Thinking Power Ignites Infinite Potential - Classics of an Excellent Life

Author: Yang Lijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: It is said that ostriches like to bury their heads in the sand when facing danger, thinking that this way, nothing will happen. Around us, there are also many people like ostriches. They never take the initiative to explore their potential or care about their future. When things go wrong, they only make excuses and avoid responsibility, never thinking about actively finding solutions. The manager asked the newly hired Emily to deliver documents to a subsidiary of a partner company, which required her to visit three places. However, she only went to one and came back. The manager asked her what happened, and she explained, "These places are so hard to find. I barely managed to ask someone for directions." The manager found it hard to believe: "The addresses of these three companies are clearly recorded in the documents. You spent the whole afternoon running around—how come you only found one?" Emily rushed to defend herself, "I really looked for them. If you don’t believe me, you can go and check yourself." The manager thought to himself, "What kind of talk is that? You didn’t finish your work and now you’re shifting the blame to me. People with this kind of attitude won’t improve much in the future." So, he decided to fire her.
Those who always look for excuses and avoid responsibility without thinking about how to progress are harmful rather than helpful in both their career development and their conduct in life. Of course, we know that making excuses for failure is always easier than finding solutions for success. But you must understand that in the face of problems, excuses are just a temporary way to avoid conflict. Without a plan, it will be difficult to find a way out. It is important to realize that positive thinkers get positive results, while negative thinkers get negative results. The more you think about a problem, the less threatening it becomes.
Once, a mother asked her child to go to the market to buy rice. She made a list and gave him a bundle of rolled rice bags. At the rice market, the child saw that the list included: rice, millet, sorghum, corn, and more. So, he followed the list, putting one type of rice in each bag. However, later he realized he was missing one bag and couldn’t buy all the varieties. As soon as he got home, he complained to his mother, "Why didn’t you count the bags first? It’s such a long way, and I have to go back?" The mother said, "Didn’t you tie your shoelaces? Tie the missing bag tightly with the shoelace in the middle, and the top part can still hold more rice." The child was left speechless.
When a problem arises, don’t waste time trying to shift blame or find someone to blame. People who aren’t good at thinking critically are like straight rice bags—you can see right through them. If you actively think more and take the problem on, you will always find a solution. Don’t be stingy with your thoughts. "The problem is mine!" Treat the problem as your own and see solving it as your unwavering responsibility. In the process of thinking about how to solve the problem, you won’t have to worry about putting in effort for nothing. It might even bring you endless added value.
P20-21