Here is a story which I find very reflective of the real world.

Last Thursday, I proposed to my team that I treat them to cinema on Saturday so they could catch a movie. Now I did not realize that the watching-movie culture is totally nonexistent and the average China citizen has no urge for their boss to spend RMB30 per person on a movie ticket when pirated DVD’s are freely available for RMB4 per disc.

So instead, they asked me to bring them to go pa shan or hill hiking. And they didn’t want to climb any hill, they chose the tallest hill in Dongguan. All I had to do was ensure that I treated all of them to a nice lunch after we came down from the hill.

To make matters worse, I went drinking on Friday night because I felt like life was nothing but a bleak empty lie and ended up waking up on Saturday morning with a headache and generally felt like shit.

When I got to the foot of the hill, everybody had already arrived. Jokes were cracked about how their obviously unfit boss was even going to make it up half-way. I looked at the damned hill and a cold clammy claw of fear gripped my heart when I realized that I was in over my head.

So I decided if I was going to fail in front of my people, I might as well try to climb as high as possible before I collapsed into a comatose state from exhaustion. With this in mind, I took off and started running up the trail.

*puff puff*
Oh look a lake with swans
*wheeze*
I knew I shouldn’t have had that last pint of beer
*pant pant*
Nice flowers
*wheeze wheeze*
Damn, what stocks in my portfolio do I need to ditch?
*helpicantbreathemychestissotight*

And suddenly (well actually about 1 hour later), I was at the top of the hill. I had made it to the top, and all my young and fit folk were far far away. When they arrived about 20 minutes later looking very exhausted and pale, it must have been quite a sight, as I stood on the peak looking fresh and eating a croissant.

For croissants are rare in China, understand?

Over lunch, nobody made any remarks about the boss being unfit. Another manager, who was supposed to be fit did not even make it up to top, opting to go home instead at some point. Overall, I think they were all extremely exhausted, having completely underestimated how physically punishing hiking was on the human body.

I knew I couldn’t afford to look like a fool in front of my people, so I ran right ahead and that fear pushed me all the way to the top. In fact, when I reached the top of the hill, I actually mistakenly thought I was only halfway up because I perceived the hill as being really high and that I couldn’t do it because I lacked self-confidence (and stamina).

Life is a little like that. Most of the time, if you want something then you have to find something to motivate you to go and get it. 90% of the people never get what they really want, because they are too lazy or overconfident.

To succeed in life, you have to push yourself by finding something to motivate you. Fear seems to be good. Hunger also works. Fear of being poor all your life. Hungry for the better things in life that always seem out of your grasp. Anybody can do it. Few do.

What do you really want?

Everyone of you will grow up to become men one day, but not everyone will become leaders, or successful leaders. Some for their entire lives never even come close, while others tried and think they have made it only to understand the tip of the iceberg.

Me? I haven’t even reached the tip yet.

However, there is nothing to stop us all from trying, learning, failing, and doing it all over again. And that is life. Some succeed, the rest just take a longer time. It is a lifelong process.

So why not begin now?