你明白祖先定十二生肖的含意嗎？

關於榮辱觀的小故事 十二生肖

有一次，我有機會和歐洲貴族聚餐。 可能酒喝多了，一位德國貴族站了起來， 諷刺說 ：' 你們中國人都是屬什麼豬啊！狗啊！老鼠啊！ 不像我們，都是金牛座、獅子座、仙女座 ……真不知道你們祖先怎麼想的？' 當時這些貴族聽完哈哈大笑，還互相碰杯，先前的優雅完全不見了。 按理說，人家在罵你祖宗了，你即使沒有話說，起碼可以掀桌子啊！ 但所有人都坐著不吭聲，也可能是還沒反應過來， 我當時只好平和地告訴在場所有外賓： '中國人的祖先是很實在的，我們十二生肖 兩兩! 相對，六道輪迴， 體現了我們祖先對中國人全部的期望跟要求。' 這時 ，現場氣氛雖然從嬉鬧轉為安靜 ，但是他們臉上還是一副不屑的樣子。

我說 ： ' 第一組是老鼠和牛。老鼠代表智慧，牛代表勤奮。 智慧和勤奮一定要緊緊結合在一起。 如果光有智慧不勤奮，那就變成小聰明；而光是勤奮，不動腦筋，那就變成愚蠢。 所以這兩者一定要結合，這是我們祖先對中國人的第一組期望和要求，也是最重要的一組。

''第二組是老虎和兔子。老虎代表勇猛，兔子代表謹慎。 勇猛和謹慎一定要緊緊結合在一起，才能做到所謂的膽大心細。 如果勇猛離開了謹慎，就變成了魯莽，而你沒有勇猛，一味的謹慎，謹慎就變成膽怯。'我看著這些貴族，補上一句：'所以當我們表現出謹慎的時候，千萬不要以為我們中國人沒有勇猛的一面。 ' ' 實際上，我們祖先追求的是一種和諧的智慧和圓融， 從來不會單獨給一個要求和任務。' 看著大家陷入沉思，我繼續往下說。

'第三組是龍和蛇。龍代表剛猛，蛇代表柔韌。所謂剛者易折，太剛了容易折斷，但是如果只有柔的一面，就易失去主見，所以剛柔並濟是我們歷代的祖訓。

接下來是馬和羊。馬代表勇往直前，直奔目標 ，羊代表和順。如果一個人只顧自己直奔目標，不顧周圍，必然會和周圍不斷磕碰，最後不見得能達到目標。但是一個人如果光顧著和周圍和順，之後他連方向都沒有了，目標也失去了。 所以一往無前的秉性一定要與和順緊緊結合在一起，這是我們祖先對中國人的第四組期望。

再接下來是猴子和雞。猴子代表靈活，至於雞呢，以前的年代沒有鐘，都是聽雞鳴聲決定一天的開始， 所以雞定時打鳴，代表穩定。靈活和穩定一定要緊緊結合起來。如果你光靈活，沒有穩定，再好的政策最後也得不到收穫。 但如果說你光是穩定，一潭死水、一塊鐵板， 那就不會有我們今天的改革開放了。只有它們之間非常圓融的結合，一方面具有穩定性，保持整體的和諧和秩序，另一方面又能不斷變通地前進，這才是最根本的要旨。

最後是狗和豬。狗是代表忠誠，豬是代表隨和。 一個人如果太忠誠，不懂得隨和，就會排斥他人。而反過來 ，一個人太隨和，沒有忠誠，這個人就失去原則。 所以無論是對一個民族國家的忠誠、對團隊的忠誠，還是自己理想的忠誠，一定要與隨和緊緊結合在一起，這樣才容易真正保持內心深處的忠誠。 這就是我們中國人一直堅持的外圓內方，君子和而不同。

中國人每個人都有屬於自己的生肖，有的人屬豬，有的人屬狗，這意義何在？ 實際上，我們的祖先期望我們要圓融，不能偏頗，要求我們懂得到對應面切入。 比如屬豬的人能夠在他的隨和本性中，也去追求忠誠； 而 屬 狗的人則在忠誠的本性中，去做到隨和。' 解釋完十二生肖，我說：' 不知道你們那些寶瓶座啊、射手座啊、公羊座啊， 體現了你們祖先哪些期望和要求？ 希望不吝賜教。 '結果呢，這些貴族老爺們很長時間都沒說話，全場鴉雀無聲，一根針掉在地上都能聽見。 最後貴族們紛紛由衷地表示對中國人和中國人的祖先非常敬佩!

只要一塊錢，世界會改變

教導孩子金錢觀念，不是數學題，是經濟學課題，不是常常把「爸爸媽媽賺錢很辛苦」掛在口邊，是要讓孩子思考金錢的價值。

話說大熊阿比和鱷魚阿寶是鄰居，兩個都是廚房高手，阿比擅長做披薩，阿寶拿手做蛋糕，他們經常分享美食，有說有笑。一天，世界首富老鼠朱富比坐豪華房車經過，偵測到阿寶的蛋糕的香氣，派大塊頭獅子司機來買，阿寶賺到了他一生第一塊金幣。阿比看到阿寶的蛋糕能賣錢，馬上決定做多點披薩上街賣。他想：「一塊披薩切八片，一片披薩一塊錢，一天賣個八十片，一年有三百六十五天，有一天，我也會像朱富比那樣有錢。」

阿比推著載滿披薩的手推車到大路口擺檔，誰知阿寶也在那裏，賣蛋糕。幾小時過去了，一個客人也沒有，阿比和阿寶都餓得慌，阿比請求阿寶給他一塊蛋糕，阿寶反問他為何不吃自己的披薩，阿比說披薩留來賣，阿寶馬上說，他的蛋糕也是要賣的，沒錢不能給。最後阿寶實在忍不住肚餓，他把從朱富比處賺來的一塊錢給了阿比，買了一片披薩，拚命大嚼，阿比看見他吃，也忍不住了，把那塊錢交回阿寶，換一塊蛋糕吃，結果你跟我買披薩，我跟你買蛋糕，兩個人的食物都賣光了，兩個人都吃飽了，又做回好朋友。

這時候，烏鴉來買東西吃，聽見披薩和蛋糕都賣完了，便嚷著明天再來，請阿比阿寶一定留一塊給他，烏鴉還把朋友都叫來，光顧這兩個生意奇佳的食檔。阿比阿寶從此天天賣披薩和蛋糕，還吸引了大批動物來擺擋，賣各式各樣吃的東西，那裏成了一個市集。

「方的會變圓，長的會變扁，只要一塊錢，世界會改變」。

Rich Dad, Poor Dad

FINANCIAL LITERACY = FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE

A true tale of two dads— one a highly educated professor, the other, an eighth grade dropout. Educated dad left his family with nothing, except maybe some unpaid bills. The dropout later became one of Hawaii’s richest men and left his son an empire. One dad would say, “I can’t afford it” while the other, asked, “How can I afford it?”Rich dad teaches two boys priceless lessons on money, by making them learn through experience. The most important lesson of all is How to Use Your Mind and Time to create personal wealth. Free yourself from the proverbial “rat race”. Learn to spot opportunities, create solutions and “mind your own business”. Learn to make money work for you, and not be its slave.

Rich Dad’s Words of Wisdom:

* You are what you Think.
* A job is a short-term solution to a long-term problem.
* A highly paid slave is still a slave.
* Why climb the corporate ladder when you can own the ladder?

Good Thinking:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.Robert Frost, from ‘The Road Not Taken’

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There is a Need. The rationale for teaching people financial literacy comes from the fact there is no real job security these days. Even after years of toil, the poor and middle class may find they do not have sufficient funds for their children’s college education, or their own retirement. Why work for acorporation, the government, and the bank all your life? Awaken your financial genius and gain financial independence and freedom!

Lesson 1: The Rich Don’t Work For Money

At age 9, Robert Kiyosaki and his best friend Mike asked Mike’s father (Rich Dad) to teach them how to make money. After 3 weeks of dusting cans in one of Rich Dad’s convenience stores at 10 cents a week, Kiyosaki was ready to quit. Rich Dad pointed out this is exactly what his employees sounded like. Some people quit a job because it doesn’t pay well. Others see it as an opportunity to learn something new.

WORK TO LEARN

Next Rich Dad put the two boys to work, this time for nothing. Doing this forced them to think up a source of income, a business scheme. The opportunity came to them upon noticing discarded comic books in the store. The first business plan was hatched. The boys opened a comic book library and employed Mike’s sister at 1$ a week to mind it. Soon they were earning $9.50 a week without having to physically run the library, while kids read as much comics as they could in twohours after school for only a few cents.

Lesson 2: Why Teach Financial Literacy?

They don’t teach this at school. The growing gap between rich and poor is rooted in the antiquated educational system. The system trains people to be good employees, and not employers. The obsolete school system also fails to provide young people with basic financial skills rich people use to grow their wealth.

Know your options and use this knowledge to build a formidable asset column. In an age of instant millionaires it really isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about how much you keep, and how many generations you can keep it.
Steps to get out of the proverbial rat race:1. First, understand the difference between an asset and a liability.

Assets

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Real Estate
Stocks

Bonds
Notes
Intellectual Property

Liabilities

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Mortgages

Consumer Loans

Credit Cards

The poor have day-to-day expenses, the middle class purchase liabilities that they think are assets (i.e., a home or a car), and the rich build a solid base of income-generating assets.The middle class finds itself in a constant state of financial struggle. Their primary income is wages, as wages increase, so do their taxes. Expenses increase as wages increase. Hence the phrase “the rat race.” They treat their home as their primary asset instead of investing in incomegenerating assets.The rich get richer because they keep acquiring more assets and investments to generate more income, which far exceeds their expenses.

Reasons why the home is not an asset but a liability:

1. People work almost all their lives to pay off a home (30-year loans)

2. Maintenance and utilities expenses.

3. Property tax

4. House values can depreciate.

5. Instead of investing in income-earning assets, your money goes out topayments for the house.

Your losses:

1. Time that could have been used to grow value in other assets.

2. Capital which could have been invested rather than paying home-relatedexpenses

3. Education that makes you a Sophisticated investorIf you want to buy a house, first generate the cash flow by acquiringassets, which bring income to pay for it.

Examples of real assets are:

* Apartments for rent

* Real estate

* Businesses that do not require your physical presence. You hire managers.

Average time of holding on to an asset before selling it for a higher value:

1 year

* Stocks (Startups and small companies are good investments)

* Bonds

* Mutual funds

7 years

* Real estate

* Notes (IOUs)

* Royalties on intellectual property Valuables that produce income or appreciate

In summary, the key steps to getting out of the rat race are the ff:

1. Understand the difference between an asset and a liability.

2. Concentrate your efforts on buying income-earning assets.

3. Focus on keeping liabilities and expenses at a minimum.

4. Mind your own business.

Lesson 3: Mind Your Own Business

KEEP YOUR DAY JOB BUT START MINDING YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

Kiyosaki sold photocopiers on commission at Xerox. With his earnings he purchased real estate. In 3 years’ time his real estate income was far greater than his earnings at Xerox. He then left the company to mind his own business full time. He knew that in order to get out of the rat race fast, he needed to work harder, sell more copiers and mind his own business.Don’t spend all your wages. Build a good portfolio of assets and you can spend later when these assets bring you greater income.

Lesson 4: The History of Taxes and the Power of Corporations

Income tax has been levied on citizens in England since 1874. In the United States it was introduced in 1913. Since then what was initially a plan to tax only the rich eventually “trickled down” to the middle class and the poor. The rich have a secret weapon to shelter themselves from heavy taxation. It’s called the Corporation. It isn’t a building with the company name andlogo in brass signage out front. A corporation is simply a legal document in your attorney’s file cabinet duly registered under a government state agency. Corporations offer great tax advantages and protection from lawsuits. It’s the legal way to protect your wealth, and the rich have been using it for generations. Do your own research and find out what taxlaws will bring you the best advantages.

The Golden Rule: PAY YOURSELF FIRST.

Rich dad says paying yourself first forces you to create more sources of income to cover your expenses. It’s a simple rule that works like this:

The Rich with Corporations:
Earn -> Spend -> Pay Taxes

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People who work for corporations:

Earn -> Pay Taxes -> Spend

Key Financial IQ Components:

It helps to take some courses to gain financial literacy; rich dad stressesthe importance of learning –

1. Accounting. It pays to know how to read financial statements. Whenacquiring businesses or assets you need to quickly see the financialstanding of the company you are acquiring. Many grown adults do notknow how to balance a balance sheet. In the long term, this knowledgewill pay off for you and your business.

2. Investment Strategy. This skill will sharpen with experience. Talk toinvestors and observe how they play the game. Kiyosaki and Mikespent many boyhood hours sitting in on Rich Dad’s meetings withbrokers, accountants, and attorneys.

3. Market Behavior. Know the laws of Supply and Demand. No businessowner can do without understanding these basic principles of themarket. Bill Gates saw what people needed. Open your eyes toopportunities. Look at what sells and who buys.

4. Law Kiyosaki recommends doing everything you can to grow yourbusiness within legal boundaries. Know your corporate, state, andaccounting laws.

Lesson 5: The Rich Invent Money

Self-confidence coupled with high financial IQ can certainly earn more for you than merely saving a little bit every month.Make good use of your time and find the best deals.An example: In the early 90’s the Phoenix economy was bad. Homes once valued at $100,000 sold for $75,000. Kiyosaki shopped at bankruptcy courts and bought the same houses at only $20,000. He resold these properties for $60,000 making a cool $40,000 profit. After six more transactions of the same manner he made a total $190,000 in profit and it only took 30 hours of work time. Rich Dad explains there are Two Types of Investors:

1. Buyers of Packaged Investments.This is when you call a retail outlet, real estate company, stockbrokeror financial planner and put your money in ready-made investments.It’s a simple, clean way of investing.

2. The Professional InvestorDesign your own investment. Assemble a deal and put togetherdifferent components of an opportunity. Rich dad encourages this type.You need to develop three main skills to be this type of investor, namely how to:

o Identify an opportunity everyone else has missed.

o Raise capital

o Organize smart people

Identify an opportunity everyone else has missed.

Learn to identify hidden Freebies in business deals. For example: The real business of McDonald’s isn’t hamburgers. It’s the free real estate underneath each franchise, on every important intersection, in cities all over the world that is the real wealth of its owners. THERE IS ALWAYS RISK. You need to learn how to manage risk and not avoid it.

Lesson 6: Work to Learn –Don’t Work for Money

The Author’s Odyssey

After college graduation Robert Kiyosaki joined the Marine Corps. He learned to fly for the love of it. He also learned to lead troops, an important part of management training. His next move was to join Xerox where he learned to overcome his fear of rejection. The thought of knocking on doors and selling copiers terrified him. Soon he was among the top 5 salespeople at the company. For a couple of years he was No.1. Having achieved his objective – overcominghis shyness and fear—he quit and began minding his own business. Learn skills like PR, marketing, and advertising. Take a second job if it means learning more.

A Difference in Education

Schools train professionals. Professionals become so specialized they cannot apply themselves in other fields and need to form unions to protect their jobs. Remember you can have a profession, say, learn to be a pilot if you want to learn how to fly, but at the same time mind your own business. The rich “groom” the next generation by training the heir in all aspects of running the business. They move him from department to department so he learns howeach one relates to the other. Specialization is not the key here, but picking up important lessons from each area and seeing the business as a whole.

Rich Dad groomed Kiyosaki and Mike in the same manner. Mike would later take over Rich Dad’s empire, which included restaurants, convenience stores, and a construction company. Kiyosaki created his own empire with real estate, new products and educational materials.

Five Obstacles to Financial Independence

1. Fear. Don’t play it safe and cling to what you think is secure. If you don’tgo for it and think big you won’t be able to earn big.

2. Cynicism. Don’t listen to advice of others who are not doing what you intendto do. Listen to your self and those who are doing what you aim to do.

3. Laziness. Greed is good and fights laziness. Think about the freedom and money you’ll have and you will put in those extra work hours. Change your thinking. Instead of saying “I can’t afford it.” Ask yourself “How can I afford it?” Challenge your mind to create solutions.

4. Bad Habits. Spending habits should turn into saving and investing habits.

5. Arrogance. Don’t think you know everything there is to know about money. Listen to others. Enroll in useful seminars.

Ten Steps to Awaken Your Financial Genius:

1. Find a reason greater than reality, a big dream. Think of the freedom,the lifestyle wherein you control your own time. Think of what you don’twant, i.e. “I don’t like being an employee”.

2. Use the power of choice, daily. You can choose to watch MTV, or watchCNBC. It’s how you choose to use your time and energy everyday thatbrings financial success in the long run.

3. Choose your friends carefully. It pays to have friends who are focusedand achieving their goals. Surround yourself with friends you can learnfrom.

4. Master a formula. Learn a new one, and learn fast.

5. Pay yourself first. Practice self-discipline by keeping expenses low.Tenants can pay for your expenses if you rent out apartments or ministorage,for instance. Savings are used for investing and creating moremoney, not for paying bills.

6. Pay your broker well. Attorneys, accountants, stockbrokers, and realestate brokers will have more incentive to work harder for you. If theymake more money, it means you make more money as well. 3-7% is agood incentive.

7. Be an Indian giver. It’s the concept behind ROI. (Return on investment)Invest and then take the initial money out after a time when the investmenthas earned for you.

8. Buy luxuries last. Let the income from your growing assets afford you thenew car. Wait for your asset base to grow first. Middle class people buyluxuries first, on credit.

9. Find yourself a hero. When you play golf you can imagine you are TigerWoods. When you do business, you can ask yourself, “What wouldGeorge Soros have done if he was in my place right now?”

10. Teach and you shall receive. As in money, love, or friendship. If you givewithout expecting anything in return, you receive more.

To-Do List

1. Stop what you’re doing. Take a step back to assess your situation. Stop doing what is not working and look for a new option.

2. Look for new ideas.

3. Take action. Find someone who has done what you want to do. Take them to lunch. Ask for tips.

4. Take classes and buy tapes.

5. Make lots of offers. Finding a good business deal is a lot like dating. You must go to the market and talk to a lot of people, make offers, counteroffers, negotiate, accept and reject. Many single people sit at home waiting for the phone to ring instead of going out and hitting the dating scene.

6. Take a walk through your neighborhood and look for bargain real estate deals.

7. Buy the pie and cut it into pieces. People buy only what they can afford so they think small. Think big. This goes for land and other investments.

8. Learn from history. Colonel Sanders lost everything in his 60’s and started from scratch with a fried chicken recipe. Bill Gates became rich before he was 30.

ACTION ALWAYS BEATS INACTION.

"IF YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING YOU CARE DEEPLY ABOUT AND IF YOU BELIEVE IN IT, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO IMAGINE NOT TRYING TO MAKE IT GREAT."

Who Moved My Cheese?

Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life – whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money, or spiritual peace of mind. Cheese is what we think will make us happy, and when circumstances take it away, different people deal with change in different ways. Four characters in this delightful parable represent parts of ourselves whenever we are confronted with change. Discover how you can let change work to your advantage and let it lead you to success!

The Maze
Four characters live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. The maze is where you spend time looking for what you want. It may be the organization you work in, the relationships you have in your life, or the community you live in.

Parts of All of Us
Two of the characters named Sniff and Scurry are mice. They represent parts of us that are simple and instinctive. Hem and Haw are the little people, representing those complex parts of us as human beings. Sometimes we are like Sniff, who anticipates change early by sniffing it out, or Scurry, who quickly scurries into action and adapts. Maybe we are more like Hem, who denies change and resists it out of fear, or Haw, who learns to adapt in time when he sees something better. Whatever part of us we choose, we all share the common need to find our way in the maze of life and succeed in changing times.

Who Moved My Cheese?
Everyday Hem, Haw, Sniff, and Scurry went about their business collecting and eating cheese. Every morning, the mice and little men put on their jogging suits and running shoes, left their homes, and raced around the maze looking for their favorite Cheese.

They each found their own kind of cheese one day at the end of one of the corridors in Station PA-13. Every morning the mice and men headed over to Station PA-13 and soon they established their own routines.
Sniff and Scurry woke up early everyday, always following the same route. The mice would arrive at the station, tie their running shoes together, and hang them around their necks so they could get to them quickly whenever they needed to.

Hem and Haw followed the same routine for a while, but later on, they awoke a little later each day, dressed slower, and walked to Station PA-13, always assuming there would be Cheese waiting for them. In fact, the little people put away their running shoes, and grew very comfortable in Station PA-13. Later, this over-confidence turned into arrogance.

The mice, on the other hand, always inspected the area, and noticed the Cheese supply was getting smaller every day.

One morning they discovered there was no more cheese. The mice did not overanalyze things, they knew it was coming, so they simply untied their running shoes from their necks and put them on. The mice wasted no time and immediately ventured into the maze in search of New Cheese.
Hem and Haw arrived later, and having taken their Cheese for granted, they were surprised to find there was no more cheese. Hem yelled, “Who moved my Cheese?”

Because the Cheese was so important to them, the two little people spent too much time deciding what to do. They couldn’t believe the Cheese was gone.

After much whining, Haw suggested,
"MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST STOP ANALYZING THE SITUATION SO MUCH AND JUST GET GOING AND FIND SOME NEW CHEESE."

While Hem and Haw were wasting time fretting over their situation, Sniff and Scurry had already found a great supply of New Cheese at Station RP-5.

Haw began to imagine himself tasting and enjoying New Cheese. Hem refused to leave Station PA-13. Haw also began to realize his fear was keeping him from leaving Hem and going back into the maze. He painted a picture in his mind of himself venturing out into the maze and eventually finding New Cheese.

Haw was in the habit of writing thoughts on the wall for Hem to read. Before leaving he wrote, “If you do not change, you become extinct.” Haw would write thoughts like these every now and then as he went about the maze, hoping Hem would venture out of Station PA-13 and read the handwriting on the wall.

Haw found a little cheese here and there. As he moved through the maze, he learned several things for himself:
* He needed to let go of his fears.
* He realized what lies out there could be a lot better, not worse.
* He should be alert in order to anticipate change, and next time, periodically smell the cheese to check if it is getting old.
And to learn these important lessons he had to tell himself:
"GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE."

He found a station but it was empty. He realized that if he had moved sooner, he would have very likely found a good deal of New Cheese here. So he wrote on the wall:

• The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find New Cheese.
Haw went back to the cheeseless station to offer Hem some bits of Cheese he had picked up along the way. Hem turned it down because he wanted the cheese he was used to. Haw went back into the maze.

Haw soon came to realize:
• The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.
"WHAT YOU ARE AFRAID OF IS NEVER AS BAD AS WHAT YOU IMAGINE."

• When you change what you believe, you change what you do.
Haw soon found New Cheese at Station RP-5, and met up with his old friends Sniff and Scurry who looked like they had been there for quite some time because they had grown fat.
Haw reflected as he enjoyed his New Cheese. He realized many more things:

* He had been holding onto the illusion of Old Cheese that was no longer there.

* He had started to change as soon as he learned to laugh at his own mistakes, then he was able to let go and move on.

* Sniff and Scurry kept life simple. They didn’t overanalyze or overcomplicate things. They simply moved with the Cheese.

* The mistakes he made in the past can be used to plan for the future.

* Notice the little changes so you are better prepared for the big change that might be coming.

* The biggest inhibitor of change lies within your self. Nothing gets better until You change.

"THERE IS ALWAYS NEW CHEESE OUT THERE."
While Haw still had a supply of cheese, he often went out and explored new areas in order to stay in touch with what was happening around him. He knew it was safer to be aware of his real choices than to isolate himself in his comfort zone.

Wisdom in a Nutshell from this story

• Anticipate change.

• Adapt quickly.

• Enjoy change.

• Be ready to change quickly, again and again.

• Having Cheese makes you happy.

• The more important your Cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it.

• If you do not change, you can become extinct.

• Ask yourself “What would I do if I weren’t afraid?”

• Smell the Cheese often so you know when it is getting old.

• Movement in a new direction helps you find New Cheese.

• When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.

• Imagining myself enjoying New Cheese, even before I find it, leads me to it.

• The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find New Cheese.

• It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situation.

• Old beliefs do not lead you to New Cheese.

• When you see that you can find and enjoy New Cheese, you change course.

• Noticing small changes early helps you adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.

• Read the Handwriting on the Wall

• Change happens. They keep moving the Cheese.

• Move with the Cheese and enjoy it!

Bill Gates – A story of Success

Bill Gates was born on October 28, 1955 in a family having rich business, political and community service background. His great-grandfather was a state legislator and a mayor, his grandfather was vice president of national bank and his father was a lawyer.

Bill strongly believes in hard work. He believes that if you are intelligent and know how to apply your intelligence, you can achieve anything. From childhood Bill was ambitious, intelligent and competitive. These qualities helped him to attain top position in the profession he chose. In school, he had an excellent record in mathematics and science. Still he was getting very bored in school and his parents knew it, so they always tried to feed him with more information to keep him busy. Bill’s parents came to know their son's intelligence and decided to enroll him in a private school, known for its intense academic environment. It was a very important decision in Bill Gate's life where he was first introduced to a computer. Bill Gates and his friends were very much interested in computer and formed "Programmers Group" in late 1968. Being in this group, they found a new way to apply their computer skill in university of Washington. In the next year, they got their first opportunity in Information Sciences Inc. in which they were selected as programmers. ISI (Information Sciences Inc.) agreed to give them royalties whenever it made money from any of the group’s program. As a result of the business deal signed with Information Sciences Inc., the group also became a legal business.

Bill Gates and his close friend Allen started new company of their own, Traf-O-Data. They developed a small computer to measure traffic flow. From this project they earned around $20,000. The era of Traf-O-Data came to an end when Gates left the college. In 1973, he left home for Harvard University. He didn’t know what to do, so he enrolled his name for pre-law. He took the standard freshman courses with the exception of signing up for one of Harvard's toughest mathematics courses. He did well over there, but he couldn’t find it interesting too. He spent many long nights in front of the school's computer and the next day asleep in class. After leaving school, he almost lost himself from the world of computers. Gates and his friend Paul Allen remained in close contact even though they were away from school. They would often discuss new ideas for future projects and the possibility of starting a business one fine day. At the end of Bill's first year, Allen came close to him so that they could follow some of their ideas. That summer they got job in Honeywell. Allen kept on pushing Bill for opening a new software company.

Within a year, Bill Gates dropped out from Harvard. Then he formed Microsoft. Microsoft's vision is "A computer on every desk and Microsoft software on every computer". Bill is a visionary person and works very hard to achieve his vision. His belief in high intelligence and hard work has put him where he is today. He does not believe in mere luck or God’s grace, but just hard work and competitiveness. Bill’s Microsoft is good competition for other software companies and he will continue to stomp out the competition until he dies. He likes to play the game of Risk and the game of world domination. His beliefs are so powerful, which have helped him increase his wealth and his monopoly in the industry.

Bill Gates is not a greedy person. In fact, he is quite giving person when it comes to computers, internet and any kind of funding. Some years back, he visited Chicago's Einstein Elementary School and announced grants benefiting Chicago's schools and museums where he donated a total of $110,000, a bunch of computers, and provided internet connectivity to number of schools. Secondly, Bill Gates donated 38 million dollars for the building of a computer institute at Stanford University. Gates plans to give away 95% of all his earnings when he is old and gray.

Warren Buffett's Story

The first few cents Warren Buffett earned came from selling chewing gum. And from the day he started selling--at 6 years of age--he showed an unyielding attitude toward his customers that revealed his later style. "I remember a woman saying, 'I'll take one stick of Juicy Fruit,'" he says. "I said, 'We don't break up packs of gum'--I mean, I've got my principles." Making a sale was tempting, but not tempting enough. If he sold one stick to her, he'd have four sticks left to sell, not worth the work or the risk. He made two cents profit per pack.

Warren switched to selling Coca-Cola--he made a nickel for every six bottles--and copies of the Saturday Evening Post and Liberty magazines. By the time he was 9 or 10, he and a pal were selling used golf balls until the cops stopped them. When the police talked to his parents, Howard and Leila weren't concerned. They just considered their son ambitious.

For Warren's 10th birthday, Howard took him to New York. A scene from the stock exchange dining room captured his imagination."We had lunch with At Mol, a member of the stock exchange. After lunch, a guy came along with a tray that had all these different kinds of tobacco leaves on it. He made up a cigar for Mr. Mol, who picked out the leaves that he wanted. I thought: It doesn't get any better than this." Warren had zero interest in smoking a cigar, but he saw what hiring a man for such a frivolous purpose implied. It meant that, even while most of the country was still mired in the Depression, the cigar man's employer--the stock exchange--was making a great deal of money. That day, a vision of his future was planted. He wanted money."It could make me independent. Then I could do what I wanted to do with my life. And the biggest thing I wanted to do was work for myself."

One day at the library, a book beckoned from the shelves. One Thousand Ways To Make $1000 it was called. This book explained the concept of compound interest. Warren started thinking: If he made $1000, as the book said, and it grew at a yearly rate of 10% interest, in 5 years, $1000 would become more than $1600; in 10 years, it would become almost $2600; and in 25 years, it would become more than $10,800. He could picture the numbers compounding as vividly as the way a snowball grew when he rolled it across the lawn.

Warren announced that he would be a millionaire by age 35, an audacious statement for an 11-year-old to make in the depressed world of 1941. By the spring of 1942, his hoard totaled $120. With sister Doris as a partner, he invested in three shares of a company called Cities Service Preferred. The market hit a low that June, and the stock plunged. Warren says he felt terribly responsible. So when the stock recovered, he sold, netting a $5 profit. But Cities Service quickly soared from $40 to $202 a share.

Warren learned three lessons and would call this episode one of the most important of his life. One lesson was not to overly fixate on what he had paid for a stock. The second was not to rush unthinkingly to grab a small profit. He learned these two lessons by brooding over the $492 he'd have made had he been patient. It had taken five years of work, since he was 6, to save $120 to buy the stock. And there was a third lesson, about investing other people's money. If he made a mistake, it might get somebody upset at him. So he didn't want to have responsibility for anyone else's money unless he was sure he could succeed.