Draw a blueprint for your life with lofty goals.

     A high-profile approach to life leads to great achievements.

    Being high-profile in life and low-profile in personal conduct simply means having high self-expectations while maintaining a humble approach to others. To put it more clearly, it's about being flexible yet principled—a survival guide for ordinary people, a self-preservation strategy for great figures, and a cultivation method for

    ordinary people to achieve success. Many people often look at those who have achieved success with envy and jealousy, always believing that their success is due to luck, and lamenting their own bad luck or being born at the wrong time. Little do they know that successful people succeed precisely because they understand how to be high-profile in life and low-profile in personal conduct.

    A high-profile approach to life is the cornerstone of great achievements. It involves strict requirements for one's conduct, not only in setting high standards for oneself but also in striving for high goals or in dealing with people with superior attitude. People who are high-profile feel at peace, have a fulfilling life, and their attention is miraculously focused, no longer disturbed by many trivial matters, and they are confident in everything they do. It can be said that a high-profile approach to life is the culmination of numerous goals and a high-level set of behavioral standards.

    Success is paved with a series of goals; those without goals are like a rudderless ship, forever adrift, ultimately stranded on the beach of disappointment, sorrow, and frustration. Therefore, only by having lofty goals can one gradually reach the destination of success.

    When you ask NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan what factors set him apart from other professional basketball players and enabled him to win numerous individual or team victories, is it talent? Skill? Or strategy? Jordan will tell you: "There are many talented players in the NBA, and I can be considered one of them. But what makes me different from other players is that you will never find anyone in the NBA who works as hard as I do. I only want to be number one, not number two."

    Perhaps some people are puzzled: why did Michael Jordan work so hard? Where did his relentless motivation come from? The motivation that inspired Jordan to work so hard stemmed from a setback he experienced on the basketball court during his freshman year of high school. The immense sense of defeat spurred Jordan to continuously challenge himself with higher and greater goals. He always set goals for himself that seemed unattainable to most people, but it was these grand goals that propelled Michael Jordan to become one of the greatest players in the state, the United States, and even the history of NBA professional basketball, rewriting the records of basketball.

    Jordan's story tells us that limited goals lead to a limited life, so when setting goals, we should try to expand ourselves, that is, elevate our dreams, and not let them shrink to an inappropriate position.

    Lewis Walker, former president of the American Association of Financial Advisers, was once interviewed by a reporter who asked, "What exactly prevents people from succeeding?"

    Walker replied, "Inferior, cheap goals." When pressed for further explanation, Walker said, "I asked you a few minutes ago, what is your goal? You said you hoped to own a cabin in the mountains in your lifetime. That's an inferior, cheap goal. The problem is that your goal isn't ambitious enough, and therefore your chances of success are slim."

    "If you truly want to buy a cabin in the mountains, you must first set a higher goal, achieve something great, and earn enough money. Then, you won't be looking up at the cabin, but looking down at it, because you'll be higher than it." Generally, intelligent people are those with ideals, pursuits, and ambition. They all have a clear goal in mind, a high standard of conduct, and they understand why they live. Therefore, all their efforts, as a whole, revolve around a relatively high goal. They know what is right, useful, and effective. Otherwise, it's futile work, or a waste of time and life.

    Lü Buwei was the prime minister of the powerful Qin state in history. While doing business in Handan, the capital of Zhao, Lü Buwei met Yiren, the son of King Xiaowen of Qin, who was then a hostage in Zhao. Upon returning home, Lü Buwei asked

    his father, "How many times the profit can be made from farming?" His father replied, "Ten times."

    Lü Buwei then asked, "And how many times the profit can be made from trading jewelry?"

    His father said, "A hundred times."

    Finally, Lü Buwei asked, "And what about managing a ruler?"

    Lü Buwei said, "Now we toil in the fields every year, yet we cannot even get enough to eat; we strive in commerce, yet we only have enough to eat and wear; but if we could support a ruler to establish a state, then our profits would be endless and could be passed down to our descendants. I have now decided to undertake this extremely profitable business!"

    Through Lü Buwei's efforts, Yiren ascended the throne as King of Qin, and Lü Buwei rose to prominence, becoming the Prime Minister of Qin, wielding

    immense power. Our ambition should be to set our sights on the world, and our pursuit of fame should be to seek lasting renown. Our aspirations should emulate Lü Buwei's ambition to manage the world. A man's ambition should extend to all corners of the world; he shouldn't be timid and complacent, but strive to forge his own path and make a name for himself.

    In short, success always belongs to those with lofty goals; flowers and honors never fall upon those without ambition or with low aspirations. Set lofty goals for yourself, be strict with yourself, start small, begin from the bottom, and build up step by step—only then can you create a magnificent life for yourself.

    Don't focus on individual pieces or positions .

    Everyone enters society after adulthood and begins their life's journey. So, how should we walk our path to make it valuable and meaningful? This is a question we all need to seriously consider.

    A high-minded approach to life means considering the big picture and the overall situation, not focusing on individual pieces or positions, but aiming for the ultimate victory; while a low-minded person fights for every inch of ground, resulting in hard work but repeated mistakes and ultimately failure. The same applies to being a person: one must have a broad vision while remaining grounded. Many people can grasp the present, see the essence of things, and never shrink from challenges, while others can foresee various future possibilities. Unfortunately, most people can only gain one and lose the other, while the truly wise and insightful can possess both.

    The Rockefeller family once planted a seed of strategy—shortly after the end of World War II, when the victorious nations decided to establish the United Nations to handle world affairs. However, the location for this headquarters was a difficult question. A bustling city was the logical choice, but purchasing the vast land needed to build the UN headquarters in any major metropolis required a huge sum of money, and every penny spent on the fledgling UN headquarters carried a heavy burden.

    Just as world leaders were struggling with this dilemma, the Rockefeller family heard about it and immediately spent $8.7 million to buy a plot of land in New York, unconditionally donating it to the UN to everyone's astonishment.

    After the UN building was completed, the surrounding land prices skyrocketed. When the Rockefeller family bought the land donated to the UN, they also bought all the adjacent land. No one can calculate how many $8.7 million sums the Rockefeller family amassed through their land adjacent to the United Nations.

    The Rockefeller family reaped a bountiful harvest because they planted a seed of strategy. This is wisdom, courage, and a masterpiece of high standards and foresight.

    Daring to take on responsibilities and proactively shoulder heavy burdens will inevitably lead to great success. Psychological research shows that human potential is limitless, growing richer with development. Those who dare to take on responsibilities always strive to develop their potential to achieve their lofty goals. Although they often encounter setbacks and failures in the process, they learn more from these setbacks and failures than from successes and smooth sailing. Each setback and failure is a significant step towards success, thus ensuring their great achievements.

    Design your bright future with high standards .

    A fountain may spray high, but its height will never exceed its source; similarly, a person's achievements will never exceed their ideals. Therefore, if you aspire to do great things, first set your sights high, and don't let trivial matters hinder or influence you, thus limiting and ruining your promising future. A

    poor farmer was herding cattle with his two children. The younger brother, watching the geese flying overhead, said, "I wish we could fly like geese." Their father said, "If you want to fly, you can fly!"

    The two brothers then tried to imitate the geese, but of course, neither of them could take flight.

    Their father told them, "You are still young. With hard work, you will surely be able to fly!" Later, they indeed soared into the blue sky; they were the Wright brothers of America.

    Coincidentally, thousands of years ago, on the north bank of the Wei River in China, an old man sat leisurely fishing. A passenger in a passing carriage asked him, "Old sir, have you caught any fish?"

    The old man replied, "What do you mean, 'have you caught any fish'? Your question is too shallow. I'm thinking about matters of state! To be so proud of catching a small fish is the behavior of a petty person. The fish I'm fishing for is completely different from theirs."

    His answer astonished the passenger, who hurriedly got off the carriage and respectfully said to the old man, "Sir, you are the teacher I've been longing to learn!" He then bowed deeply behind the old man's back. The passenger was King Wen of Zhou, and the old man was Jiang Ziya, who helped the Zhou dynasty prosper for eight hundred years.

    Napoleon once said, "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general will never become a general." This statement reveals a truth: everyone living in this world should define their own place. What place they choose will determine the magnitude of their achievements in life. Those who aspire to great things will never be content with mediocrity, and those who are content to be servants will never become masters. In reality, there are always some people who believe in fate, leaving everything to chance. Some are cowardly and rely on others; some lack a sense of responsibility and dare not take on tasks; some are too lazy and averse to work; some lack ideals and drift through life aimlessly. In short, they set a low profile for themselves, dare not take on responsibilities independently, and dare not be pioneers. In a word, they dare not take on important responsibilities, are dominated by a negative mindset, and willingly belittle themselves. This mindset is the biggest obstacle to progress and the greatest enemy of survival. As the ancients said, "He who conquers others is strong; he who conquers himself is mighty." This is indeed an unchanging truth.

    Everyone's destiny is in their own hands, and everyone can achieve extraordinary feats; the key lies in whether one dares to take on important responsibilities. If one always entrusts their destiny to others and prays for their trust and support, the result will inevitably be being enslaved and manipulated, or "doing the work for others."

    Those who pursue a high standard of living will never allow themselves to become such a supporting character. They believe in themselves, rely on themselves, and gain many followers because of their self-confidence. Therefore, success is only a matter of time. If you value yourself and dare to set high goals for yourself, you too can achieve success.

    If you want a happy and brilliant life, then start now to set lofty goals for yourself and give yourself the motivation to move forward.

    Pursue your dreams;

    success comes from hard work .

    Modern society is full of opportunities. If you have an opportunity, you must strive and fight for it, otherwise you will never get ahead.

    Moro Louis's extraordinary achievements stemmed from two successful struggles, one at age 20 and the other at age 32.

    At 20, Moro gave up his promising job at an advertising agency and decided to start his own business—his first major undertaking. For this, he gave up a stable and promising job, immersing himself completely in the unknown world of creative development.

    His main idea was to persuade major department stores to become co-sponsors of the New York Symphony Orchestra program through CBS Television. Moro himself believed this approach was highly feasible: on the one hand, department stores at the time were struggling and hoped to improve their image and sales through advertising; on the other hand, the New York Symphony Orchestra program had an audience of over one million, making it a worthwhile investment. So, Morrow tirelessly traveled between department stores and CBS to promote his idea.

    At the time, this type of work was quite unfamiliar to most people, making it incredibly difficult.

    Convincing numerous independent department stores to adopt and integrate their ideas was something no one had ever accomplished before, let alone secured millions of dollars in funding. Therefore, most people thought he was doomed to fail.

    Nevertheless, Morrow persevered, working tirelessly to persuade them, and he succeeded remarkably. His idea was well-received, securing contracts with many department stores; his proposal to CBS was also accepted. For the next ten weeks, he worked tirelessly with the television station manager on a series of advertising campaigns. Remarkably, he received no income during this period.

    The plan seemed poised for final success, but it fell through due to disagreements over certain contract details, and his dream was shattered.

    But as the saying goes, "a loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise." After the incident, CBS immediately approached him, hiring him as the head of their newly established sales department in their New York office, paying him three times his previous salary. Thus, Morrow became active again, and his potential was further realized.

    After several years at CBS, Morrow returned to the advertising industry, but this time he didn't start from the bottom; instead, he jumped straight to the top—becoming the vice president of Thompson's think tank, which handled Warner Bros.' business.

    In that era, television was not yet widespread, still in its infancy compared to today. But Morrow was very optimistic about its future, believing that television would develop rapidly, and devoted himself to promoting this medium. The diverse variety shows provided by the company brought unprecedented success to CBS.

    This was Morrow's second major undertaking. For it, he once again gave up a chance for rapid advancement and stepped into another unknown world. But this adventure wasn't entirely a gamble; he only placed his "bet" after careful consideration. For the first two years, he only helped out on the "Cheers on the Street" show on a purely voluntary basis. Unexpectedly, the show became incredibly popular, airing continuously since its inception and becoming one of the most popular variety shows. This is a very rare phenomenon in the fiercely competitive television industry. Besides the show's success, he was appointed by CBS as the production manager for all comedy, drama, and variety shows. Morrow's success offers us a powerful lesson:

    life is a life of struggle, and struggle is a modern attitude. Only by bravely venturing into the vast ocean of life can one achieve success.

    We must understand the importance of continuous progress

    . There is a mysterious power within us—the spirit of enterprise. It doesn't allow us to slack off; it keeps us perpetually dissatisfied. Every time we reach a certain height, it calls us to strive for even higher goals. A spirit of enterprise

    is the best way to escape decadence. Once a person develops the habit of constant self-motivation and always striving for higher goals, all their negative qualities and bad habits will gradually disappear. Looking at successful people throughout history, both in China and abroad, they all possess this spirit of continuous progress. The great inventor Thomas Edison was a person who was constantly striving for progress and never satisfied.

    Edison, Swan, and many other scientists were researching electric lights around the same time. The principle behind making an electric light was already clear—a material that emits light when electricity is applied was placed inside a vacuum glass bulb. The focus was on specific problems: how to make it lighter, cheaper, and with a longer illumination time. The most important problem (and the focus of competition) was the lifespan of the filament.

    Edison devoted himself entirely to his research.

    A reporter asked, "If you really replace gas lamps with electric lights, you'll be incredibly wealthy." Edison replied, "My goal isn't to make money; I just want to be ahead of the curve. I've let them start researching first, and now I must catch up. I believe I will."

    Edison was already a renowned figure at the time; his mere announcement that electricity could be distributed to every household caused gas stocks to plummet by 12%. However, he remained calm. Before his vision became a reality, he wanted to work diligently, just as he had done experiments on trains as a child. He was already a famous "magician" who improved the telephone, invented the phonograph, and created countless miracles, but he was the kind of person who, once he achieved something, would forget about it and move on to the next goal. For the filament, he experimented with over 1600 materials, including carbonized paper, corn, cotton thread, wood, straw, hemp rope, horsehair, beard, and human hair, as well as metals like aluminum and platinum. In those days, the whole world awaited his electric light.

    After more than a year of arduous research, he found a filament that could emit light continuously for 45 hours. During those 45 hours, he and his assistants watched the light intently until the filament burned out. Then, not satisfied, he said, "If it can last 45 hours, I'll make it burn for 100 hours in a few more days."

    Two months later, the filament's lifespan reached 170 hours. The Herald devoted an entire page to his achievement, showering him with praise: "A great inventor's victory in electric lighting," "No gas, no flame. Cheaper than oil, yet radiant," "15 months of blood and sweat"... On New Year's Eve, Edison hung 40 lamps on the street from his research institute to the train station, making them light up simultaneously to welcome departing passengers. Countless people came specifically to witness this miracle. These people, who had only ever seen gas lamps, were most amazed not by the fact that the electric lights could light up, but by how they could turn on and off so easily, as if Edison were breathing on them from the sky. An old man even said, "They look quite pretty, but I'll never understand how these red-hot hairpins got into the glass bottle, even if I die." Cheers echoed through the streets: "Long live Edison!" However, Edison's speech surprised people again: "Everyone praises my invention as a great success, but it's still under development. It's not a success until its lifespan reaches 600 hours."

    From then on, amidst a constant stream of congratulatory letters, telegrams, and gifts, amidst the overwhelming news coverage, amidst the myths that he was plucking stars from the sky to test new filaments, that he had invented a 365-layer, onion-like, washable shirt, and amidst the snowflakes of remittances demanding the purchase of this shirt, he quietly improved the light bulb, striving towards 600 hours. As a result, his prototype lamp achieved a lifespan of 1589 hours.

    Someone asked America's highest-paid professional manager for the secret to success, and he said, "I haven't succeeded yet! No one truly succeeds; there are always higher goals ahead."

    Indeed, there are always higher goals ahead, and it is precisely because of these lofty goals, and because we possess the inner strength and confidence to continuously strive towards them, that our society continues to progress and develop. Therefore, on the path of life, we cannot be complacent; we must constantly climb new ladders and strive for progress.

    Dreams shape the future.

    Life is supported by dreams, and the more extraordinary a life is, the more it is a product of dreams. It can be said that the higher the dream, the richer the life, and the more outstanding the achievements; the lower the dream, the less malleable the life. This is what is commonly referred to as: "The higher the expectation, the greater the possibility of achieving it."

    Some might say, "Dreams are too far-fetched, and the difference between them and reality is greater. I don't have the ability to achieve them, and I can't live off them." Admittedly, dreams cannot fill one's stomach. The reason some people admit that dreams are unattainable is because they feel they lack the conditions to pursue them, or they believe that only when the conditions are met is pursuing dreams possible.

    If a person limits their own mind or waits for all conditions to be met before starting, they will inevitably achieve nothing. If a person sets lofty goals and, instead of speculating, immediately takes action, they will find that their dreams are not as distant as they imagined. Dreams shorten the distance between reality and reality through action. Once

    a person's dreams are elevated, their personality will be elevated accordingly, their awareness of self-realization will become stronger, and they will gradually approach their dreams as they march towards them. Dreams

    not only require unremitting effort but also a reasonable plan, taking steps one by one towards the goal.

    A farmer and his son were working in the field; tired, they sat down to rest at the edge of the field. The son gazed into the distance, lost in thought. His father asked what he was thinking. The son replied, "When I grow up, I don't want to farm. I'll just stay home every day, and someone will send me money." The father smiled and said, "You're dreaming."

    Later, the son went to school and learned about the Egyptian pyramids from his textbooks. He told his father, "When I grow up, I want to go to Egypt to see the pyramids." The father angrily told him, "Don't dream!"

    However, more than a decade later, he became a bestselling author, writing at home every day, with newspapers and publishers constantly sending him royalties. He went to Egypt to see the pyramids.

    This is a true story, and the person who "dreamed" was the Taiwanese writer Lin Qingxuan.

    Some people yearn for the future, holding great hopes for it. Some hopes are far removed from reality, seeming like dreams. Don't readily ridicule them, saying, "Don't dream!" Having dreams is actually a good thing.

    Dreams guide them towards a goal; they inspire people to strive and urge them to accelerate—a great driving force in life.

    A British preschool teacher named Brody, while tidying up old things, found a stack of exercise books. These were spring essays by 31 children in Class B(2) of Pitkin Kindergarten, titled "I Will Be...".

    Brody casually flipped through a few and was quickly captivated by the children's bizarre self-designs. For example, a little boy named Peter said he would be the future First Lord of the Admiralty because he once swam in the sea and swallowed 3 liters of seawater without drowning. Another said he would definitely be the President of France because he could recite the names of 25 French cities. The most amazing one was from a blind boy named David, who believed he would definitely be a cabinet minister in the UK because no blind person had ever entered the cabinet in Britain. In short, all 31 children described their future in their essays.

    Reading these essays, Brody suddenly had an impulse: why not return these books to the children and let them see if they had realized their dreams from 50 years ago?

    A year later, Brody only had David's essay book left. He thought, perhaps this person is dead. After all, 50 years have passed, and anything can happen in 50 years.

    Just as Brody was preparing to donate the notebook to a private collection, he received a letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Brunkert, who wrote: "That boy named David was me. Thank you for preserving our childhood dream. However, I no longer need that notebook, because my dream has been in my mind ever since, never giving up. Fifty years have passed, and I can say that I have achieved that dream."

    Dreams make everything possible. Without dreams, there would be no telephones, computers, cars, airplanes, and so on that you enjoy today.

    The most valuable and useful people in the world are those who can foresee the future of world culture, who envision humanity's liberation from the narrow constraints and superstitions of today, who can foresee the natural order of things, and who have the ability to realize them.

    The most sacred genetic trait of humankind is the power of dreaming. If you believe a better tomorrow will come, what does today's suffering matter?

    A person who is good at dreaming, no matter how poor or unfortunate, always has confidence. They despise fate and believe that better days will eventually arrive. A shop assistant dreams of living in his own shop; a poor factory worker dreams of owning a beautiful house. Having a dream is not enough; one must also have the strong will and determination to realize it, striving to make it a reality. Making dreams come true—this is the most important thing in our lives.

    Set lofty goals

    and aim

    for great things; only in this way can you concentrate your energy. Never get bogged down in trivial daily affairs and become a slave to them.

    Once upon a time, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang, in a mill in Chang'an, lived a horse and a donkey. They were good friends; the horse pulled loads outside, and the donkey pushed the millstone inside. In the third year of Zhenguan's reign, the horse was chosen by the monk Xuanzang to travel through the Western Regions to India to retrieve Buddhist scriptures.

    Seventeen years later, the horse returned to Chang'an carrying the scriptures. It went back to the mill to meet its donkey friend. The old horse recounted its journey: the vast, boundless deserts, towering mountains, dense forests, and magical lands… These mythical realms astonished the donkey. The donkey exclaimed in amazement, "You have such rich experience! I wouldn't even dare to dream of such a long journey!"

    "Actually," said the old horse, "we covered roughly the same distance. While I was heading west, you never stopped. The difference is that Master Xuanzang and I shared a distant goal, consistently moving in the same direction, thus opening up a vast world for us. You, on the other hand, were blindfolded, spending your entire life circling the millstone, never escaping this narrow world."

    The donkey also worked hard, but its sweat was all concentrated in a small circle; it never saw the beautiful scenery outside. Throughout history, all those who achieve great things have set lofty goals, using diligence as their path and hardship as their boat to realize their ideals and ambitions. The greatness of a great person lies first and foremost in their great goals. The great goals of great figures are nothing more than to do great things, to consider more people and more matters, and to solve more problems on a larger scale.

    The young Xiang Yu, seeing the imposing presence of Qin Shi Huang on his tours, harbored ambitions to usurp the throne, thus giving rise to the Chu-Han Contention. Zhuge Liang, farming in Nanyang, often recited the Liangfu poem, comparing himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, contributing to the Three Kingdoms period of Wei and Jin. Huo Qubing, with his ambition of "How can I have a home while the Xiongnu are not dead?", became a legendary hero. Zhou Enlai, with his childhood ambition to "study for the rise of China," became the founding premier, establishing the new China. Balzac, with his youthful declaration, "What Napoleon could not achieve with his sword, I can accomplish with my pen," left behind 350 monumental works. Professor Su Buqing, with his youthful aspiration to "study without forgetting to save the country, and save the country without forgetting to study," became an internationally recognized authority on geometry.

    A young person should determine their life goals early on and not easily change them. As the saying goes, "Those without ambition often make resolutions, while those with ambition make long-term goals." A person should not only set goals, but also set lofty ones—relatively ambitious, tailored to their abilities. The higher a person's goals, the higher the level of success they will achieve. One conclusion of a Harvard graduate success study is that having or not having lofty goals makes a significant difference. Therefore, an individual and an organization should have lofty goals.

    A person with noble life purposes and ideological goals will undoubtedly achieve more than someone without any goals. A Scottish proverb says, "Grab the man in the gold robe, and you may get a gold sleeve." Those with high aspirations will inevitably achieve far more than they started.

    Once upon a time, there were two brothers. The older brother wanted to go to the North Pole, while the younger brother only wanted to go to Northern Ireland. One day, they set off from Oxford. Neither reached their destination, but the older brother reached Northern Ireland, while the younger brother only reached the northernmost point of England.

    The profound meaning of this story is that a person with lofty dreams, even if they don't actually reach their final goal, may still achieve something greater than the final goal of someone with a smaller dream.

    In life, we often have this experience: to ensure the achievement of a predetermined goal, we always set goals that exceed that goal in the process of achieving it. For example, in track and field qualifying training, if you are required to maintain a speed of running 1 kilometer in 7 minutes, you will set a goal of running 1 kilometer in 6 minutes during training, so that you will easily pass the qualifying test. Sir Chester Field once advised his son, "The bigger the blueprint of your personality, the better." Therefore, one's dreams can be big.

    Gorky said, "The higher a person's goals are, the faster their talents develop, and the more effective they will be for society."

    If you want to succeed, your goals should be as big as possible. In this way, before reaching the goal, you will be strict with yourself and always be vigilant against slackening.

    Clearly define your goals

    and strive for great goals, and you will eventually reap the rewards. Therefore, if you want to achieve great things, don't hesitate, but firmly define your goals.

    I believe the following story will resonate with many people:

    A father took his three children to the desert to hunt camels.

    They reached their destination.

    The father asked his eldest son, "What do you see?"

    The eldest son replied, "I see a hunting rifle, camels, and an endless desert."

    The father shook his head and said, "Wrong."

    The father asked the second son the same question .

    The second son replied, "I see Dad, my eldest brother, my younger brother, a hunting rifle, camels, and the desert."

    The father shook his head again and said, "Wrong."

    The father asked the youngest son the same question.

    The youngest son replied, "I only see camels."

    The father happily said, "You're right."

    This story tells us that once a goal is set, we must be single-minded and concentrate all our energy on it.

    Several years ago, on a hot day, a group of people were working on the railway embankment when a slowly approaching train interrupted their work. The train stopped, and the window of the last carriage was opened. A deep, friendly voice rang out: "Jonny, is that you?" Jonny—the leader of the group—replied, "It's me, Mark, it's a pleasure to meet you." Jonny and Mark (the railway president) then had a pleasant conversation. After more than an hour of pleasant conversation, the two warmly shook hands and said goodbye.

    Jonny's subordinates immediately surrounded him, astonished that he was a friend of the railroad president. Jonny explained that he and Mark had started working for the railroad on the same day more than twenty years ago.

    One of them asked Jonny, half-seriously and half-jokingly, why he was still working under the scorching sun while Mark was president. Jonny replied wistfully, "Twenty-three years ago I was working for $1.75 an hour, while Mark was working for this railroad."

    Why do two people who started from the same point end up so different years later? One remains mediocre, while the other achieves great success? The reason is as Jonah said: he worked for $1.75 an hour, so his only plan was to make ends meet. But Mark was different; he had lofty goals—to work for the railroad, not just for the immediate wage. Different thoughts, different goals, of course, lead to a significant difference between the two.

    What kind of person do you aspire to be—a millionaire? An artist? An entrepreneur? A speaker? A master chef? A popular young person?

    Everyone has a different view of success, and everyone sets different goals for themselves. Everyone is unique—with different needs, hopes, and values, and different strengths. If we go against our own nature and disrespect our uniqueness, then no matter how hard we try, we will never achieve success.

    A great goal inspires a person to become a great person because a grand goal creates the spark of life and leads to achievement. As John Jay Chapman said, "The people most admired throughout history are those with lofty goals, whom no one else can compare to—Beethoven's symphonies, Adam Smith's *The Wealth of Nations*, and any intellectual product of humanity that people approve of—you love them because you say these things weren't made, but discovered through their insightful observations."

    All successful people in the world have achieved success in this way. Olympic gold medalists rely not only on their athletic skills but also on the driving force of lofty goals; the same is true for business leaders. What makes them stand out in the business world is not entirely their brilliant minds, but the constant motivation of having lofty goals in their hearts. Therefore, for an individual, if you are a student and study only for grades, you may get good grades; but if you study for knowledge, you will get better grades and more knowledge. If you work hard to do business, you may make a lot of money; but if you want to build a career through business, you are likely to not only make a lot of money but also accomplish great things. If you work only for a salary, you might only get a fixed income; however, if you work for the future of your company, you can not only get a substantial income, but also self-satisfaction and the respect of your colleagues.

    Viscaia was one of the most famous machinery manufacturing companies in the United States in the 1980s, its products sold worldwide, and representing the highest level of heavy machinery manufacturing today. Many graduates were rejected after applying to the company, for a simple reason: the company was already overstaffed with highly skilled personnel and no longer needed various high-tech talents. However, the enviable salary and the status to be proud of still shone an alluring halo for ambitious job seekers.

    Stephen was a top student majoring in mechanical engineering at Harvard University. Like many others, he was rejected at the company's annual hiring test. Stephen did not give up; he vowed to get into Viscaia Heavy Machinery Manufacturing Company. So, he adopted a special strategy—pretending to have no skills.

    He first approached the company's human resources department, offering to provide labor for the company free of charge, requesting that the company assign him any work, which he would complete without any compensation. The company initially found this unbelievable, but considering it was free and required no effort, they assigned him to clean up scrap metal in the workshop.

    For a year, Stephen diligently repeated this simple yet arduous work. To make ends meet, he also worked at a bar after work. Although he gained the favor of the boss and workers, no one mentioned hiring him. In

    the early 1990s, many of the company's orders were returned, all citing product quality issues, causing the company huge losses. To salvage the situation, the board of directors held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures. When the meeting dragged on for a long time without any progress, Stephen stormed into the meeting room and demanded to see the general manager.

    At the meeting, Stephen gave a convincing explanation for the problem and offered his views on engineering issues, then presented his design for a product modification.

    This design was very advanced, perfectly preserving the advantages of the original machinery while overcoming its current shortcomings.

    Seeing the remarkable intelligence and competence of this unofficial cleaner, the general manager and board members inquired about his background and current situation. Subsequently, Stephen was hired as the company's vice president in charge of production technology.

    It turned out that while working as a cleaner, Stephen had taken advantage of his mobile work environment to meticulously observe the production situation in each department, making detailed records and identifying existing technical problems and devising solutions. He then spent nearly a year designing solutions and obtaining a wealth of statistical data, laying the foundation for his eventual success.

    Douglas Leighton said, "Once you decide what you want to pursue in life, you make the most important choice of your life. To achieve your goals, you must first understand what your desires are." With ambition, you see your objectives clearly. With ambition, you have the drive to forge ahead regardless of favorable or unfavorable circumstances. Therefore, young people should have lofty ambitions to become outstanding individuals. But to become an outstanding person, ambition alone is far from enough. You must start by learning from the lowest levels, doing the ordinary things of an ordinary person. This will broaden your horizons and perhaps uncover many unexpected opportunities.

    Your essence is inseparable from your success. Many people sacrifice their essence to do things they don't want to do, and that's why they fail. Those who should be teachers become entrepreneurs, and those who should be entrepreneurs become teachers; those who should be administrators become salespeople, and those who should be administrators are lawyers; those who should be lawyers become doctors, and those who should be doctors start their own businesses.

    If you don't understand your essence and your needs, you are likely to make choices completely contrary to your needs.

    Your self-awareness encompasses many aspects, including your views on your physical condition, social skills, intelligence, and other aspects, all of which are related to your life goals. To play your role well, you should focus on a distinctive self-awareness.

    Do you feel that the existing hierarchical organization has turned you into an incomplete person? Do you understand the impact of hierarchical organizations on your development? Do you know how you were shaped by education and advertising agencies? If your answer to these questions is yes, then your ideal self-awareness is rapidly forming.

    You live in a world full of destructive influences that often affect you. If you have a self-awareness consistent with your personal views, you can resist these influences, maintain inner peace, and choose your own way of life. Unfortunately, in modern civilization, a positive self-awareness is often mistaken for stubbornness, ambition, and the pursuit of material wealth—vulnerabilities that, if allowed to proliferate, can destroy the individual and threaten human survival.

    To enhance self-awareness, begin by imagining yourself as a humane person, using constructive thinking to create a self-image—one who can decide their own life, one who sees themselves as unaffected by advertising, commercial interests, or anything else. Once you translate your self-awareness into action, you become your authentic self. Your constructive thoughts act like a lighthouse in your life, guiding you to live in harmony with nature.

    Authentic, constructive spiritual power resides in the creative thinking that shapes your destiny, and your every mental act generates the power of positive change in your life. If you compare your thoughts to a train, then the ideals and joys in your life depend entirely on the direction of that train.