Subconscious Mind: How to Make a Stone Float

Author: Liu Mingfan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Zhang Ruimin, CEO of Haier Group, once posed a question at a middle management meeting: How can a stone float on water? People's answers were varied. Some said, "Pierce the stone with holes." Zhang Ruimin just shook his head. Others suggested, "Place it on a wooden board." Zhang Ruimin replied, "There is no wooden board." Even some said, "The stone is fake." Zhang Ruimin smiled slightly and emphasized, "The stone is real." Finally, someone stood up and answered, "Speed!" Zhang Ruimin smiled with satisfaction: "Correct! The Art of War says, 'The speed of rushing water can carry stones, for it is driven by momentum.' Speed determines whether the stone can float." This reminds one of long jump, high jump, airplanes, and rockets. According to Newton's law of universal gravitation, stones always fall downward, but speed changes everything. Those who have skipped stones know that the stone bounces on the water because we give it direction while it enough speed. Bicycles and motorcycles don't fall over while riding because people master direction and give them speed. The same applies to beautiful black hair floating in the wind. Life is in motion, and motion requires speed. Without enough speed, one cannot create momentum, and things will stop moving in the process. This is a dynamic world. No one will wait for you, and no opportunity will pause for you. Waiting by a tree for a rabbit will leave you empty-handed. Only by racing against time can one possibly win. The famous American baseball player Pete Rose said, "Never look back, because while you're looking, others may pass you." Remember the lovable Forrest Gump, who won the love of his life and was asked about his secret. He said, "I run faster than others!" No wonder people say, "The frog that eats the swan is always the first one to leap." A famous saying also conveys this idea: "If you can keep up with the pace of time, you won't remain unknown." Nowadays, people often say, "It's not the big fish that eats the small fish, but the fast fish that eats the slow fish." Therefore, don't say, "Early birds are eaten by birds," for those who think of themselves as mere insects lack ambition. Even if you don't get up, you can't escape the sharp eyes of the birds. Believe in yourself as a bird, believe that early birds find food, and stay ahead of others without stopping. This is the state of a competitor and also the state of a winner—we are not lacking in competition, but in competitiveness. If there is a shortcut to success, it is to give it enough speed. Shintaro Yamaha said, "If you fall behind others by half a beat every day, after a year, you'll be 183 beats behind, and after ten years, you'll be 108,000 miles behind." P2