greatest wisdom book

Chapter 23 Talent also needs to be cultivated 5
It's better to be good than to be rich

If you don't know much, but you can say affirmatively about some things you do know, that's enough.Although people will not think you are smart, they will at least think you are sincere and down-to-earth.He who knows the truth of things can take risks and let his imagination run wild; if you take risks without knowing, you will kill yourself.For the uninitiated, following the rules is the best way to survive.In any case, it is much safer to be sure than to be mystified.

There are no two identical leaves in the world, and everyone has different talents.You may be outstanding in a certain aspect, but may be lacking in other aspects. Therefore, you'd better concentrate on your potential advantages and find a development direction that matches it, so that the chance of success may be greater.At least, you are a down-to-earth doer, not a smart fool.

Everyone has limited time and energy, and it is impossible to do everything the best, but we can do one of them the best.Doing one thing without distraction is more likely to succeed.

In a small mountain village named Fessler, there lived a carpenter named Hall, who was famous for his craftsmanship.Old Hall's craftsmanship is ancestral.Whoever has children in his family who are old enough to talk about marriage, buys wood early and arranges it in his yard, fearing that it will not be his turn to make furniture for the new couple.The clever boys in the village tried to get close to him, hoping to learn a skill from him, but it was in vain.Old Hall has four sons, and he has long wanted to choose a successor from his four sons, so that his ancestral craftsmanship will continue to be passed on.

Among the four sons of Old Hall, the fourth son is the smartest, because the fourth son has a higher education level.However, this son just didn't want to be a carpenter. He said that when he heard the sound of the saw rubbing against the wood, he got goose bumps all over his body. It would be better to kill him if he were to be a carpenter.One summer, after the fourth son had a big quarrel with the old Hall, he carried his luggage and went to the big city to make a living, which made the old Hall tremble with anger.

It has been three years since the fourth son left, and only wrote three family letters in three years.The first letter was written during the Spring Festival of the first year. He said that big cities are full of opportunities. As long as you are lucky, working for one year is worth ten years as a carpenter.Old Hall didn't say a word.The second letter was written during the Spring Festival of the following year. My son said that although there were many opportunities there, none of them were reserved for rural people. He still worked for others, which was much harder than being a carpenter.Old Hall still didn't say a word.The third letter was written on Christmas Day. After reading the letter, Old Hall only said one sentence: "Call him back." Ten days later, the fourth son came back, and he came back with a lame leg.

After the fourth son came back, Old Hall neither asked him about outside affairs nor let him work, so the fourth son ate and slept every day.However, no matter how lazy a person is, he can't stay idle. After a while, he took the initiative to help his father with odd jobs.

Old Hall said to him: "You are getting in the way here, so you might as well sell the pile of waste in the yard." The fourth son happily loaded a cart, took it to the market and sold it for 100 yuan.A few days later, Old Hall asked him to sell some finished cabinets. This time, the fourth son sold them for 1000 yuan.A few days later, Old Hall asked him to sell a set of screens. This time, the fourth son sold it for 10000 yuan.When the fourth son gave old Hall money, he felt an uncontrollable excitement.Old Hall said: "The same pile of wood is worth 100 yuan when it is used as firewood; it is worth 1000 yuan when it is made into a cabinet; it is worth 10000 yuan when it is made into a screen. What is the most valuable thing? It is craftsmanship."

Doing one thing well means concentrating on development rather than diversification.Many people have dabbled in many fields and learned a lot of knowledge. In fact, they are very weak internally and do not have strong competitiveness in each item.They have set a lot of goals and want to do everything, but they have not done everything to the best. What such people really lack is core competitiveness, that is, they do not have their own strengths.

If you concentrate your strength and develop your strengths, you cannot disperse your strength.Focusing on one is the most scientific way to develop one's ability.Human life and energy are limited, but life development is unlimited, so don't make consumptive life plans.To be perfect depends on quality not quantity.Instead of becoming a miscellaneous person and becoming a "big understanding" in everyone's mouth, it is better to become an expert and surpass others in one's own strengths.The so-called "one trick, eat all over the world", a skill is an important capital for a person's success.

(End of this chapter)