
昨晚整理文件夹,找到了一篇久违的稿件。这是前可口可乐公司总裁(不记得是哪位总裁了)在一所大学毕业典礼上的演讲——题目是“UNDERSTANDING OF WORK AND LIFE”。时值1998年中旬,我在“中欧”完成学业,正在找工作;同学们也都在找工作。
当时的国际经济形势不见好转,国内企业又对MBA知之甚少。除了外企的人事部外,很少有人知道“中欧”如何,国内更有人不知“MBA”为何物。就业形势严峻,除了少数人外,大家的心情都比较焦躁。此时,一个同学不知从哪里发现了这篇“演讲”,于是发给了大家。至今我仍保留着,便拿出来与未曾读过的人分享。
Understanding of work and life
Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit and you are keeping all of these in the air.
You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same.
You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How? Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special. Do not set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you. Do not take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them, as they were your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
Do not let your life slop through your fingers by living in the past or fore the future. By living your life one day at a time you live all the days of your life.
Do not give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying. Don not be afraid to admit that you are less that perfect. It is this fragile thread that bends us to each together.
Do not be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Do not shut love out of your life by saying it is impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Do not run though life so fast that you forget not only where you have been, but also where you are going.
Do not be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
Do not use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift….. that is why we call it the present.
我一直记得其中的比喻,时而会想想自己手中还有几个“球”。