“Once upon a time， there was a king who had a daughter as beautiful as a blooming rose. To all the suitors who came to the king's palace to ask for the hand of the princess, the old king assigned three tasks to be accomplished, each next to impossible. One day, into the king's palace came a handsome young prince..." Well, you know the rest. The three tasks may be different in different versions, but the main plot is always the same, with the prince claiming the princess's hand triumphantly.
And the ending is always the same, finishing with the line "And they live happily every after."
Why aren't we tired of something so fanciful, so unrealistic, and, I would say, so unimaginative? How can a story like that endure generations of repetition`? Because, I think, it is a typical success story. It is highly philosophical and symbolic. By implication, we see a 4-step definition of success: 1 ) a goal to be set. as represented by the beautiful princess; 2 ) challenges to be met, as represented by the three tasks; 3 ) the process of surmounting difficulties, as represented by the ordeals the youth goes through; and 4 ) the reward of success, as represented by the happy marriage.
The story not only caters to everyone's inward yearning for success, but also emphasizes the inseparability of the process and the result. The reward of success will be much amplified if the path leading towards it is treacherous, and vice versa. If a person inherits his father's millions and leads an easy life, he is not a successful person even in material terms, because there are no difficulties involved in his achieving affluence. The term "success", to be sure. will not sit still for easy definition. But as I understand it, the true meaning of success entails a combination of both the process and the satisfactory result of an endeavor. To clarify my view, let me give another analogy.
If we changed the rules of football, greatly enlarged the goal and sent away David Seaman or any other goal keeper, so that another David, namely David Beckham, could score easily, then scoring would not give him the thrill of accomplishment and the joy that it brings. If we further changed the rules by not allowing Arsenal's defenders to defend, so that Beckham needed only to lift a finger, actually a toe, to score, then there would be no game at all, because the meaning of winning would have disappeared. In accepting the challenge, in surmounting the difficulties and in enduring the hardship, success acquires its value. The sense of attainment varies in proportion to the degree of difficulties on overcomes.
The concept of success is not constant but relative because the nature of difficulty is also relative. Something you do effortlessly might pose a great difficulty for a handicapped person. In acquiring the ability to do the same as you can, he or she achieve success. That's why we greatly admire Stephen Hawking, because, though confined to a wheel chair, he has contributed greatly to the field of science.
I myself, a rather shy person by nature who easily suffer from stage fright, had to pluck up great courage to take part in a speech contest like this. I could have stayed away and had an easy time of it by not entering the university level contest.But I chose to accept the challenge and to face the difficulties. Now here I am. If I come out first, it will be a great success for me. If I come out last-I hope this will not be the case-but if I come out last, I will not call my attempt a failure, but will also celebrate it as a true success, because part of my goal is my own character training-to do more assertive, to be brave in face of difficulties. For me, it is a meaningful step forward, small as it is, in the long journey toward the final success in my life, because I have truly gained by participating.
Let us return to our handsome young prince and the 4-step definition of success. You my have noticed that the usual worldly criteria of wealth, position and fame were not mentioned as part of the story, but rather, it emphasized the process of overcoming difficulties. The ancient wisdom had already defined the meaning of success, and this is my definition, too.
Thank you.
“從前，有一個(gè)國王，有一個(gè)女兒像一朵盛開的玫瑰一樣美麗。所有的求婚者來到國王的宮殿向公主的手，老國王分配三的任務(wù)要完成，每一個(gè)不可能的。一天，在國王的宮殿里來了一個(gè)英俊的年輕王子……“好吧，你知道嗎。三項(xiàng)任務(wù)在不同的版本中各不相同，但主要的情節(jié)都是一樣的，王子和公主的手得意洋洋地宣稱。
結(jié)局總是一樣的，“結(jié)束”，“他們幸福地生活在一起。”
為什么我們不厭倦，如此美妙，如此不切實(shí)際，而且，我要說，如此缺乏想象力？這樣的故事怎么能忍受一代又一代的重復(fù)呢？因?yàn)椋艺J(rèn)為，這是一個(gè)典型的成功故事。它具有高度的哲學(xué)和象征意義。言外之意，我們看到成功的四步的定義：1）目標(biāo)設(shè)定。由美麗的公主為代表；2）必須滿足的挑戰(zhàn)，由三個(gè)任務(wù)為代表；3）克服困難的過程，為代表的青年經(jīng)歷；4）成功的獎賞，如同幸福的婚姻。
這個(gè)故事不僅迎合了人們內(nèi)心深處對成功的向往，也強(qiáng)調(diào)了過程和結(jié)果的不可分離。如果通往成功的道路是靠不住的，反之亦然，成功的回報(bào)會大得多。如果一個(gè)人繼承了他父親的百萬，并導(dǎo)致了一個(gè)簡單的生活，他不是一個(gè)成功的人，即使在物質(zhì)方面，因?yàn)闆]有困難，在他實(shí)現(xiàn)富裕。“成功”這個(gè)詞肯定。不會坐下來，對簡單的定義。但正如我所理解的那樣，成功的真正意義需要一個(gè)過程和一個(gè)努力的結(jié)果相結(jié)合。為了澄清我的觀點(diǎn)，讓我再作一個(gè)類比。
如果我們改變足球的比賽規(guī)則，加大球門，打發(fā)戴維希曼或其他任何的守門員，所以另一個(gè)戴維，即大衛(wèi)貝克漢姆，就很容易得分，然后得分就不能給他帶來成功的震顫與喜悅。如果我們進(jìn)一步改變了規(guī)則，不允許阿森納的后衛(wèi)防守，那么貝克漢姆只需要一個(gè)手指，實(shí)際上是一個(gè)腳趾，得分，那么就根本沒有游戲，因?yàn)閯倮囊饬x將消失了。在接受挑戰(zhàn)，克服困難和經(jīng)歷磨難的過程中，成功獲得了它的價(jià)值。在克服困難的程度上，成就感各不成比例。
成功的概念不是固定的，而是相對的，因?yàn)槔щy的性質(zhì)也是相對的。你毫不費(fèi)力地為殘疾人帶來巨大困難的事情。在獲得盡你所能做的能力，他或她取得成功。這就是為什么我們非常欽佩史蒂芬霍金，因?yàn)?，雖然限制在輪椅上，他已為科學(xué)領(lǐng)域的貢獻(xiàn)。
我自己，一個(gè)比較害羞的人容易受到驚嚇的天性，不得不鼓起勇氣去參加演講比賽。我本可以在不參加大學(xué)的比賽中，也能很輕松的去參加比賽，但我選擇接受挑戰(zhàn)，面對困難。現(xiàn)在我在這里。如果我先出來，這對我來說是一個(gè)巨大的成功。如果我來了，我希望情況不是這樣但如果我得了最后一名，我也不會認(rèn)為自己是一個(gè)失敗者，但也會把它當(dāng)作一個(gè)真正的成功，因?yàn)槲乙徊糠值哪繕?biāo)是對自己性格的鍛煉更加自信，勇敢地面對困難。對于我來說，這是一個(gè)有意義的一步，小的，因?yàn)樗?，在漫長的旅程走向最后的成功在我的生活，因?yàn)槲乙呀?jīng)真正獲得通過參與。
回到我們年輕英俊的王子和成功的四步定義。你我已經(jīng)注意到，通常的財(cái)富，地位和名聲的世俗標(biāo)準(zhǔn)并沒有提及的故事的一部分，但相反，它強(qiáng)調(diào)了克服困難的過程。古代智慧已經(jīng)定義了成功的意義，這也是我的定義。
謝謝你。
And the ending is always the same, finishing with the line "And they live happily every after."
Why aren't we tired of something so fanciful, so unrealistic, and, I would say, so unimaginative? How can a story like that endure generations of repetition`? Because, I think, it is a typical success story. It is highly philosophical and symbolic. By implication, we see a 4-step definition of success: 1 ) a goal to be set. as represented by the beautiful princess; 2 ) challenges to be met, as represented by the three tasks; 3 ) the process of surmounting difficulties, as represented by the ordeals the youth goes through; and 4 ) the reward of success, as represented by the happy marriage.
The story not only caters to everyone's inward yearning for success, but also emphasizes the inseparability of the process and the result. The reward of success will be much amplified if the path leading towards it is treacherous, and vice versa. If a person inherits his father's millions and leads an easy life, he is not a successful person even in material terms, because there are no difficulties involved in his achieving affluence. The term "success", to be sure. will not sit still for easy definition. But as I understand it, the true meaning of success entails a combination of both the process and the satisfactory result of an endeavor. To clarify my view, let me give another analogy.
If we changed the rules of football, greatly enlarged the goal and sent away David Seaman or any other goal keeper, so that another David, namely David Beckham, could score easily, then scoring would not give him the thrill of accomplishment and the joy that it brings. If we further changed the rules by not allowing Arsenal's defenders to defend, so that Beckham needed only to lift a finger, actually a toe, to score, then there would be no game at all, because the meaning of winning would have disappeared. In accepting the challenge, in surmounting the difficulties and in enduring the hardship, success acquires its value. The sense of attainment varies in proportion to the degree of difficulties on overcomes.
The concept of success is not constant but relative because the nature of difficulty is also relative. Something you do effortlessly might pose a great difficulty for a handicapped person. In acquiring the ability to do the same as you can, he or she achieve success. That's why we greatly admire Stephen Hawking, because, though confined to a wheel chair, he has contributed greatly to the field of science.
I myself, a rather shy person by nature who easily suffer from stage fright, had to pluck up great courage to take part in a speech contest like this. I could have stayed away and had an easy time of it by not entering the university level contest.But I chose to accept the challenge and to face the difficulties. Now here I am. If I come out first, it will be a great success for me. If I come out last-I hope this will not be the case-but if I come out last, I will not call my attempt a failure, but will also celebrate it as a true success, because part of my goal is my own character training-to do more assertive, to be brave in face of difficulties. For me, it is a meaningful step forward, small as it is, in the long journey toward the final success in my life, because I have truly gained by participating.
Let us return to our handsome young prince and the 4-step definition of success. You my have noticed that the usual worldly criteria of wealth, position and fame were not mentioned as part of the story, but rather, it emphasized the process of overcoming difficulties. The ancient wisdom had already defined the meaning of success, and this is my definition, too.
Thank you.
“從前，有一個(gè)國王，有一個(gè)女兒像一朵盛開的玫瑰一樣美麗。所有的求婚者來到國王的宮殿向公主的手，老國王分配三的任務(wù)要完成，每一個(gè)不可能的。一天，在國王的宮殿里來了一個(gè)英俊的年輕王子……“好吧，你知道嗎。三項(xiàng)任務(wù)在不同的版本中各不相同，但主要的情節(jié)都是一樣的，王子和公主的手得意洋洋地宣稱。
結(jié)局總是一樣的，“結(jié)束”，“他們幸福地生活在一起。”
為什么我們不厭倦，如此美妙，如此不切實(shí)際，而且，我要說，如此缺乏想象力？這樣的故事怎么能忍受一代又一代的重復(fù)呢？因?yàn)椋艺J(rèn)為，這是一個(gè)典型的成功故事。它具有高度的哲學(xué)和象征意義。言外之意，我們看到成功的四步的定義：1）目標(biāo)設(shè)定。由美麗的公主為代表；2）必須滿足的挑戰(zhàn)，由三個(gè)任務(wù)為代表；3）克服困難的過程，為代表的青年經(jīng)歷；4）成功的獎賞，如同幸福的婚姻。
這個(gè)故事不僅迎合了人們內(nèi)心深處對成功的向往，也強(qiáng)調(diào)了過程和結(jié)果的不可分離。如果通往成功的道路是靠不住的，反之亦然，成功的回報(bào)會大得多。如果一個(gè)人繼承了他父親的百萬，并導(dǎo)致了一個(gè)簡單的生活，他不是一個(gè)成功的人，即使在物質(zhì)方面，因?yàn)闆]有困難，在他實(shí)現(xiàn)富裕。“成功”這個(gè)詞肯定。不會坐下來，對簡單的定義。但正如我所理解的那樣，成功的真正意義需要一個(gè)過程和一個(gè)努力的結(jié)果相結(jié)合。為了澄清我的觀點(diǎn)，讓我再作一個(gè)類比。
如果我們改變足球的比賽規(guī)則，加大球門，打發(fā)戴維希曼或其他任何的守門員，所以另一個(gè)戴維，即大衛(wèi)貝克漢姆，就很容易得分，然后得分就不能給他帶來成功的震顫與喜悅。如果我們進(jìn)一步改變了規(guī)則，不允許阿森納的后衛(wèi)防守，那么貝克漢姆只需要一個(gè)手指，實(shí)際上是一個(gè)腳趾，得分，那么就根本沒有游戲，因?yàn)閯倮囊饬x將消失了。在接受挑戰(zhàn)，克服困難和經(jīng)歷磨難的過程中，成功獲得了它的價(jià)值。在克服困難的程度上，成就感各不成比例。
成功的概念不是固定的，而是相對的，因?yàn)槔щy的性質(zhì)也是相對的。你毫不費(fèi)力地為殘疾人帶來巨大困難的事情。在獲得盡你所能做的能力，他或她取得成功。這就是為什么我們非常欽佩史蒂芬霍金，因?yàn)?，雖然限制在輪椅上，他已為科學(xué)領(lǐng)域的貢獻(xiàn)。
我自己，一個(gè)比較害羞的人容易受到驚嚇的天性，不得不鼓起勇氣去參加演講比賽。我本可以在不參加大學(xué)的比賽中，也能很輕松的去參加比賽，但我選擇接受挑戰(zhàn)，面對困難。現(xiàn)在我在這里。如果我先出來，這對我來說是一個(gè)巨大的成功。如果我來了，我希望情況不是這樣但如果我得了最后一名，我也不會認(rèn)為自己是一個(gè)失敗者，但也會把它當(dāng)作一個(gè)真正的成功，因?yàn)槲乙徊糠值哪繕?biāo)是對自己性格的鍛煉更加自信，勇敢地面對困難。對于我來說，這是一個(gè)有意義的一步，小的，因?yàn)樗?，在漫長的旅程走向最后的成功在我的生活，因?yàn)槲乙呀?jīng)真正獲得通過參與。
回到我們年輕英俊的王子和成功的四步定義。你我已經(jīng)注意到，通常的財(cái)富，地位和名聲的世俗標(biāo)準(zhǔn)并沒有提及的故事的一部分，但相反，它強(qiáng)調(diào)了克服困難的過程。古代智慧已經(jīng)定義了成功的意義，這也是我的定義。
謝謝你。