are others but these would be my top three. 

June Challenge: Day 23: Things I've learned that school won't teach me

Day 23, Sunday: Things I've learned that school won't teach me

School never really taught me that much, but then I never was that keen on the place to be fair. I much preferred doing my own thing in my own time and generally speaking things have worked out better for me that way. However there are a few specific things I feel school forgot to teach me. 

Firstly how to manage money. I'm pretty good with money in that I've been saving since the dawn of time but there was no real financial education available. By the time I was 18 I was working full time and being offered all kinds of loans and credit cards. Thankfully I was sensible. 

Secondly a sense of direction. I can find anywhere, I navigate public transport and car journeys without hesitation and if I am walking around I will always find my way to the right place. I've put this to the test in foreign countries and unfamiliar places too. I've got an inbuilt navigation system that I was not taught. 

Thirdly how to survive the world of work. A couple of weeks work experience does not teach you how to self manage and self motivate yourself for five whole days a week, nor chair meetings, take minutes or do all the basic administration functions that come with most people's first jobs. 

Fourthly how to use your common sense. School actually seems to drum this out of people by teaching them to the curriculum and not around it, by discouraging opportunities for independent projects. Sometime the right answer isn't always the one written down on the paperwork but schools cannot always see that. 

Lastly school definitely did not teach me to challenge people. In fact the few times I challenged teachers I was removed from class for being disruptive and I frequently got detentions. I'm big on respect don't get me wrong but I think respect is given where you know you can question things. Schools have a tendency to take that as trouble making behaviour and deal with it accordingly. 

Primarily though schools don't teach you to find yourself. You have to really want to look once you've left to start doing that. I hated the person I was back then but these days I've grown used to tolerating her. Schools don't teach you self respect or self confidence. You have to learn those skills for yourself.