You can't succeed, but you can't grow

Text / Yang Lan

I still remember the first time I interviewed Dr. Kissinger. At that time, I was still studying in the United States. I just started to do a talk show, especially without experience. The questions asked are Dong Yitou, West one stick, for example: When Premier Zhou invited you to eat Beijing Roast Duck, how many have you eaten? You have handled a lot of diplomatic events in your life. What are you most proud of?

Later, when the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, I interviewed Dr. Kissinger again. At that time, I knew that I could no longer ask questions like Beijing Roast Duck. Although only half an hour, our team collected all the relevant information, from the papers and speeches he wrote at Harvard Professor, to his biography, there was a thick glimpse, and seven books. After reading it, I was dizzy, and I couldn’t remember what Shimo was. Although the interview was only 27 minutes, it was very effective.

I really prepared a bucket of water and only used one drop. But the reserves of your knowledge can make you grasp the direction of the problem on the spot.

I remember that the last question I asked him was: This is an era of globalization. There are many opportunities for mutual benefit and cooperation, but there are also strong conflicts of religion, race, and culture. Where do you think our world is going? go with? How long is peace possible?

He straightened up and said, you asked a very good question. He then explained his understanding of peace: peace is not an absolute peace, but a short-lived balance that different forces have reached in conflicts and contests. Combining his diplomatic ideas with the current world, including the situation in the Middle East, he made some analysis and explanations.

After the interview was completed, many foreign experts thought it was very deep. Although I have read the Modo data, there may be one or two questions that may be used, but it is absolutely useful to prepare in advance. So I always think that I have to do my homework. I am not a particularly intelligent person, but still a diligent person. Make up for your own deficiencies by doing your homework.

As a host of journalists and talk shows, I may have a comparative advantage in that it is easy to communicate with others.

In 1996, I collaborated with Oriental TV in the United States on a program called "Yang Yang Sight" to introduce Broadway dance dramas and some social issues in the United States. One episode is about obesity. A woman weighing more than 300 kg accepted my interview. As you can imagine, the general chair she can't sit down, the width is not enough, I will find another chair, ask her to sit down and talk to her. In the end, she said: I have never known what the Chinese reporters will be. But I am very willing to accept your interview. I am for her? She said that other reporters came to interview, all with pre-prepared questions, dig a few words in me to fill in their articles. And you are really interested in me. This sentence gave me a deep impression. So in front of the camera, when you are communicating with people, whether you are interested in the other party, the other party is completely aware of it.

I have been doing TV for 17 years, and I have experienced many setbacks in the middle. The bigger one is the establishment of Sunshine TV in Hong Kong in 2000. Although I was doing it with a humanistic ideal, I have not regretted it so far, but because the business model and the existing market rules are not very consistent, I have experienced many career setbacks. This makes me very upset because I feel that I have been working hard, and even when I am pregnant, I still have commercial negotiations. From small to large, the education I receive is: As long as you work hard enough, you will succeed. But then it was not like this. If you start with your strategy and your positioning is biased, you will not succeed no matter how hard you try.

Later, I went to the China Europe Business School in Shanghai to study the CEO course. One teacher talked about the difference between a businessman and a soldier: the soldier received an order, even if he hit the last bullet, sacrificed, and insisted on the position. And the businessman seems to be in a hall, always pay attention to which door can open, I will go out from there. Always looking for opportunities to move and keep coming in and out to get the most out of business. So after listening to it, I know what I have in mind - I am not a businessman. Although it can be done very diligently, it is not my comparative advantage from the bones.

In the first 15 years of my career, I have been doing additions, as a moderator, I asked the director: Is it possible for me to write lines myself? After writing a line, I asked the director: Can I make an edit myself? After finishing the editing, I will ask the director: Can you let me be a producer? I did the producer and thought: Can I be responsible for several programs at the same time? After I was in charge of several programs, I thought I could do a channel? I have been doing Addition in my life and added it to Sunshine TV. I know that in life, you may have one or two advantages.

After doing a series of additions, I think I should start doing subtraction. Because I feel that I need to have a balanced life. I can't work like this crazy. So I started doing subtraction. Then today I want to position myself: a cultural person who understands the laws of the market, a cultural person who knows how to communicate with the world. While doing a good job as a moderator, I hope to be able to engage in more activities in social welfare. So you may be better able to recognize your comparative advantage in failure. Of course, I also hope that you can understand your comparative advantages and shortcomings without paying too much.

You can't succeed in this life, but you can't grow.

What I want to say is that everyone is growing. This growth is a dynamic process of continuous development.

Maybe you have reached a balance in some occasions and times, and the balance is short-lived, may be fleeting, and constantly broken. Growth is endless, and many things in life are difficult to grasp. Even love, you may change, and that person may change; but growth can be grasped, this is a commitment to yourself.

Although we can't become Liu Xiang again, we can still enjoy running.

Some people may hinder your success, but no one can stop you from growing.

In other words, you can't succeed in this life, but you can't grow!