Pink Socks on Tuesday

One of my tasks at work is training. I get to do a lot of the soft skills training - not the hard core business rules and compliance training, but the how do you use this system training. 

Which is all about concepts. 

So, today I was trying to explain the principles of Must Have, Should Have, Like to Have, Want to Have and Yeah/Nah, I get down to the Pick Socks on Tuesday Rules. 

Pink socks on Tuesday Rules? Yep. How to tell somebody what they want is stupid. Tell them about this. 

So you're creating a new world. What things must you have in your new world?

Things that come to mind include: 

• Air
• Water
• Food
• Shelter
• Sunshine
• Kindness
• Love
• Books
• Animals (but not snakes)

And you see, this list is already contentious, as some things may not be seen as a 'must have' but a want to have or a like to have. But these are big things and this is okay. 

Then you have the Should Haves in the world:

I like to think my world should have:

• Laughter
• Fun
• Alcohol
• Music
• Theatre
• Books
• Cinema
• Friends
• Beaches
• No organised religion

Again, a contentious list - because the should haves that I see as should haves might be nice to haves for others. 

Then there are the Like to Haves:

So, building a world it would nice if it had:

• Calorie free ice-cream
• No money
• Hugs from nice smelling non-skeezy people
• Float tanks
• Sensory rooms
• Friendly, cuddly cats (It would be too much to have these  in the should have baskets)

Of course there is the want to haves. Things like: 

• Consequence-free brilliant sex with strangers
• Friendly golden retrievers who don't poo everywhere
  
• Every car is a Mercedes convertible
• Veal does not come from baby cows
• You can fly to London in two hours

The want to haves are out there as just that - things you'd love to have as something in your life, but in reality, will never happen. 

And then there's the Pink Socks on Tuesday Rules. 

I use this analogy a lot. 

Think about the rules you are putting on people - and as with any society or world, you are bound by these rules. Rules should be prescriptive without being too prohibitive. They need a reason to exist. You have to have a reason for the rule. 

And rules should not be stupid.

Which is where I get the Yeah... Nah.. principle. 

So in my world, somebody wants to make it a rule that you have to wear Pink Socks on Tuesday. 

Is there are reason for it?  No. 

Would you want to live by the rule? No. 

Can you see the point of the rule? No.

But why is it people get caught up in this stuff?

Sermon over. 

Today's Song: