29 Things We Say that We Should Question

January 15, 2012

Forbes directs readers, specifically attorneys struggling with a mid-life crisis, to an article entitled, 29 Worn Out Perspectives in Need of the “Oh Really?” Factor. This article lists phrases that we’re all guilty of muttering at times. The article suggests that we question these seemingly resolved phrases with an “oh really?” to put some choice back into our lives. We don’t have to just accept these phrases for how it is – we can challenge them, and we should. The 29 phrases from the article are listed below:

1. I don’t have the time.

2. Everything on my to-do list is important and essential.

3. I can’t quit. If I do, everything will fall apart.

4. If I take time off, I’ll lose my game.

5. Nobody will hire me, I’m too old.

6. You’re supposed to get married and then have the baby.

7. Get your diploma, go to college, get a master’s, get married, get a career, have a family, grow old, die.

8. I need an MFA to get published.

9. Art is good, but if you want to make a living, you have to get a real job.

10. I am a complete loser without my [to-do list] [blackberry] [iphone] [rolodex].

11. You’re a loser if you use a rolodex.

12. I can’t delete all those emails.

13. You have to get a telephone. Everyone has a telephone.

14. Nobody will respect me if I don’t have a Ph.D.

15. I have to know how it ends before I begin.

16. You have to start at the bottom if you want to get to the top.

17. A black man can never be president.

18. My vote doesn’t count.

19. Women over 50 should not have long hair.

20. I’m not creative.

21. Investing is pointless as my age; I should have started years ago.

22. It’s all my mother’s fault.

23. It’s all your mother’s fault.

24. I don’t have any choice.

25. If I don’t make it by 30, I never will.

26. If you’re an artist, you need a career to fall back on.

27. Finding love is just not in the cards for me.

28. I’d rather travel, but I have to get a degree first.

29. There’s nothing I can do about it (the all-time favorite).

See Victoria Pynchon, Advice For Lawyers Negotiating Mid-Life Crisis, Forbes, Jan. 14, 2012; see also Lisa Gates, 29 Worn Out Perspective In Need of the “Oh Really?” Factor, Lifehack, Apr. 4, 2011.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (Professional Legal Marketing (PLM, Inc.)) for bringing this article to my attention.

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