The Broken Arrow ----If you don't believe in your own will, you'll never become a general. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a father and his son went to war. The father was already a general, while the son was still a mere foot soldier. Another bugle call sounded, war drums thundered, and the father solemnly held up a quiver with an arrow inside. The father said gravely to his son, "This is a family heirloom arrow. Carry it with you; it has infinite power, but never draw it out." It was an extremely exquisite quiver, made of thick cowhide, edged with gleaming copper, and the arrow's tail was visible. One could tell at a glance it was made from top-quality peacock feathers. The son was overjoyed, greedily imagining the arrow's shaft and head, as if he heard the swish of arrows passing, and the enemy commander fell from his horse. Indeed, the son, carrying the heirloom arrow, was exceptionally brave and invincible. When the bugle sounded to retreat, the son could no longer resist the pride of victory, completely disregarding his father's warning. A strong desire drove him to pull out the arrow with a shout to see what it was. Suddenly, he was stunned. It was a broken arrow—the quiver contained a broken arrow. "I've been fighting with a broken arrow all along!" The son broke out in a cold sweat, as if the pillar of his house had collapsed, and his will crumbled. The result was obvious: the son died tragically in the chaos of war. Brushing aside the smoke of battle, the father picked up the broken arrow and said heavily, "If you don't believe in your own will, you'll never become a general." How foolish to stake victory or defeat on a precious arrow, and how dangerous it is when a person entrusts the core of life to others! For example, placing hope in children, happiness in a husband, or livelihood security in a workplace... Warm Tip: You are the arrow. If you want it to be tough, sharp, and accurate, only you can sharpen and save it.
The Value of Life ----Don't let yesterday's setbacks dim the dreams of tomorrow! At a seminar, a famous speaker, without any opening remarks, held up a $20 bill. Facing 200 people in the room, he asked, "Who wants this $20?" Hands went up. He continued, "I plan to give this $20 to one of you, but before that, please allow me to do something." He crumpled the bill, then asked, "Who still wants it?" Some hands remained. He said, "What if I do this?" He threw the bill on the ground, stepped on it, and ground it with his foot. Then he picked it up, now dirty and wrinkled. "Now who wants it?" Still some hands went up. "Friends, you've learned a meaningful lesson. No matter how I treat this bill, you still want it because it hasn't depreciated; it's still worth $20. On life's journey, we may be knocked down, bullied, or even crushed by our own decisions or adversities. We may feel worthless. But no matter what happens or will happen, in God's eyes, you never lose your value. To Him, whether dirty or clean, neatly dressed or not, you are still priceless." Warm Tip: The value of life does not depend on what we do or who we know, but on ourselves! We are unique—never forget that!
Hold Your Head High, It's Beautiful ----Don't look at it as a black cow; the milk is still white. Jenny was a little girl who always kept her head down, feeling she wasn't pretty enough. One day, she bought a green bow at a boutique. The shopkeeper praised her, saying she looked beautiful with it. Jenny didn't believe it but was happy, so she raised her head, eager to show everyone. She bumped into someone on the way out but didn't care. When she entered the classroom, she met her teacher, who said, "Jenny, you look beautiful with your head up!" and patted her shoulder affectionately. That day, she received many compliments. She thought it was the bow's doing, but when she looked in the mirror, there was no bow on her head. It must have fallen off when she bumped into someone. Confidence is inherently beautiful, but many people lose joy by caring too much about appearance. Warm Tip: Whether poor or rich, beautiful or plain, as long as you hold your head up, happiness will make you lovely—the kind everyone likes.
Painting a Leaf for Life ----As long as you believe, miracles happen. Hope may be slim, but it exists forever. American writer O. Henry told a story in his novel "The Last Leaf": In a hospital room, a critically ill patient saw a tree outside the window, its leaves falling one by one in the autumn wind. Watching the falling leaves, her condition worsened daily. She said, "When all the leaves fall, I will die." An old painter, upon learning this, painted a leaf with green veins and hung it on a branch. The last leaf never fell. Because of this green leaf in her life, the patient miraculously survived. Warm Tip: Life can lack many things, but it cannot lack hope. Hope is an important value in human life. Where there is hope, life thrives!
The Flying Spider ----Faith is an invincible force. When you firmly believe you can succeed, you will. One day, I discovered a black spider had spun a large web between two eaves in the backyard. Can spiders fly? Otherwise, how was the first thread pulled across the gap of over a zhang (about 3.3 meters)? Later, I found the spider took many detours: starting from one eave, it tied a knot, crawled down the wall, moved forward step by step, carefully lifting its tail to avoid touching the ground, crossed the open space, climbed to the opposite eave, and when the height was right, tightened the thread. It repeated this process. Warm Tip: Spiders can't fly, but they can suspend webs in midair. They are diligent, sensitive, silent, and resilient insects. Their webs are delicate and regular, spread in an octagonal shape, as if aided by gods. Such achievements remind one of quiet people and hidden wise men. So, I remember that spiders can't fly, but they still weave webs in the air. Miracles are created by the persistent.
The Shadow Is a Paper Dragon ----In life, there are countless external blows, but their impact on you ultimately depends on you. My grandfather made me a long paper dragon. The cavity inside was just enough for a few locusts. When put inside, they all died, none survived! Grandfather said, "Locusts are too impatient. Besides struggling, they never thought of biting through the dragon or crawling forward to escape from the other end. So, despite their iron-like jaws and saw-like legs, it was useless." When he put a few similar-sized caterpillars in from the head and closed it, a miracle happened: within minutes, the caterpillars crawled out one by one from the tail. Warm Tip: Fate is hidden in our thoughts. Many people can't escape the shadows of different life stages, not because their innate conditions are far worse, but because they don't think to bite through the paper dragon of shadow, nor have the patience to slowly find a direction and move forward step by step until a new world appears.
Success Isn't as Hard as You Think ----It's not that things are hard so we dare not do them, but that we dare not do them, so they become hard. In 1965, a Korean student went to Cambridge University to major in psychology. During afternoon tea, he often went to the school café or teahouse to listen to successful people chat. These included Nobel laureates, academic authorities, and those who created economic myths. They were humorous and took their success lightly, seeing it as natural. Over time, he realized that in Korea, he had been deceived by some successful people. To discourage aspiring entrepreneurs, they exaggerated their hardships, using their success stories to scare those who hadn't succeeded. As a psychology student, he felt it necessary to study the mindset of Korean successful people. In 1970, he submitted "Success Isn't as Hard as You Think" as his thesis to Professor Will Braden, the founder of modern economic psychology. Professor Braden was delighted, seeing it as a new discovery. Though this phenomenon was common in the East and worldwide, no one had boldly proposed and studied it. He wrote to his Cambridge alumnus, Park Chung-hee, then at the top of Korean politics, saying, "I can't say how much this work will help you, but I'm sure it will cause more of a stir than any of your decrees." Later, the book accompanied Korea's economic takeoff. It inspired many because it told people from a new angle that success has no necessary connection with "toiling with sinews and starving the body," "burning the midnight oil," or "hanging from a beam or pricking the thigh." As long as you're interested in a cause and persist, you'll succeed, because God has given you enough time and wisdom to complete one thing. Later, this young man also succeeded, becoming the president of Panye Motors. Warm Tip: Many things in life can be done if you want to; difficulties can be overcome without iron will or tricks. As long as one lives simply and with interest, one will find that the Creator's arrangements are all natural.
The Everlasting Seat Ticket ----Life is interesting: if you accept only the best, you often get the best. A man often traveled on business and often couldn't get a seat ticket. But whether long or short distance, no matter how crowded, he always found a seat. His method was simple: patiently search car by car. It didn't sound clever, but it worked. Each time, he was prepared to walk from the first car to the last, but he never had to go to the end before finding an empty seat. He said it was because few passengers were as persistent as he was. Often, in the car he sat in, there were still empty seats, while in other cars' aisles and connections, it was packed. He said most passengers were easily fooled by the crowded appearance of one or two cars, not thinking that during dozens of stops, the flow of passengers through many doors offered opportunities for seats. Even if they thought of it, they lacked the patience to search. A small standing space satisfied most, and some thought it wasn't worth squeezing with luggage for a seat or two. They also feared that if they couldn't find a seat, they'd lose even a standing place. Like those who are content with the status quo and fear failure, these passengers often stand from their initial spot until they get off. Warm Tip: Confidence, persistence, foresight, and practice will give you an everlasting seat ticket on life's journey.
The Stubborn Stone in the Heart ----What hinders us from discovering and creating is only our psychological barriers and mental stones. Once, a family had a large stone in their vegetable garden, about 40 cm wide and 10 cm high. People entering the garden would often trip over it, falling or getting scratched. The son asked, "Dad, why don't we dig out that annoying stone?" Dad replied, "That stone? It's been there since your grandfather's time. It's so big; who knows how long it would take to dig out. It's better to walk carefully than to dig for no reason. It can train your reflexes." Years later, the stone was left to the next generation. The son married and became a father. One day, the daughter-in-law said angrily, "Dad, that big stone in the garden bothers me. Let's have someone remove it." Dad said, "Forget it! That stone is heavy. If it could be moved, I'd have done it when I was young. Why would it still be here?" The daughter-in-law was upset, as the stone had caused her to fall many times. One morning, she brought a hoe and a bucket of water, pouring the water around the stone. After about ten minutes, she loosened the soil around the stone with the hoe. She was prepared to dig for a day, but surprisingly, she dug it up in a few minutes. Looking at its size, it wasn't as big as imagined; it was just the huge appearance that deceived them. Warm Tip: If you climb a mountain with a downhill mindset, you'll never reach the top. If your world is dull and hopeless, it's because you are dull and hopeless. To change your world, you must first change your mindset.
Pursuing Selflessness ----Don't think of yourself as a mouse, or you'll be eaten by a cat. In 1858, a wealthy Swedish family had a daughter. However, soon after, she contracted an unexplained paralysis and lost the ability to walk. Once, the girl traveled by ship with her family. The captain's wife told her about a bird of paradise the captain had. The girl was fascinated and wanted to see it. So the nanny left her on deck to find the captain. The girl couldn't wait and asked a steward to take her to see the bird immediately. The steward didn't know she couldn't walk and simply led her to see the beautiful bird. A miracle happened: driven by intense desire, she selflessly grabbed the steward's hand and slowly walked. From then on, she recovered. When she grew up, she devoted herself selflessly to literary creation and became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature—Selma Lagerlöf. Warm Tip: Selflessness is a shortcut to success. Only in such a state can one transcend limitations and release maximum energy.
Management & Methods
Anecdotes for Team Training!
1. The Broken Arrow: If you don't believe in your own will, you'll never become a general. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, a father and his son went to war. The father was a general, the son a mere foot soldier. When the bugle sounded and war drums thundered, the father solemnly held up a quiver with an arrow inside, telling his son it was a family heirloom with immense power, but he must never draw it out. The quiver was exquisite, made of thick cowhide with gleaming copper edges. The son, overjoyed, imagined the arrow's shaft and head, and in battle, he was exceptionally brave and invincible. When the retreat was sounded, he couldn't resist pulling out the arrow to see it, only to find it was broken. He was shocked, and his will collapsed, leading to his death in the chaos of war. The father picked up the broken arrow and said, "If you don't believe in your own will, you'll never become a general." The lesson: You are the arrow; only you can sharpen and save it.