I am a child from the countryside, and I am absorbed in how to earn enough money to be free without being told what to do. When I was 5 years old, I picked up empty coke bottles at the baseball field to exchange money. This is my first profitable job. When I was 6 years old, I had my own booth in the baseball field. Finally, I went to Wall Street, where I found the best opportunity to make money-someone paid me to show my enthusiasm and reward me for my endless curiosity about the world. Once I earn enough wealth to retire, I don't need to work any more, so I can travel around the world as I like and satisfy my passion for learning how the world works.
When I was young, I liked to find something to do, and most of them were quite successful. But now, what can bring me the greatest happiness in this world is my family. For the sake of both of you, I want to share with you the following important things that you should know so that you can live a successful life.
Don't let others influence you.
If people around you advise you not to do something, or even laugh at you for not wanting to do it at all, you can use it as an indicator of possible success. This truth is very important. You must understand that it takes courage to fight against everyone. The fact is that no one in this world has ever succeeded by "following the crowd".
Let me give an example of China. People used to say that it was not a country worth investing in, but in fact, until the end of 1990s, few westerners really tried to invest in China. But if someone had invested his money in China, he would have made a fortune by now.
In 1980s, I found that China had great potential, so I began to collect as much information as possible about China and started to invest here. At that time, most people thought I was crazy to do this. They said that foreigners will never be allowed to invest successfully in this country, and they will confiscate the property of successful people. But I listened to my intuition, studied all the literature I could find about various situations in China, and visited many places on the spot to do my own research. The logic is simple: that country has a population of more than 65.438 billion, and their savings rate is surprisingly high-more than 654.38+0/3 of their annual income-and the money can be used for investment! How can a country with such a high savings rate not grow?
Instead, look at America. When I first traveled around the world in the 1990s, the savings rate in the United States was only 4%, and now it has even dropped to only 2%. To make matters worse, the United States still has a serious financial crisis. When others believe some "common sense" and think that investing in China is too risky, I listen to my own judgment and boldly invest in China. Since then, the growth of China has far surpassed that of the United States and most other countries in the world.
Careful observation of successful people in every field, whether musicians, artists or experts, is not because they imitate others. Has anyone succeeded by watching other people's actions follow suit?
Take HewlettPackard for example, they stand out because they are doing something different. You must have enthusiasm and courage to do what others dare not and don't want to do, and success will always come to those who dare to take risks and take the road that others don't take. This is why HP can become an important company. HP is never afraid to jump too high. Even though some products may not be sold or scrapped, it is brave to try new opportunities.
I want you to use this courage to pursue your ideals and ambitions. Just because your father is a successful investor doesn't mean you have to be an investor. What I want you to do is to be yourself, a loyal and unique self.
But you must, you must remember to do your homework as well as you can before you do what you think is right. Find out any available data, study it carefully and analyze it thoroughly until you are completely sure that your idea is correct. Never take any action before you take it. You will find that those unsuccessful people usually rush into a field they don't understand without taking the time to study it. To make matters worse, they refused to study. As a result, they lost valuable time and money.
I will continue to give you advice as you babble and grow up. There will always be times when I disagree with your choice, but you don't have to accept everything I say just because I am a father. I think you are an independent individual. My father will support you as long as you use your own judgment to do what you think is right.
You can ignore secular views, common sense and the so-called "lessons" of ordinary people, but you must abide by the moral norms necessary for the survival of a society and have good reasons to maintain these moral norms. A respectable person will never take advantage of the law or enter through the back door. Although he may have suffered a little at the moment, in the long run, he will win. Many smart people get into trouble because they want to take shortcuts or make money illegally. They are so smart, as long as they are willing to use their intelligence in the right direction, they will certainly make money through legal channels, but they have not done so, and as a result, they have suffered losses because of taking shortcuts.
When I started my first career, I was a 6-year-old entrepreneur. You may think it's too early, but age has nothing to do with what you want to start doing. I'd rather spend time picking up empty bottles by the baseball field for money than playing baseball with my friends on the court. When I was 6 years old, I borrowed money to start a business for the first time. I bought a trolley selling peanuts and coke and successfully made a lot of money in the children's baseball league. Five years later, I not only paid off the money I borrowed from my father, but also had $65,438+000 in the bank.
When I was in college, when I first invested in some scholarships, I found that I liked investing more than starting a business, so I should become an investor.
Age doesn't matter, just be yourself.
When you find something that interests you, don't let age hold you back, just do it.
What should I do to succeed? The answer is simple: do what you like. I will invest successfully, because this is what I like to do best. But you don't have to be an investor. If you like cooking, open your own restaurant; If you are good at dancing, learn to dance; If you like being a gardener, maybe you will have a global gardening chain in the future. The quickest way to succeed is to do what you like and then go all out.
For me, it is my pleasure to study what is happening all over the world and understand these things thoroughly and in detail. As early as I was a student, I was deeply interested in the history and geography of all countries in the world. When I went to work on Wall Street, I found that some people were really willing to pay for my knowledge: for example, the revolution in Chile would raise the price of copper. Whether paid or not, I have always been keen on studying the history and current affairs around the world.
As long as I can afford the basic living expenses, I am willing to study these things for free. People who can do what they like are not "at work", but want to open their eyes every day and enjoy the fun of work.
If I try to do something else, such as fashion design, my life will be very unhappy. Even now, I have no idea about clothes. I never know what color to match, because I have no interest in clothes at all, so I have no success in fashion. So I said I would start my career from the place I like and am most interested in.
If you choose a field you don't care about, you can't expect to succeed.
The devil is in the details
If you like and care about what you do, you will naturally want to do it best. Investment is the same as life, and details are often the key to success or failure. So you can't ignore any detail, no matter how trivial it seems, you have to search and verify every news, as long as it is related to your investment decision, you can't take it lightly. Find answers to any questions or feelings that make you feel uneasy. The reason why most people are unsuccessful is that the research is not thorough enough and they only look at the information available at hand. Only by systematic and meticulous research can we acquire the knowledge needed for success. Of course, it takes effort, but the cost of this effort is enough to give you an advantage over others.
When I was studying at Yale University, a classmate asked me how long it took me to prepare for the exam. He thinks it is enough to spend five hours preparing. I can't answer how much time I spent, because I have been reading and reviewing my lessons. Coming from the backcountry of Alabama, being able to enter Yale University is enough to make me dizzy. Most of the other students come from famous high schools and have a better foundation than me. The only thing I am better than them is that I work harder than them. I study as much as possible. I don't think there is such a thing as "I'm ready".
If you want to pursue one thing, including investment, never underestimate the value of effort. Carefully study every financial statement you can get, including extra details; Verify the correctness of each report, and the top management predicts the future trend and future output value of this company. Find out their customers, manufacturers, competitors and anyone who may affect the operation of the company and ask them for details to verify the authenticity of the report. Don't invest money unless you are sure that you know this company better than 98% Wall Street investment analysts. Without extra effort and effort, success will not fall on you.
On a Saturday morning when I was 0/4 years old, I was working for my uncle Qin Ke, who opened a shop in a slum. Business was slow that day, but I was not idle either, because my father told me, "You can always find something you can do. If you really have nothing to do, wipe the shelf with a rag. " So I wiped the shelf with a rag that day. When my uncle saw that I didn't have to call, he took the initiative to find something to do. I was so moved that I got a raise.
Four or five years later, I won the salary increase of my boss (a manufacturer) at that time with the same initiative. I can't nail, as two other employees pointed out to the boss a long time ago. The boss said to them, "No matter what you say, the child's hand won't stop." He has a professional attitude and I want him to work for me. "Finally, I learned how to use these tools and learned valuable technology.
Dreams illuminate life.
As I said before, if you are not enthusiastic about your job, it is just a job. But besides a job that can satisfy you, you need to have a dream. When I started my first job at the age of 5, I thought it was fun to make money, but I didn't have a longer-term plan. After continuous efforts, I came into contact with different cultures and people in the world through my work, only to find that my dream is to explore and learn as much as possible, so at the age of 37, I began to travel around the world by motorcycle. You see, when you start doing something, you don't necessarily have a specific image, and you don't necessarily have an imagination of the future; But as long as you stay enthusiastic and work hard at the job you really love, you will definitely find that dream.
At this moment in my life, my passion and focus are on you, which is why I want to spend as much time with you as possible. You two are my dreams. My only hope is that you can do what you love and live a smart and interesting life with your dreams.
Be a citizen of the world
You belong to what JohnZogby, a political pollster, calls "the first generation of world citizens". Your peers are more open and receptive to different views and things than ever before. You consider yourself a "citizen of the world", not just a citizen of a certain country. This is great, it will greatly increase your personal and professional happiness.
To become a citizen of the world, the first step is to open your heart and never refuse someone who looks different from you at first sight. It is natural and often a very useful way to judge a person by his impression when he first meets him. However, knowing a certain kind of people (such as a born-again Christian in a small town in the United States or an investment banker in a big city) is very different from knowing someone. To really understand a person, let us accept him when he and we have different understandings of such people, and let us know more clearly that few people are the same as the stereotype we thought when we first met him.
The second step, exploring the world, is actually the same thing as discovering and opening your mind. You must observe, smell, touch, listen and taste everything you can touch. Travel around the world in person and communicate with different people, and you will understand how similar we are to everyone. We have the same requirements for many lives. Please remember one thing: if everyone in the world feels this way, the world will be a more peaceful and beautiful place-a place where everyone will experience what he calls success.
Some people are initially afraid of dealing with people with different colors, religions, races or languages. This prejudice will not disappear until the two sides have the opportunity to interact, laugh together, drive together and exchange stories with each other. War never broke out because two groups who knew each other suddenly decided to destroy each other. As long as you give them a chance, most 20-year-olds would rather have fun with others, dance, eat, drink, bicker or do anything they can. This kind of thing has happened again and again in history. Selfish politicians always disappoint children, seduce their worst instincts and make them kill each other completely unnecessarily.
As your father, I hope you make up your mind to become a citizen of the world. One day, I hope to see you take a brave first step.
In my life, you, my daughter, are my best and unparalleled adventure. You took me into a new world. If being a father can enrich a person's journey, I believe that the journey will also enrich a father. I think I can teach you everything I learned during my trip. I can't wait to teach you how to drive and how to read maps, all of which my father taught me. What language do you want to learn after learning English? Since you were born, we have hired a tutor from China to teach you Chinese and Tang poetry, and to teach you to read. I hope Spanish can join soon.
I thought of places I have never been: inland Brazil, southern India, Eritrea (northeast Africa, which was Italian territory before World War II and now forms a federation with Abyssinia), Iran and Israel. Next time I travel around the world, I will show you these places. Your mother and I are going to move to Shanghai or southwest Spain, or to PuntadelEste (a coastal city in southeastern Uruguay) or Cochabamba (a city in central Bolivia). Because I am very optimistic about the economic development in Asia, we now choose to settle in Singapore. I hope you grow up here, but who knows? Maybe you will grow up somewhere else. Maybe I will make a rocking chair, sit on it and sing Odeman River, and raise my children in the southern country where my father raised children. I think my father will like the idea-according to his intelligence, he may have always hoped so.