An MBA student from China worked part-time in a restaurant near the Wall Street in New York, USA. One day, this Chinese guy said to the chef in an ambitious way, "You wait and see, I must work in the Wall Steet one day in the future."
The chef asked curiously, "Young man, what do you intend to do after graduation?"
The student answered fluently, "I hope I can immediately work in a first-rate multinational enterprise . Not only because of the high salary, but also because of the promising prospect."
The chef shaked his head and said, "I didn't ask about your prospect, I asked what kind of work and lifestyle in the future are you interested in."
The student was suddenly at a loss for words.
Apparently he didn't understand what the chef meant.
The chef sighed deeply and said, "If the economy keeps weak, this restaurant's business will be slack, then I can only quit and become a banker."
The student was wide-eyed and dumbfounded, he almost suspected there was something wrong with his ears. How could the cook strongly smelling of oil and smoke in front of his eyes become a banker?
The chef explained to the stunned student, "In the past, I ever worked with a bank in the Wall Street. Every day I worked for a long time, left home early and went home at night. I didn't have any private life outside working hours. I liked cookery all along, my family and friends also had a high opinion on my cooking skill. Each time when I saw that they enjoyed very much the tasty food prepared by me, I was very delighted too. One day, I was busy working in my office, I hadn't finished my daily tasks until 1 a.m.. When I was hungrily chewing the unenjoyable hamburger after work, I decided to resign, extricate myself from such mechanical work, get out of this rut, and choose cookery as my profession. Now I live a hundred times more happily than I did in the past."
The above case is incredible as far as Chinese people are concerned. It is because when they choose jobs, they firstly consider whether the jobs are honourable, secondly consider whether the salaries are attractive. If a job is both honourable and high-salaried, then s/he can show it off in front of others, win their admiration and earn a reputation. Success, failure, glory and shame will affect one's reputation. However, one's reputation is given by others. If nobody cheers and praises, s/he won't be satisfied. It is similar to a beautifully clad person walking alone in the street at dead of night, s/he won't be satisfied because nobody sees and praises the beautiful clothes. But as far as the westerners (Americans and Europeans) are concerned, any jobs are respectable and low-ranking jobs shouldn't be belittled. In fact, they attach more importance to whether they are interested in the jobs. Moreover, whether one's own worth is proved and whether one has made achievement are not determined by comparison with others. And their job satisfactions needn't be gotten from others' affirmation and admiration.
A simple life without much wealth and high reputation is enjoyable. A perfect life necessitates neither earning much money nor making great achievements. In a simple unevenful life, living happily in one's own way is also an optimum and premium lifestyle.
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