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My eldest daughter always comes out with that - "it's not fair". It drives me nuts. Life is not fair sweetie. It's not fair that she's a girl and her twin is a boy; that she's blonde and that his hair is brown. It's not fair that when the Internet and mobiles were becoming mainstream, we decided to start a childcare business.
The problem is she probably gets it from me.
The justice gene
I seem to have some kind of "justice" gene which can be exceptionally unhelpful. Generally I can cope with pretty much everything life throws at me unless it's an injustice and then I basically go mental.
Where does it come from? I've no idea although plenty of counsellors and coaches have prodded and theorised.
Stop stressing
The reason it's unhelpful, as I've tried explaining to my daughter, is that life's not fair and stressing about it is a sure fire short cut to an early grave. (Try telling that to all those talented women who get unfairly leapfrogged by their more socially ambitious male peers when it comes to promotions.)
Losing just isn't fair
In business it's not fair being a supplier to large multi-nationals. We're often sent out to tender for our Backup Care service against our much larger US peers.
We win more than we lose but the ones we lose hurt so much. On any demonstrable level we're better than them - better model, better processes, better performance (about 3 times better in case you were wondering).
Losing just isn't fair. Why should I suffer because some benefits manager decides an easy life is more important than engagement and results?
We will always lose the odd one and not dealing with it is a bit pathetic. My argument that it helps drive the business forward hasn't been bought by anyone (so far).
Is blogging cathartic?
Maybe blogging about it will cleanse me? And just in case it doesn't, a message to the My Family Care team, telling me to "grow up", "take a bus to Miami" or locking me in my office don't work either!
And with that final rant a very happy, festive and more importantly fair Christmas to one and all.
Ben Black
