Inspirational article: The difference between excellence and mediocrity is whether there is a goal

Inspirational article: The difference between excellence and mediocrity is whether there is a goal

During the reign of Emperor Taizong of Tang Dynasty, there was a horse and a donkey in a mill in the west of Chang'an City. They are good friends, the horse pulls things outside, and the donkeys are grinding in the house. During the three years of Zhenguan, this horse was selected by Xuanzang Master and went to India to learn from him.
After 17 years, the horse returned to Chang'an with a Buddhist sutra. It went to the mill to meet friends and nephews. The old horse talked about the experience of this journey: the vast desert, the snow-capped mountains, the exotic treasures of the Western Regions, the exotic folk customs... those fabulous worlds that opened the eyes of the blind. The blind man exclaimed: "How rich are you to see! So far away, I can't even think about it." The old horse said: "In fact, the distance we walked is roughly equal. When I headed for the Western Region, you The one step did not stop. The difference is that I have a distant goal with the master Xuan Zang, moving in the direction of the goal, so we opened up a vast world. And you are blindfolded, only around the grinding wheel in your life. So I will never be able to walk out of this narrow world."
In 1900, people often saw a black-haired boy about 10 years old waiting outside the back door of London's major theaters. He looked very hungry, but the blue eyes were firm. He can sing and dance. Although he had a hard time in his childhood, he knew how to make others laugh. At the age of 30, he became the most famous comedian in the world and received a royal courtesy. Everyone wants to meet with him. Among the people who have taken photos with him are even celebrities like Churchill, Einstein and Gandhi. He is the king of the world comedy - Charlie Chaplin.
In Lyon, France, a 70-year-old cloth store owner is almost gone. Before the end of the dying, the priest came to his side. The owner of the store told the pastor that he liked music when he was young and once learned to play the trumpet with the famous musician Karajan. His performance at that time was far above Karajan, and the teacher was very optimistic about his future. Unfortunately, at the age of 20, he became fascinated with horse racing, and the music was abandoned. Otherwise he must be an outstanding musician.
In fact, among the mortal beings, the true genius and idiots are very few. The intelligence of most people is similar. However, after these people have walked through the long road of life, some of them have done their best in the world, while others have done nothing. Why is there such a world of difference?
A Carnegie survey may explain the problem. Carnegie has conducted a survey of 10,000 people of different races, ages and genders in the world about life goals. He found that only 3% of people have clear goals and know how to implement them; while another 97% have either no goals at all, or have unclear goals or don't know how to achieve them. Ten years later, he once again investigated the above-mentioned objects, and he was surprised: the people who belonged to the original 97% range, except for the age of 10 years old, there is almost no improvement in other aspects, it is still ordinary and mediocre; The different 3% of people have achieved considerable success in their respective fields. The goals they proposed 10 years ago have been achieved to varying degrees and are following the path of their original life.
Carnegie’s conclusion also shocked us. It turns out that the most fundamental difference between an outstanding person and a mediocre generation is not the talent, nor the opportunity, but the goal of life. The horse and the scorpion, although they are all moving forward, one is traveling thousands of miles, and the other is spinning around. After success, Chaplin said: "Even if I am in the orphanage or along the street, I think I am the best actor in the world." The cloth shop owner gave up as an outstanding musician. The goal was to confess to the pastor before the death.
For those who don’t have goals, the passage of time only means age, and mediocrity can only repeat themselves day after day. As long as you set goals for yourself and work hard for it, you will have a brilliant life.