10 Success Rules Your Mom Taught You

Great minds think alike - these are the rules I often told my children.

1. Look both ways before crossign the street.
2. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
3. Anything worthwhile takes effort.
4. Treat people the way you want to be treated.
5. Eat your vegetables, they're good for you.
6. Go play outside! It's a beautiful day!
7. Turn off the light. Do you think we own the electric company?
8. Don't sit so close to the TV, it'll ruin your eyes.
9. Are you going out dressed like that?
10. Life isn't fair.

Source URL - http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/10-success-rules-your-mom-taught-you.html.

Eric Schmidt Interviewed Sheryl Sandberg - Lean In: Woman, Work and the Will to Lead.

Mary Maxwell Gates - Mother of Microsoft's Bill Gates

Bill Gates had a very close relationship with his mother, Mary, who after a brief career as a teacher devoted her time to helping raise the children and working on civic affairs and with charities. She also served on several corporate boards. She would often take Bill along on her volunteer work in schools and community organizations.

Civic Leader & Mother of Microsoft Founder

Mary Gates played a pivotal role in her son's early career. In many occasions when Bill Gates was marketing Microsoft, he would take his mum with him. Mary served as a University of Washington regent for 18 years. When she was on the National Board of the United Way, the CEO of IBM, John Opel served with her. Thru her, her son met John Opel. IBM later contracted with Microsoft, then a small firm, to create an operating system for its first personal computer. Microsoft was given a lift by IBM that eventually made it the world's largest PC software company.

Throughout her career, Mary Gates promoted philanthropic causes. In 1991 the Gateses were named philanthropic family of the year by Washington Gives. Bill Gates began his major philanthropic efforts in 1994 and created several Foundations since then. In 2000, William H. Gates Foundation and Gates Learning Foundation merged into the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

This philanthropic family reminds me of some Bible verses - Proverbs 22:9 "He who is generous will be blessed, For he gives some of his bread to the poor"; Isaiah 58:10 "And if you draw out your soul to the hungry and satisfy the desires of the afflicted; Then your light will rise in the darkness, and your gloom will be like midday;"

Reference :
Bill Gates Biography
Video : Bill Gates - Help from Mom
Mary Gates; Businesswoman, Mother of Microsoft's Bill Gates
Mary Gates Dies -- Cancer Claims Longtime Seattle Civic Leader And Mother of Microsoft Founder Bill Gates
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Leadership

21st century mums, can you raise up children without knowing technology?

In the early 21st century, the main technology being developed is electronics - broadband Internet access, wireless Internet, 3D printing. The approaches to raise up children nowaday are much more different from the time before 20th century when technologies were developed rapidly.

Do you find you have been left behind your children in technology ? What are the most common subjects in your conversations with your children - facebook, online shopping? I did have heard from some of the mums who feel they can not catch up internet technology as fast as their children do.

As a mum in technology, I've found it handy to be able to communicate with the young people with the latest technological terminology. My children started by playing those educational games; now they can find recipes for their cooking, find information for school works & extra curriculum and communicate with their friends online. In secondary schools, they've started learning web design & programming, I'm glad being able to give advise when they got stuck. 

Feeling good to discover more & more benefits as a mum in technology in raising up children. Can't say they'll become another Bill Gate of Microsoft, Richard Brandson of Virgin Media, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, or Clara Shih of Hearsay Social, but at least I know my three children will grow up into healthy and proper human beings who are aware of the latest technologies and make their contributions  to human societies in 21st century.

References :

History of Technology

21st Century Development: Innovation with Impact by Bill & Melinda Gates

Mary Arden - William Shakespeare's mother

Mary Arden - the heiress, was a wealthy young lady who inherited some money and some lands from her father when she married to John Shakespeare - the Yeoman. That gave the Shakespeare's a good start to married life and their role as parents to raise up William Shakespeare and William's siblings.

References :
The Parents of William Shakespeare
Mary Shakespeare
Mary Arden - The Mother of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare of Stratford
About Shakespeare videos

Carolyn Leighton - Founder of WITI

Carolyn Leighton founded Women in Technology International in 1989. Watching her video - about WITI, I was inspired by how she engaged her two sons in her business.

Not sure if I'll be forming a mother & son business, but at least I know someone has done so.

Eve Branson - Richard Branson's mother

Evette Huntley Branson is an adventurer, a writer, mother of Richard Branson - the founder of Virgin Media. Eve founded The Eve Branson Foundation.

Mums behind great men

Behind every great man there's a great woman, such as Richard Branson's mum - Eve Branson and Shakespeare's mum - Mary Arden.

Being a mum of a young man, I do care how my son will grow up to be. So collecting in this category many  mums of many great men to be my patterns and my mirrors.

Cloud Computing and I

When my first child was born in Taiwan and second one born in Singapore, I was always eager to have my children next to me when at work. But it was impossible at that time with that 9 to 5 work style!

The age has changed when our third child was born in UK and the Cloud Computing has started. This time I really experienced my dream has come true; have found the sky is my limit; the opportunities are out there to pursue for myself and to create for others! Therefore, I started being my own boss since November 2011.

I wonder how many mums and dads have now enjoyed working with Cloud Computing as much as I do ?
I have no problem to work 24/7- a training I gained while raising up three children. I can wake up at 4am to skype with some co-workers in Australia; can email with someones in USA after 9pm when children are in bed; can reply emails at 2am to someones who are also parents waken up by their babies. Why this work style make me so happy ? Because I can do school runs for my third child; can been seen by my first/second children when they come home from schools, can hear the happy children's noise during school holidays while stay online with my works.

Recall those days - had to apply to work part-time because of school runs; had to register holiday clubs for the two children during school holidays; missed the school assemblies when they were awarded with Head Teachers' prizes....

I'm so grateful for the the invention of the Cloud Computing that makes it possible to have work-life balance for a mum / wife who works with latest technology.