The Road to Success

 

The Road to Success

It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself.

Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is “aim high”. I would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, “My place is at the top.” Be king in your dreams.

And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it.

The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” is all wrong. I tell you to “put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.” Look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration.

To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as Emerson says, “no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves.”

成功之道

年轻人应该从头开始,从底层做起,这是很好的一件事情 匹兹堡许多出类拔萃的企业家在刚入行时,都承担过一个重要的职责:他们手持扫帚,在清扫办公室中开始了他们的创业生涯 我注意到,现在的办公室都配置了工友,我们的年轻人很不幸地错失了企业教育中有益的一环 但是,假如某一天早上,专职的清洁工偶尔没来,那么具有未来合伙人潜质的小伙子就会毫不犹豫地拿起扫帚必要时,让新来的员工在办公室外扫扫地对他们并没有坏处 我自己就曾经是那些扫地人中的一员

当确定你获得录用并有了一个适当的起点时,我的忠告是:“确定远大的目标”对于那些还未把自己看成大公司的未来合伙人或者老板的人们,我是无话可说的 不管公司有多大,一刻也不要满足于做某家公司的首席雇员 领班或者总经理 告诉自己:“我的位置在最高层”在你的梦想中,你应该是一流的

通往成功之路的基本条件和秘诀是:把你的精力思想和资本全部集中于你所从事的事业之上 一些公司的失败,就在于其资金的分散,以及因此而导致的精力的分散他们这也投资,那也投资,到处投资 “不要把所有的鸡蛋放在同一个篮子里”这句话大错特错了我要告诉你们的是:“把所有的鸡蛋都放在同一个篮子里,然后看紧它 ”照管和携带一个篮子是很简单的 一次提着三个篮子的人,就得把一个篮子顶在头上,这个篮子就会掉下来并把他绊倒