If you have extraordinary merit, you must treat extraordinary people. Success does not come from chance, but has its inevitability. "Make high aspirations, make middle fate, and enjoy low blessings; choose a high place to stand, find a flat place to live, and walk toward a broad place." Li Ka-shing's life creed explains everything.
——Guoguanjunzhi
Li Ka-shing’s office is located on the top floor of the Cheung Kong Group Center Building, overlooking the entire Victoria Harbor of Hong Kong.
This is one of the most mysterious offices in the world. You must be accompanied by a specific security guard to swipe the password card before the elevator can reach it.
It is here that Li Ka-shing directs nearly trillions of wealth spread across 52 countries around the world.
Li Ka-shing’s office is neat and simple. The most eye-catching thing on the wall is a piece of calligraphy, which is a poem written by Zuo Zongtang in Wuxi Plum Garden: If you have a moderate fate, you will enjoy lower blessings; choose a high place to live, seek a flat place to live, and go to a wide place."
These 24 words contain profound philosophy of life, and Li Ka-shing regards them as his own life. creed.
The so-called making high aspirations and choosing a high place to establish oneself means to be ambitious in life. If a person has no ambition, he will not achieve success, as Li Ka-shing said in his speech in 2010:
“We all know that it is meaningless to have empty ambitions, and rushing for success without a plan will only make ourselves physically and mentally exhausted. . You must be determined in life and pursue your dreams with fervent efforts. ”
Throughout the ages, people who have made great achievements often have great ambitions.
Li Si, who had just completed a course from Xunzi, told the teacher that "no criticism is greater than being humble, and nothing is more tragic than poverty." He did not want to be a loser for a long time, complaining all day long about everything and everyone, and pretending to be cool. So he resolutely went to Qin to seek great development. In the end, he assisted the King of Qin to destroy the six kingdoms, unified the world, and became the prime minister.
When Prime Minister Jiang Zemin was young, the teacher asked in class: "Why do students study?" The students responded enthusiastically, some said: "Study to understand reason." Some said: "To do things. Only the Prime Minister replied firmly: "Study for the rise of China!"
So Zeng Guofan said: "Those with inferior talents should follow the vulgar rules." , and become more and more defiled day by day. The high man admires the path of wisdom and prosperity, and he will become wiser every day."
When Li Ka-shing was young, his father died of illness. He was suffering from lung disease when he was less than 15 years old, and he was almost in danger of life and death.
According to Li Ka-shing's recollection: "This was the most difficult moment in my life. I told myself that I could not die, for the sake of my mother, younger siblings, and for my future. In those years, in addition to working, I just used to make fires for others. "Looking for books to read among the discarded books."
To this day, Li Ka-shing insists on reading and learning new knowledge every night before going to bed.
It can be said that without his strong ambition back then, where would Superman Li be today?
Li Ka-shing’s understanding of “making a middle-class relationship and finding a peaceful place to live” is: “It is not necessarily easy to associate with people of the same class and social status.”
When a person becomes prosperous, he often forgets the friends with whom he shared the joys and sorrows, and is even less willing to associate with people whose social status is lower than his own. Human relationships are cold and warm, and the world is cold and cold. This is often the case.
As the saying goes, when you gain momentum, you come and when you lose momentum, you leave without hesitation.
After the success of the uprising, Chen Sheng, who originally shouted "Wealthy people never forget each other", was worried that his life before becoming rich would be talked about, so he simply killed the friends who had come to join him in farming. This led to alienation and ultimately death at the hands of his own coachman.
The world's situation depends on whether it is good or bad, and people compete with each other for popularity, but Li Ka-shing is able to escape the shackles of worldly prejudices. Feng Lun was deeply impressed by his way of treating others.
Feng Lun recalled Li Ka-shing in the article "Look at how Li Ka-shing invites people to dinner":
I was lucky and got a table with my elder brother (referring to Li Ka-shing). I thought at the time , I was quite close to my eldest brother, so I could chat for a while while eating, so I was not in a hurry to talk at first. Unexpectedly, after about ten minutes of eating, my eldest brother stood up and said he was sorry and wanted to sit over there.
At this time, we discovered that there were four tables, each with an extra set of dishes and chopsticks, and he sat at each table.
During the one-hour meal time, he took turns sitting at four tables, and it took almost 15 minutes. By this time, everyone was moved by the eldest brother's thoughtful and meticulous arrangements.
After it was over, he did not leave first, but shook hands with everyone one by one. Everyone present had to shake hands. There was a waiter standing in the corner, and the eldest brother ran there to shake hands with him.
Only by forming a moderate relationship and living in a peaceful place can we make friends with people from different walks of life and win more respect for ourselves.
Everyone has the tendency to "enjoy leisure and hate work", so "enjoy the lower blessings and go to a more generous place" means to be diligent and thrifty.
Sima Guang, a famous official in the Northern Song Dynasty, earnestly warned his son Sima Kang when he was educating his son: "It is human nature to go from frugality to luxury, but from luxury to frugality is difficult." After getting rich, if you want to maintain a diligent and frugal attitude Living habits are very difficult.
The word "diligence and thrift" is also the focus of Zeng Guofan's family motto. He said: "Those sages and heroes throughout the ages, that is, those who want to stand up in the world, are nothing more than the word diligence.", "They are both extravagant and diligent." Then return to frugality, if you follow nature. Only advocating frugality can last forever."
In the eyes of ordinary people, even if Li Ka-shing is worth tens of billions, he will spend money like water. It should be taken for granted.
But Li stuck to his habit of thrift.
As the richest man, Li Ka-shing lives a Puritan-like life. Li Ka-shing’s socks are not allowed to be seen because he has mended them many times himself.
The black-rimmed glasses worn by Li Ka-shing have never changed since the 1972 press conference for the listing of Cheung Kong Holdings. He is more willing to show others the suits and leather shoes he has worn for decades than to show others his successful business.
Enjoy the lower blessings and move towards a wider place. Only in this way can you make up for your weakness with diligence and cultivate your virtue with frugality.
If you have extraordinary merit, you must treat extraordinary people. "Make high vows, make middle fate, and enjoy low blessings; choose a high place to stand, find a flat place to live, and walk to a wide place." This is how Li Chaoren was refined.