Chapter 24 5.d Emphasizing effort is ridiculous

"Success" repeatedly emphasizes "effort" and "struggle", which is somewhat ridiculous-as if we don't need to work hard or struggle; as if we don't want to work hard or struggle.In fact, whether it is emphasized or not, we must work hard and must struggle.Effort is due, struggle is due. Even those who are "on top" need hard work and struggle.In response to that sentence - "Life is endless, tossing is endless."On the surface, if a person is at the top of the normal distribution curve of resource distribution, then he belongs to the group that is less than 1% of the world; then, the so-called hard work and struggle seem unnecessary.He doesn't need to work hard, because he was born with a golden key in his mouth; he doesn't need to struggle, because he already has everything; he doesn't need to struggle, because he was originally facing the lightest limitation.Even they, however, often had to try, and work harder; had to fight, and worked harder.At least, for those at the top, protecting their own resources is already extremely difficult; moreover, the more resources there are, the more difficult the task is; when the resources reach a certain level, the protection task may be life-threatening-this has been the case since ancient times .In addition, they need more spiritual maturity, which is also one of the inevitable results of material abundance.Therefore, in real life, children from rich families are often not as unpromising as others imagine, because all realistic conditions force them to work harder, but the way of working hard may be different.

Frank H. Knight, considered one of the most influential economists in the twentieth century, had a famous point of view: “There are three conditions that determine a person’s wealth. , the second is luck, the third is hard work, and among these three, hard work is the least important." This is a serious and important truth that requires a lot of time and energy to understand and accept through serious thinking: no matter how hard you try, There is a good chance that you will never have the chance to be wealthy at all - do you have the courage to accept that reality? However, accepting this reality does not mean that we do not need to work hard from now on.In fact, all people need to work hard.It's just that it's ridiculous to emphasize hard work and struggle.Everyone faces their own limitations, and the reality is that "resources are not only scarce, but also very unevenly distributed", so everyone must work hard, struggle, and struggle, no matter who they are or what they look like originally.Accepting reality is too difficult, because every time you accept an unacceptable reality, you always have to face another reality that may be even more unacceptable.Therefore, there is nothing in this world more difficult than accepting reality.Another annoyance comes from the fact that although "effort" is necessary and should be, it is a pity that it is not natural.What everyone is born with is a habit that is contrary to "effort"-"laziness".

In addition to the resistance of "natural laziness", there is also the extent to which the "ultimate difficulty" that most people do not realize will be difficult.People often lament the cruelty of sports competitions.In the 100-meter track and field race, the difference between first and second is only a few tenths of a second; The difference between the runner-up and the runner-up is only less than one centimeter... That little difference actually brought a difference between heaven and earth to the players--too cruel. However, if we analyze from another angle, we will know how amazing the so-called "little" difference is.To put it bluntly, in any learning process, if the degree of progress is projected on the Y-axis, and the time and energy required for learning are projected on the Y-axis, it is often very similar to the "logarithmic curve":

Through this curve, we can easily understand: in the initial state, a person only needs to spend a little time and energy to make great progress; however, as the degree of progress increases, a little more progress often leads to It requires a relatively large investment of time and effort.So the difference between those winners and runners up (the difference on the Y axis) is actually not as small as it seems because, looking at the X axis, it takes a lot of difference on the X axis to cause the Y A noticeable yet small difference on the axis. So, we should not be encouraged to work hard.Efforts are well deserved.With or without encouragement, and regardless of the end result, we should try—of course, before any effort should be made to determine whether the goal is realistic.Some people are different. They not only work hard consistently, but the reason for their extra hard work comes from their careful observation and clear thinking: the final difficulty is far more difficult than imagined.

5. e The most time-wasting illusion - I am unique In almost all inspirational books, the reader will be preached, "You are unique!" (You are unique! Everybody is unique!) Usually these books will quote Amram Scheinfeld's (Amram Scheinfeld) A passage from the famous You and Heredity: You are the result of the union of forty-six chromosomes, twenty-three from your father and twenty-three from your mother.There are hundreds of genes in each chromosome, and each gene can change your whole life.The odds of you being what you are today are one in 30 trillion due to the combination of your parents' chromosomes.

Then, it goes on to extend: So we are indeed an "unbelievable, extremely wonderful" combination.Because even if you have thirty trillion brothers and sisters, they will still be different from you, and you will still be unique. I remember that when I heard this statement for the first time, I was also very excited. Of course, like many people, I complained bitterly about this unfair world-why give the unique me a follow-up The same fate as others? !Then, thinking of a passage in one of Wang Shuo's novels, "...I know I have a history. Walking in front of all living beings, this feeling is especially strong..." Goosebumps arose several times all over my body.

However, at the age of 26, when I had a great enlightenment, I took a hard look at the beliefs I once believed. "I'm Unique" was the one that made me laugh out loud.This creed has not served any good purpose other than to mislead me.On the contrary, I may have wasted a lot of time because of this creed - because such thoughts are the easiest way to make a person dreamy, and thus waste time to get nothing. It is obviously absurd to use "I am unique" as the credo to motivate your efforts.Knowing "unique" is a definite fact without even being scientifically proven, but it's often a fact that doesn't matter at all for success.What if everyone has five fingers on each hand, and I happen to have a genetic mutation, so I have an extra finger on my right hand-"six fingers" (assumptions), so what?Will I become a billionaire or a great person who changes the world because of it?After searching for a long time, there is really no six-fingered figure among the great figures I know, except for the "Six-fingered Qin Demon" in Ni Kuang's novel.

It would be even more pitiful to use "I am unique" as a reason to stop feeling inferior--how low must one be to remember to use this obvious fact as a last resort?In fact, "normally feel inferior when you should feel inferior" is the prerequisite for "normally confident when you should be confident".Don't understand "inferiority" as a negative word, it's just a normal state of mind.If you don’t have low self-esteem when you should feel inferior, then it’s called “no self-awareness”; if you appear distorted or even really confident when you should feel inferior, what others see is just a “conceited fool”.

In fact, citing the fact that "there are thirty trillion possible combinations of twenty-three pairs of chromosomes" can and can only fully prove one thing: each person is unique in physiological conditions-others seem to be Can't prove it.Real life will use all kinds of weird ways to make you exactly like everyone else.The people who crowded the bus were men, women, young and old, tall and short, fat and thin, but so what?They have to endure the same crowding, the same smell, and the same irritability.At the moment of standing in line at the bank window, everyone is different in men, women, old and young, tall, short, fat, and thin, but they must wait according to the same rules.

Sometimes, friends come to me and ask me for some advice.So, after confirming that he really wants to hear my advice, I will speak my mind.However, after speaking out a practical and detailed plan, 80% of them will see such a reaction: "You are indeed right, but my own situation is quite special..." Generally speaking, I know that I should shut up.Because, as it has been proven countless times, once a person thinks that his situation is special, he may never be able to accept the advice of others in essence.And the few people I've met who didn't say "my own situation is unique" tended to correct their behavior quickly.

Accepting that you are no different from others, at least not fundamentally different, is one of the important prerequisites for normal mental growth.Therefore, I often tell myself that "you are not alone." When I encounter any trouble, I will say this to myself, telling myself that I am not alone in this trouble, so just find a way to find a solution The solution is fine--someone would have already put a good solution into words somewhere.When I encounter any unexpected surprises, I will still say this to myself, telling myself that I am not the only one who met this so-called lucky person, so I should be happy about it, but there is no need to be overjoyed to the point of losing my composure. It is impossible for a frog in a well to know that there are many other wells in the world, not unlike the one it is in.It may be a large well, it may be a small well; the well head may be square or round, but one thing is the same, and it is crucial, the depth of these wells is beyond the reach of frogs.The frog at the bottom of the well is even less likely to know that there may be frogs exactly like it in other wells, which may be bigger or smaller; Frogs that have the exact same idea - even though it may be in subtle ways, are unique and not 100% the same.