謙卑、渴望和勤奮工作──HUMBLE, HUNGRY AND HARD-WORKING
每個人都想知道成功的秘訣。回想我還是年輕的記者時，看到自己崇拜的人在世界上留下了自己的印記。當時我就想：「我想像他們一樣！」以及「我要如何才能達到他們的位置？」
不幸的是，世界上並沒有唯一且普世通用的成功秘訣。書店和圖書館充斥著自稱掌握到成功秘訣的著作。你只要在網路書店的搜尋欄中打入「成功」兩個字，就能找到很多書，作者在其中非常有自信的告訴我們自己如何臻至成功。
世界上有無數的成功口號、成功哲學和成功策略，但有時候這一切都顯示成功其實並沒有神奇的萬全公式。對多數人而言，成功只需要一些很簡單的條件，不需要非常特殊的能力。
我通常不會把演藝人員、富人和名人說的話放在心上。因為他們的工作內容需要扮演別人，生活在不存在的世界裡。他們如何能成為現實生活的專家？但是，最近我看到了一位演員的名言，他提出了一個經過時間考驗的成功之路，非常有道理，以致於我無法忽視它。
巨石強森是一名非常成功的商業電影演員，他說：「要謙卑。要渴望。永遠都要是房間裡最勤奮工作的人。」這引起了我的共鳴，我想其他人也認同。他沒有說我們必須是最聰明、地位最高的人，或是要擁有最令人印象深刻的經歷。他只是說我們必須要謙卑、渴望，並願意比其他人做更多工作。這正是聖經在箴言書中所教導的：
謙卑是一種非常有吸引力的特質。在一個人人追求被關注的世界裡，那些安靜、有效率、卓越、不自我中心的人，令人耳目一新。「敬畏耶和華心存謙卑，就得富有、尊榮、生命為賞賜。」（箴言22章4節）
渴望是一個很好的動力。自滿和驕矜會阻礙人有最好的發揮，然而渴望做一件事，無論是付賬單、贏得客戶、成就業績還是實現目標，能激勵我們做到最好。「勞力人的胃口使他勞力，因為他的口腹催逼他。」（箴言16章26節）「耕種自己田地的，必得飽食；追隨虛浮的，卻是無知。」（箴言12章11節）
努力把工作做到卓越就會引人注目。你喜歡哪一種情況：有人竭盡所能引人注目，還是有人工作的超高品質自然道盡一切？一個人的勤奮與卓越，會成為出色的品德標竿。「手懶的，要受貧窮；手勤的，卻要富足。」（箴言10章4節）「你看見辦事殷勤的人嗎？他必站在君王面前，必不站在下賤人面前。」（箴言22章29節）
如果你追求成功，請培養謙卑的態度，保持渴望，並且永遠不要停止努力工作。
© 2019. Robert J. Tamasy 是企業巔峰: 給今日職場從箴言而來永恆的智慧 一書的作者。也與導師之心的作者David A. Stoddard 合著Tufting Legacies。編輯多本著作包括Mike Landry. Bob的書: 透過苦難成長。Mike Landry. Bob的網站為www.bobtamasy-readywriterink.com, 他的雙週部落格為: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com
反省與問題討論
- 在讀這篇文章之前，如果有人問你成功的秘訣是什麼，你會如何回答？讀完這篇週一嗎哪之後，你對這個問題有甚麼新的看法嗎？
- 一個人要如何培養真正的謙卑？
- 在一個人尋求成功的過程中，「渴望」有什麼作用呢？你自己會如何定義「渴望」？
- 為什麼努力工作被認為是獲得某種程度成功的關鍵因素？如果有人不像我們一樣努力工作，卻得到認可和升遷，我們要如何自處？
備註：如果你手上有聖經，希望閱讀更多和這個主題相關的經文，請參考：
箴言10章5節
10:5夏天聚斂的，是智慧之子；收割時沉睡的，是貽羞之子。
箴言11章2節
11:2驕傲來，羞恥也來；謙遜人卻有智慧。
箴言12章24節
12:24殷勤人的手必掌權；懶惰的人必服苦。
箴言13章4節
13:4懶惰人羨慕，卻無所得；殷勤人必得豐裕。
箴言13章10節
13:10義人的光明亮（原文是歡喜）；惡人的燈要熄滅。
箴言16章18節
16:18驕傲在敗壞以先；狂心在跌倒之前。
箴言18章9節
18:9做工懈怠的，與浪費人為弟兄。
箴言25章6-7節
25:6 不要在王面前妄自尊大；不要在大人的位上站立。
25:7 寧可有人說：請你上來，強如在你覲見的王子面前叫你退下。
箴言27章2節
27:2 要別人誇獎你，不可用口自誇；等外人稱讚你，不可用嘴自稱。
HUMBLE, HUNGRY AND HARD-WORKING
By Robert J. Tamasy
Everyone, it seems, wants to know the secret to success. I recall as a young journalist looking around and seeing people I admired, individuals who were already making their mark in the world. “I want to be like them!” I thought. “How do I get to where they are?”
Unfortunately, there is no single, universal secret to success. Bookstores and libraries are filled with copies of books by authors who claim to know the secret. If we go to an online retail site that sells books, and enter “Success” in the search box, we can find numerous choices written by people who will tell us with great conviction how they achieved success.
There are countless slogans, philosophies and strategies for becoming successful, but sometimes it helps to realize that while there is no magic, one-size-fits-all formula. For most people, success requires a few very simple ingredients, things that do not require very specific skill sets.
Usually I put little stock in what actors and other entertainers have to say, even rich and famous ones. Because their careers consist of pretending to be other people that they are not, living in worlds that do not exist. So how can they be experts on reality? However, recently I came across a quotation by an actor that suggested a time-tested path to success that made so much sense I could not ignore it.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, an actor who has appeared in many commercially successful films, said, “Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.” That resonated with me, and I suspect it has appeal for others as well. He did not say we must be the smartest people, or the ones with the most status, or the most impressive resumes. Johnson simply said we must be humble, hungry, and willing to outwork everyone else. This is exactly what the Bible teaches in the book of Proverbs:
Humility can be a very attractive quality. In a world where many people are seeking to draw attention to themselves, there is something refreshing about people who work quietly, efficiently and with excellence, not overflowing with egotism. “Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor” (Proverbs 18:12). “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4).
Hunger can be an excellent motivator. Complacency and self-satisfaction can inhibit top performance, but hunger – whether to pay bills, gain a client, make a sale, or achieve a goal – can inspire our best work. “The laborer’s appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on” (Proverbs 16:26). “He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment” (Proverbs 12:11).
Hard work, with excellence, receives notice. Which would you rather see: Someone trying everything possible to be noticed, or someone whose work is of such high quality that it speaks for itself? One’s diligence and excellence serve as outstanding character references. “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (Proverbs 10:4). “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29).
If success is what you seek, cultivate humility, stay hungry, and never stop working hard.
© 2019. Robert J. Tamasy has written Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies; coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring, and edited numerous other books, including Advancing Through Adversity by Mike Landry. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
- If someone had asked you before reading this, what would you have said is the secret to success? Has reading this week’s “Monday Manna” given you a new perspective on that?
- How does a person cultivate true humility?
- What good does hunger serve in a person’s quest to achieve success? What does this look like, in your opinion?
- Why is being known as a hard worker cited as a key ingredient for attaining some level of success? What should we do if people not working as hard as we are receive recognition and promotions?
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages:
Proverbs 10:5, 11:2, 12:24, 13:4, 13:10, 16:18, 18:9, 25:6-7, 27:2
