I wonder if any of you have heard this management parable: a man passing by a construction site asked the stonemasons what they were doing. Three stonemasons gave three different answers. The first said, "I am doing what I must to feed my family." The second said, "I am doing a great stonemason's job." The third said, "I am building the world's greatest cathedral." Although they were doing the same work, their perspectives on life were worlds apart.
Everyone has their own life goals. Some strive for power, with the lifelong goal to "encompass the entire wilderness and swallow the eight frontiers"; some strive for profit, aiming to "provide for their wives and children and fill chests with gold and silver"; some strive for fame, even at the cost of "ten thousand bones per general's success"; some seek wealth, even if "man perishes for wealth and birds die for food"; and others seek love, searching heaven and earth for a soulmate.
Of course, there are also the heroic songs of "wherever there are green mountains, loyal bones are buried, why return wrapped in horsehide" and the heroic deeds of "acting on behalf of heaven and rising up"; there is the noble spirit of "who among men is exempt from death, leaving only a loyal heart to shine in history"; and there is the broad-mindedness of "the world is for the public, the party is for the public, and the heart is for the public."
Without goals, one feels empty and bored. To seek success and happiness, life cannot be without a goal. For success, a goal is like air to life; a person without a goal cannot succeed.
If a ship loses its direction in the ocean, it will spin aimlessly until it runs out of fuel, failing to reach the shore. In fact, the fuel it consumes would have been enough to travel between the two shores several times. If a person lacks clear goals and a plan to achieve them, no matter how hard they work, they are like a ship without a rudder.
You must first determine what you want to do before you can achieve it. Similarly, you should first clarify who you want to become, so you can mold yourself into a person of value. Goals will give you great ambitions, provide the courage to try again when you fail, drive you to move forward constantly, help you avoid regressing and worrying about the past, and ultimately unify the ideal "self" with the real "self."
In 1953, Harvard University conducted a survey of graduating students, asking if they had clear goals and written plans for their futures. The result showed that fewer than 3% of students answered affirmatively. Twenty years later, researchers revisited those graduates and found that the 3% who had clear goals and plans outperformed everyone else in career achievement, happiness, and well-being. Remarkably, the total wealth of this 3% was greater than the combined wealth of the other 97%. This is the power of setting goals.
The whole world makes way for a person who is heading toward their goal. In modern society, it is often said that the goal of life is to find and realize one's self-value. But what is self-value, and how is it manifested? Some say self-value is reflected in a sense of achievement—a feeling of happiness that comes when one's needs are met. Simply put, it is the happiness of feeling good about oneself. So, when do we feel a sense of achievement?
Undoubtedly, the most fulfilling and happiest moments are when our work is recognized. No one wants to admit they are inferior to others, and all of you here are people of ideals and ambitions who wish to surpass yourselves and become someone of consequence.
We do not feel happy when we fall behind. So, what should our goal for self-actualization be? I believe we should be grounded in reality and set practical life goals. As a salesperson, you can expand your business to become the top seller with the fastest capital turnover in the company; as a warehouse keeper, you can become the fastest and most accurate in shipments; as a clerk, you can become the most excellent service provider in the pharmacy. Every position has its necessity, and what we must do is to create "accidental" moments of brilliance within the "inevitability" of daily routine. These flashes of brilliance are the true manifestation of our life's value.
