LETTER 04 : FATHER TO SON
Do it now
Opportunity comes from opportunity.
Bad habits can dictate us and determine success or failure. It is easy to develop, but it is difficult to serve.
Successfully putting a good idea into practice is more valuable than thinking about a thousand good ideas at home.
(To conquer you have need to do, to do again, ever to do! And your safety is insured.)
December 24, 1897
Dear Son:
I always clearly remember the words of intelligent people. A wise man said it well, "Education covers many aspects, but it does not teach you anything." This wise man showed us a truth: if you do not take action, even the world most practical, beautiful, and viable philosophy will not work.
I have always believed that an opportunity comes from another opportunity as even the best ideas have flaws. Even if it is very ordinary plan, if it is actually implemented and developed, it will be much better than a good plan that is abandoned halfway, because the former will be carried out consistently, but the latter has already been given up. So, I said that there is no secret to success. To achieve positive results in life, it is of course good to have extraordinary wisdom and special talents. There is nothing wrong with it. As long as you are willing to take active actions, you will be closer to success.
Unfortunately, many people have not remembered this biggest lesson, and as a result they have resulted to mediocrity. If you look at the ordinary people, you will find that they are all living passively, they always say much more than they do, or even do nothing. But almost all of them are good at finding excuses, they will find various excuse to procrastinate until they finally prove that this matter should not be, unable to or it is too late to be done.
Compared to this kind of person, I seem to be much smarter and cunning. Mr. Gates touted me as an active and spontaneous individual. I am happy to hear this because I have lived up to it. Positive action is another positive attribute of mine. I never like to talk in vain. Because I know that there is no result without action, and there is nothing in the world that is obtained just from thinking. As long as people are alive, they must consider taking action.
Many people admit that knowledge without experience is useless, but what is even more frustrating is that even if there is knowledge and wisdom but no action, everything is still empty talk. Action and adequate preparation can actually be seen as two sides of an object. We need to live modestly. Too much preparation but no action at all will only waste time eventually. In other words, everything must be done with limits. We cannot fall into the trap of continuous deliberation and planning but we must recognize the reality : no matter how detailed the plan is, we still cannot accurately predict the final outcome.
Of course, I do not deny that planning is very important. It is the first step to achieving favourable results, but planning is not, and cannot replace action.
Just like playing golf, if you have not completed the first hole, you cannot progress to the second hole. Action solves everything. Without action, nothing will happen. We cannot buy fool proof insurance, but what we can do is make up our minds to fulfil our plan.
People who lack action have a bad habit : they like to maintain the status quo and refuse to change. I think this is a bad habit that is deceptive and self-destructive because everything is changing, just as people will live and die, there is nothing constant. But because of one's inner fear - the fear of the unknown, many people resist change. Even if the status quo does not satisfy him, he dares not take step forward. If you look at the people who should have succeeded in their careers but did not, you know that it's not hard to sympathize with them.
Chinese (Simplified):
信 04:父亲写给儿子
现在做
机遇来自机遇。
坏习惯可以支配我们并决定成功或失败。 开发容易,服务难。
成功地将一个好想法付诸实践比在家里思考一千个好想法更有价值。
(为了征服,你需要做、再做、永远做!而且你的安全是有保障的。)
1897 年 12 月 24 日
亲爱的儿子:
我总是清楚地记得聪明人的话。 一位智者说得好,“教育涵盖了很多方面,但它并没有教给你任何东西。” 这位智者向我们展示了一个真理:如果不采取行动,即使是世界上最实用、最美丽、最可行的哲学也不起作用。
我一直相信一个机会来自另一个机会,即使是最好的想法也有缺陷。 即使是很普通的计划,如果真正实施和制定,也会比半途而废的好计划好得多,因为前者会一贯地执行,而后者却已经放弃了。 所以,我说成功没有秘诀。 要想在人生中取得积极的成果,拥有非凡的智慧和特殊的才能当然是件好事。 没有什么问题。 只要你愿意积极行动,你就会离成功更近一些。
不幸的是,很多人没有记住这个最大的教训,结果就造成了平庸。 如果你看看普通人,你会发现他们都是被动地活着。 他们总是说的比做的多,甚至什么也不做。 但几乎所有人都善于寻找借口。 他们会找各种借口拖延,直到最后证明这件事不应该做、不能做或者来不及做。
和这种人相比,我似乎要聪明、狡猾得多。 盖茨先生称赞我是一个积极主动的人。 我很高兴听到这个消息,因为我已经做到了。 积极行动是我的另一个积极品质。我从来不喜欢空谈。 因为我知道,没有行动就没有结果,世界上没有什么是光想就能得到的。 人只要还活着,就必须考虑采取行动。
很多人承认没有经验的知识是没有用的,但更令人沮丧的是,即使有知识和智慧但没有行动,一切仍然是空谈。 行动和充分的准备实际上可以看作是一个物体的两个方面。 我们需要谦虚地生活。 准备太多,但不采取行动,最终只会浪费时间。 换句话说,凡事都要有限度。 我们不能陷入不断审议和计划的陷阱,但我们必须认清现实:无论计划多么详细,我们仍然无法准确预测最终的结果。
当然,我不否认规划非常重要。 这是取得良好结果的第一步,但计划不是、也不能取代行动。
就像打高尔夫球一样,如果你没有完成第一洞,你就无法进入第二洞。 行动解决一切。 没有行动,什么都不会发生。 我们买不到万无一失的保险,但我们能做的就是下定决心去实现我们的计划。
缺乏行动的人有一个坏习惯:喜欢维持现状,拒绝改变。 我认为这是一种具有欺骗性和自我毁灭性的坏习惯,因为一切都在变化,正如人有生有死一样,没有什么是不变的。 但由于内心的恐惧——对未知的恐惧——许多人抵制改变。 哪怕现状不满足他,他也不敢向前迈出一步。 如果你看看那些本应在事业上取得成功却没有成功的人,你就会知道同情他们并不难。
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