These Secret of Success

谢子珏

Whats the most practical access to success？ Is there any short-cut to success？ These may be some of the most common questions that the majority of people are wondering about. However， although the desire to succeed is hidden in the mind of almost everybody， many are still complaining about the rare chances of success. Why should there be such an awkward situation？ The answer is laziness or lack of ambition.

Around 80 years ago， Napoleon Hill， an American author， and the earliest person to study the philosophy of achievement， examined the power of personal beliefs， and the role they play in personal success. In his book “Think and Grow Rich”， which was published in1937， he made it clear that freedom was one of the foundations for successful personal achievements. However， laziness or lack of ambition is like dead weight on our chest， which is so heavy a burden in our heart that it imprisons us from having a dream.

Take myself for example. When I was in junior 2， although I had been dreaming of being admitted to No. 1 Middle School， I was occasionally dragged back to lower position by the temptation of relaxing myself， seeking for temporary comfort. Then at the beginning of junior 3， I found myself behind some top students， I realized it was laziness that had been pulling my legs. So I worked harder and more diligently in the last 5 months， and finally got enrolled in No. 1 Middle School. In fact， more often than not， although many people are eager to chase fame and success， they are reluctant to work hard for it， having no specific idea about what they really want.

Having a dream in life is just like having a compass while sailing on the sea. Without the compass， sailors may lose their way and their ship may be turned over by the rough waves. Hence， to have a dream or an ambition is decisively important to anyone who is eager to succeed. So the first and foremost is to be ambitious. If you truly desire something so keenly that your desire is an obsession， you will have no difficulty in convincing yourself that you will acquire it. However， one can never achieve anything by just daydreaming without any pains and hard work. When Chen Pan in East Han dynasty was criticized by his fathers friend， Xue Qin， for the mess in his room， he argued that a man with high life goals should never be trapped by the chores. However， Xue refuted， “If you couldnt fulfill your duty in everyday life， such as cleaning your room， how can you fulfill your duty on great occasions？” Secondly， make your dream practical； otherwise， its just daydreaming. Thirdly， make practical and feasible plans to make it come true. Last but not least， work hard continuously and consistently. Or， you can never make great achievements. A case in point is Zhongyong， a gifted poet in his childhood days， but completely destroyed by his father， who mistakenly took his son to visit friends， eagerly showing off his sons talent rather than pushing his son to develop his potential.

To sum up， “Dreams are not born of indifference， laziness or lack of ambition”. Remove the burden on your chest， and spare no efforts working hard to realize your dream， although it may not be easy. Laziness may be deeply rooted in the nature of every human being. Just like after a long sleep， you will find yourself unwilling to get out of the cozy bed. Thus， consciously or unconsciously， you will try hard to find whatever excuses for your laziness. But to make any achievement， you really need to be motivated by great ambitions， which may be a driving force for your success. Otherwise， you may find yourself getting nowhere.

（作者單位：华中师范大学第一附属中学）