Chapter 33 Chapter 4 Abandoning the Troubles of Fame and Fortune

If you're 18 or older, you're probably about to make two of the most important decisions of your life -- two decisions that will change your life and have a big impact on your happiness, income, and health. A decision can make or break you.So what were the two big decisions?First, how will you earn a living?That is, what are you going to do?Be a farmer, a chemist, a postman, a forest ranger, a veterinarian, a stenographer, a university professor, or set up a stall?Second, what kind of person will you choose to be your life partner?For some, these two big decisions often feel like a gamble.

Harry Emerson Fosdick wrote in one of his books: "Every little boy is a gambler when he chooses how to spend his vacation. He must stake his days." Well, for you For example, how can we reduce the gambling nature of choosing a holiday?First of all, if possible, try to find a job that you like to do. I once asked David Goodrich, chairman of Goodrich, the tire manufacturer, what his number one requirement for success was, and he replied, "Love what you do. If you like what you do, You may work long hours, but it doesn’t feel like you’re working at all, it feels like you’re playing a game.”

Phil Johnson's experience is a good example.Phil Johnson's father opened a laundromat, and he let his son work in the store, hoping that he would take over the laundromat in the future.But Phil hated the laundromat, so he slacked off and didn't cheer, doing only the jobs he had to do, and neglecting the rest.Sometimes, he simply "absent".His father was very sad, thinking that raising a son who had no ambitions and no self-motivation made him lose face in front of the employees. One day, Phil told his father that he hoped to work in a machine factory as a mechanic.What?Start all over again?The old man was very surprised.Still, Phil stuck to his guns.He worked in greasy smock overalls, worked harder and longer hours than a laundromat.But he took pleasure in his work and even whistled with ease.He took engineering, studied engines, and installed machinery.When he died in 1944, he was the president of the Boeing Aircraft Company and created the "Flying Fortress" bomber that helped the Allied forces win World War II.If he had stayed in the laundry, what would have become of him and the laundry, especially after his father died?I think he's going to wreck the whole laundry—bankrupt and end up with nothing.

Facing an increasingly competitive society, what should you do?How should you solve this problem?You can take advantage of a new industry called "career coaching."Maybe they can help you, maybe they will not help you at all, and they will hurt you, it all depends on the ability and personality of the mentor you find.This new industry is far from being perfect, or even getting off the ground, but its future is bright.How do you take advantage of this new science?You can find these agencies near where you live, take career tests, and get career guidance.Of course, they can only provide advice, and the final decision is still in your hands.Remember, these counselors are not infallible.They also sometimes make ridiculous mistakes.For example, a career counselor once suggested to one of my students that she be a writer simply because of her wide vocabulary.How ridiculous!It's not that simple. Good writing is about communicating your thoughts and feelings to your readers—and to do that, you need more than just a rich vocabulary, but more thought, experience, persuasion, and enthusiasm.The career counselor who advised the girl with the rich vocabulary to become a writer had really accomplished only one thing: he had transformed a brilliant stenographer into a frustrating would-be writer.What a sad thing this is!

The point I will make is that career guidance experts—even you and me—are not infallible.You might want to find a few more counselors and use your common sense to judge their opinions. Seeing this, you may wonder why I always say some worrying things.But you won't be surprised if you realize that most people's worries, regrets, and depressions are caused by not paying attention to choosing a job.You can ask your father, your neighbor, or your boss about this situation.Wise man John Stuart Miller declared that workers' failure to adjust well to work was "one of society's greatest losses."Yes, the unhappiest people in the world are the "industrial workers" who hate their daily jobs.

Do you know what kind of guy "breaks down" in the Army?They are the ones assigned to the wrong unit!I'm not referring here to people who get wounded in battle, but to people who break down while doing ordinary tasks.Dr. Wellcome Menninger, one of the greatest psychiatrists of our time, presided over the Army Psychiatric Unit during World War II.He said: "We find in the military the importance of selection and placement, which means choosing the right man for the right job. Most importantly, convincing him of the importance of the job at hand. When When a person has no interest, he feels that he has been placed in the wrong position, that he is not appreciated and valued, that his talents are buried. In this case, we found that even if he does not suffer from When you get mentally ill, you plant the seeds of mental illness."

Edison was an unschooled newspaper boy when he was a child, but later he completely changed the industrial revolution in the United States.Edison worked 18 hours almost every day in his laboratory, eating and sleeping there, but he didn't feel bitter at all.He said to himself: "I have never done a day's work in my life, and I have a lot of fun every day." So he will succeed!I've heard Charlie Szweber say something similar.He said: "Everyone who engages in a job he is infinitely passionate about can achieve success." Maybe you will say that when I first entered society, I had no concept of work, so how could I develop enthusiasm for work?Mrs. Edna Carr, who employed thousands of people for DuPont, is now the Deputy General Manager of Public Relations for American Home Products."I think the greatest tragedy in the world is that so many young people never find out what they really want to do," she said. It's so pitiful." Mrs. Carr said that some college graduates came to her and said, I have a bachelor's degree from Darmouth University or a master's degree from Cornell University. Is there any suitable for me in your company? Position?They don't even know what they can do, or what they want to do.No wonder, then, that so many people who start out ambitious and full of rosy dreams end up accomplishing nothing, suffering, and even having a nervous breakdown by the time they reach their 40s.In fact, choosing the right job is also very important to your health.Dr. Raymond of the Jones Hawkins Hospital, who co-authored a survey with several insurance companies to study the factors that make people live longer, ranked "suitable work" at the top of the list.This is exactly in line with the famous words of the Scottish philosopher Carlyle: "Blessed are those who find the work they love, and they have no need to seek other happiness."

Even with some family squabbles, my advice to young friends is: don't force yourself into a profession just because your family wants you to.Don't rush into a certain industry unless you love it very much.However, you still have to carefully consider the advice your parents give you.They are probably twice your age.They have acquired the kind of wisdom that can only be gained from experience and the past.But when the moment of final decision comes, you must make the final decision yourself.When you work in the future, whether you are happy or sad, it will be your own. So much has been said above, now let me offer you the following advice - some with caveats, so that you can use it as a reference when choosing your own work:

1.Read and research the following advice on choosing a career.These recommendations are given by the most authoritative sources.It was formulated by Professor Keeson, one of the most successful career guidance experts in the United States. ●If someone tells you that he has a magical system that can indicate your "professional orientation", don't look for him.These people include bone touchers, astrologers, personality analysts, and handwriting analysts.Their methods are not working. ●Don't listen to people who say they can give you a test and tell you which career to choose.This kind of person has violated the basic principles of career counselors. Career counselors must consider the health, social, and economic conditions of the counselees, and at the same time provide specific information on employment opportunities.

●Find a career counselor who has an extensive library of career materials and make good use of these materials and books during counseling. ●Complete employment counseling services usually require more than two face-to-face interviews. ●Absolutely do not accept employment counseling by correspondence. 2.You should try to avoid choosing some occupations and careers that are already crowded.In the United States, there are more than 20,000 ways to earn a living.Think about it, more than 20,000!But do young people know this?They don't know unless they hire a fortune teller to see through the crystal ball.The results of it?In one school, 2/3 of the boys choose 5 occupations, 5 out of 20,000 occupations - and 4/5 of the girls do the same.No wonder a handful of careers and occupations are overcrowded, no wonder there is insecurity, anxiety and “anxiety psychosis” among the white-collar class.In particular, if you're entering the already overcrowded circles of law, journalism, broadcasting, film and "professional honor" you must be prepared to work hard.

3.Try not to choose industries where the survival chance is only 1/10.For example, selling life insurance.Thousands of people are often unemployed every year because they start selling life insurance without asking first.According to Mr. Franklin Bitger of the Philadelphia Real Estate Trust Building, the following is the real situation of this industry.For the past 20 years, Mr. Bitger has been one of the most prominent and successful life insurance salesmen in the United States.He points out that 90 percent of people who sell life insurance for the first time get so sad and frustrated that they give up within a year.As for those who stay, one of the 10 people can sell 90% of the total sales of the 10 people.The other 9 people can only sell 10% of the insurance.Put it another way: If you sell life insurance, you have a nine-to-one chance of quitting within a year; that is, only a 10% chance of staying.Even if you stay, there's only a 1% chance of success, otherwise you're barely making ends meet. 4.Before you decide to commit to a career, take a few weeks to get a complete picture of the job.How can we achieve this goal?You can interview people who have been in the industry for 10, 20 or 30 years.These seemingly innocuous conversations can have a huge impact on your future.I know this from my own experience.When I was in my twenties, I turned to two old men for career guidance.Looking back now, it is clear that those two sessions were turning points in my life.In fact, it's really hard to imagine what my whole life would have been like without those two sessions. What do you do to get these career guidance talks?For the sake of illustration, let's say you're planning to be an architect.Before you make your final decision, you should spend a few weeks visiting architects in your city and nearby cities.You can find out their names and addresses in the category column of the phone book and get familiar with them.With or without prior appointment, you can call their office.If you want to set up a meeting time, you can write to them, the general content of the letter can be as follows: I wonder if I could trouble you to do me a little favor?I hope to be guided by you, I am 20 years old and thinking of studying to be an architect.Before I make my final decision, I would like to ask you some questions. If you are too busy to meet me at your office, I would be very grateful if you would grant me half an hour to meet me at your home. Here are the questions I want to ask you: (1) If you start your life from scratch again, would you like to be an architect again? (2) After you look at me carefully, I would like to ask you, do you think I have what it takes to be a successful architect? (3) Is the profession of architects overcrowded? (4) If I study architecture for 4 years, will it be difficult to find a job?What type of job should I accept first? (5) If my ability is average, how much money can I hope to earn in the first 5 years? (6) What are the advantages and disadvantages of being an architect? (7) If I were your son, would you encourage me to be an architect? If you are a shy person who is afraid to meet "big shots" alone, here are two suggestions that can help you. First, find a guy who's about your age to go with.You can increase each other's confidence.If you can't find anyone your age, you can ask your father to go with you. Second, remember that when you ask someone for advice, you give him credit.For your request, he will have a feeling of being flattered.Remember, adults have always been fond of giving advice to young men and women.The architect you are seeking will be happy to accept this interview. If you are unwilling to write and ask to meet, then without an appointment, go directly to that person's office and say that you would be grateful if he could give you some guidance. If you visit 5 architects in a row and they are all too busy to see you (which is not the case often), then you visit another 5.One of them will always meet with you and offer you valuable advice.These opinions can resolve years of confusion and heartbreak. Know that you are working on one of the two most important and far-reaching decisions of your life.therefore.Before you take action, take the time to find out the truth.If you don't, you will most likely regret it for the rest of your life.If you can afford it, you can pay the other person for half an hour of his time and advice. 5.Be sure to get rid of the misconception that "you are only suitable for one career"!Every normal person can succeed in multiple occupations, and every normal person can also fail in multiple occupations.Taking myself as an example, if I study and prepare to engage in the following occupations, I believe that the chances of success will be very high, and I will be deeply happy with the work I do.Jobs in this category include: agronomy, fruit growing, agricultural science, medicine, sales, advertising, newspaper editing, teaching, forestry.On the other hand, I am sure that I will dislike and fail at the following jobs: bookkeeping, accounting, engineering, running hotels and factories, construction, mechanical things, and many others. The number one rule for eliminating money and work worries is: Make important decisions carefully.