Mainstream

星期六晚上和哥哥突然心血來潮
開上三高往北走
開著開著就開到了萬里

本來想去吃知味鄉烤玉米
後來路過幾家海產店
突然想起上回老闆邀大家到海龍珠吃海產
後來因故取消
心想若是找得到海龍珠
今天一定要給他試一試！

憑著殘存的記憶
沿著往萬里的路前進
海龍珠就在左手邊不遠處

由於只有兩個人
我們就隨意點了些東西

首先上來的是鹹水蝦
蝦肉十分鮮甜
只可惜芥末沾醬不怎麼樣

一.      關於工作與生活  

　　  
我有個有趣的觀察，外企公司多的是25-35歲的白領，40歲以上的員工很少，二三十歲的外企員工是意氣風發的，但外企公司40歲附近的經理人是很尷尬的。我見過的40歲附近的外企經理人大多在一直跳槽，最後大多跳到民企，比方說，唐駿。外企員工的成功很大程度上是公司的成功，並非個人的成功，西門子的確比國美大，但並不代表西門子中國經理比國美的老闆強，甚至可以說差得很遠。而進外企的人往往並不能很早理解這一點，把自己的成功90％歸功於自己的能力，實際上，外企公司隨便換個中國區總經理並不會給業績帶來什麼了不起的影響。好了問題來了，當這些經理人40多歲了，他們的薪資要求變得很高，而他們的才能其實又不是那麼出眾，作為外企公司的老闆，你會怎麼選擇？有的是只要不高薪水的，要出位的精明強幹精力沖沛的年輕人，有的是，為什麼還要用你？  

從上面這個例子，其實可以看到我們的工作軌跡，二三十歲的時候，生活的壓力還比較小，身體還比較好，上面的父母身體還好，下面又沒有孩子，不用還房貸，也沒有孩子要上大學，當個外企小白領還是很光鮮的，掙得不多也夠花了。但是人終歸要結婚生子，終歸會老，到了40歲，父母老了，要看病要吃藥，要有人看護，自己要還房貸，要過基本體面的生活，要養小孩……那個時候需要掙多少錢才夠花才重要。所以，看待工作，眼光要放遠一點，一時的誰高誰低並不能說明什麼。  

從這個角度上來說，我不太贊成過於關注第一份工作的薪水，更沒有必要攀比第一份工作的薪水，這在剛剛出校園的學生中間是很常見的。正常人大概要工作 35年，這好比是一場馬拉松比賽，和真正的馬拉松比賽不同的是，這次比賽沒有職業選手，每個人都只有一次機會。要知到，有很多人甚至堅持不到終點，大多數人最後是走到終點的，只有少數人是跑過終點的，因此在剛開始的時候，去搶領先的位置並沒有太大的意義。剛進社會的時候如果進500強公司，大概能拿到3k -6k/月的工資，有些特別技術的人才可能可以到8k/月，可問題是，5年以後拿多少？估計5k-10k了不起了。起點雖然高，但增幅有限，而且，後面的年輕人追趕的壓力越來越大。  

我前兩天問我的一個銷售，你會的這些東西一個新人2年就都學會了，但新人所要求的薪水卻只是你的一半，到時候，你怎麼辦？  

職業生涯就像一場體育比賽，有初賽、復賽、決賽。初賽的時候大家都剛剛進社會，大多數都是實力一般的人，這時候努力一點認真一點很快就能讓人脫穎而出，於是有的人二十多歲做了經理，有的人遲些也終於贏得了初賽，三十多歲成了經理。然後是復賽，能參加復賽的都是贏得初賽的，每個人都有些能耐，在聰明才智上都不成問題，這個時候再想要勝出就不那麼容易了，單靠一點點努力和認真還不夠，要有很強的堅忍精神，要懂得靠團隊的力量，要懂得收服人心，要有長遠的眼光……  

看上去贏得復賽並不容易，但，還不是那麼難。因為這個世界的規律就是給人一點成功的同時、讓人驕傲自滿，剛剛贏得初賽的人往往不知道自己贏得的僅僅是初賽，有了一點小小的成績大多數人都會驕傲自滿起來，認為自己已經懂得了全部，不需要再努力再學習了，他們會認為之所以不能再進一步已經不是自己的原因了。雖然他們仍然不好對付，但是他們沒有耐性，沒有容人的度量，更沒有清晰長遠的目光。就像一隻憤怒的鬥牛，雖然猛烈，最終是會敗的，而贏得復賽的人則象鬥牛士一樣，不急不躁，跟隨著自己的節拍，慢慢耗盡對手的耐心和體力。贏得了復賽以後，大約已經是一位很了不起的職業經理人了，當上了中小公司的總經理，大公司的副總經理，主管著每年幾千萬乃至幾億的生意。  

最終的決賽來了，說實話我自己都還沒有贏得決賽，因此對於決賽的決勝因素也只能憑自己的猜測而已，這個時候的輸贏或許就像武俠小說中寫得那樣，大家都是高手，只能等待對方犯錯了，要想輕易擊敗對手是不可能的，除了使上渾身解數，還需要一點運氣和時間。世界的規律依然發揮著作用，贏得復賽的人已經不只是驕傲自滿了，他們往往剛愎自用，聽不進去別人的話，有些人的脾氣變得暴躁，心情變得浮躁，身體變得糟糕，他們最大的敵人就是他們自己，在決賽中要做的只是不被自己擊敗，等著別人被自己擊敗。這和體育比賽是一樣的，最後高手之間的比賽，就看誰失誤少誰就贏得了決賽。

二.      根源  

你工作快樂麼？你的工作好麼？  

有沒有覺得幹了一段時間以後工作很不開心？有沒有覺得自己入錯了行？有沒有覺得自己沒有得到應有的待遇？有沒有覺得工作像一團亂麻每天上班都是一種痛苦？有沒有很想換個工作？有沒有覺得其實現在的公司並沒有當初想像得那麼好？有沒有覺得這份工作是當初因為生存壓力而找的，實在不適合自己？你從工作中得到你想要得到的了麼？你每天開心麼？  

天涯上憤怒的人很多，你有沒有想過，你為什麼不快樂？你為什麼憤怒？  

作者：潔西卡．布洛迪

原文作者：Jessica Brody

譯者：鄭淑芬

出版社：八正文化

出版日期：2009年03月25日

語言：繁體中文 ISBN：9789868505711

裝訂：平裝

【簡介】

她，化身為所有男人的夢中情人
不惜一切代價，只為追求真相！

大膽、創新、性感的話題之作
宛如搭上人生、慾望、背叛及愛的雲霄飛車

已賣出包括英、法、德、俄等八國版權！
並將由2004奧斯卡最佳電影《衝擊效應》（Crash）
執行製作人拍成電視影集！

若你的人生建構在謊言之上，如何才能觸及真實？如何才能免於迷失？

在永遠放棄雙面人生之前，她決定接受最後一次任務。
沒想到，這次任務卻改變了一切…

兩年來，珍妮佛一直是個臥底的「忠誠調查員」，接受懷疑情人或丈夫出軌的女人雇用，測試對方的忠誠度。在「艾雪琳」這個化名的掩護下，珍妮佛已經揭發數百名不忠的丈夫、未婚夫和男友。當然，她絕不會真的跟這些人上床，只會測試他們出軌的意圖。

我常問同事: 你快樂嗎?
最常得到的答案總是: 沒有甚麼值得快樂的事!!

我在想
或許大家都太幸福了
幸福到忘記在如此不景氣的環境
我們還保有自己的工作
而公司對我們的照顧沒有一點縮水

有甚麼好不高興的呢

既然要花那麼多時間在工作
何不讓自己開心點呢?

A recent report listed the happiest nations in the world. Guess what? The US didn't even make it into the top ten. So much for the American dream.

Why are we so unhappy? Let's start by looking at the origin of the word. Happy is derived from the Icelandic word happ, meaning luck or chance. Is happiness then, by its very definition, elusive due to its randomness? Nassim Taleb certainly thinks so, as he expressed in his bestselling book Fooled by Randomness. But this is clearly not the case for the top 10 happiest countries.

In his book, The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, the Dalai Lama — arguably a very wise and happy man — suggests that true happiness can be attained only by training the mind. So much for Harvard psychologist Dan Gilbert's notion of Stumbling on Happiness (despite the title, he too argues that we can train our minds to be happier). With that in mind, here are a number of suggestions that I hope can turn our collective frowns upside-down:

1. Smile. Turns out, smiling is directly linked to happiness. It may have started as a correlation but, over time, the brain linked the two. Don't believe me? Try this: smile (a nice big smile) and attempt to think of something negative. Either you will stop smiling or you won't be able to hold the negative thought.

2. Stop worrying. Worrying happens to be one of humanity's best traits. It is the underlying emotion behind foresight, planning, and forecasting. We worry because some future event is uncertain and that feeling is a cue for us to start thinking about how to address it. The problem is, we worry too much about things that are out of our control (like the economy, stupid). The US has one of the highest rates for mental disease and yes, worry is among the leading indicators. While it's true that there are plenty of things to worry about these days, take a deep breath, America, and stop sweating the small stuff.

3. Take a break. The US is one of the most overworked industrialized nations. But this is counterproductive for a nation of "knowledge workers." Overworking people to exhaustion is a horrible way to extract knowledge from people. Taking a break provides an opportunity to reflect and often it is during such times when the best ideas, our deepest insights, emerge. I insist on taking lunches out of the office; I insist that my colleagues do the same. Call it a siesta, naptime, or a mini-vacation. It works for many of the happier nations too.

4. Do things differently. Part of the problem at work for many people is boredom. We are stuck in a rut where we come in and do the same thing over and over and over again. Get your enthusiasm back by doing things differently. Make every effort to learn, to grow, and to challenge yourself. Take on more responsibility or attempt something you never thought you were capable of doing. Even if your responsibilities don't allow for much flexibility, try a different approach to your existing responsibilities.

Freelancing can be lonelier than eating a delicious meal all by yourself. Done wrong, freelancing is not just bad for the soul - it can inhibit your professional growth. Truly worthwhile professional development requires interpersonal interaction and feedback. There's no need to starve yourself of those things just because you don't work full-time.

I humbly offer up this little recipe, which I've used to feed my professional self during the past six months. It's no culinary gem from Julia Child, but it keeps me sated and whole.

1 part-time job

Having a place to go to work, even if only once a week, is healthy. You get to interact with colleagues, receive feedback, and keep your face-to-face communication skills fresh. Part-time work comes in all flavors, and even if it's inconvenient, the discipline and interpersonal contact are worth it. My part-time jobs happen to be teaching gigs. Without them, freelance life would taste mighty dull.

2 substantive contacts with former coworkers per month

Everybody knows it's smart to maintain your professional contacts. But that shouldn't just mean touching base with your references. Seek out real, regular interactions with former colleagues. If lunch at the old office isn't feasible, there's always a sustained IM chat on Facebook, an outdoor activity, or an invitation to dinner at your home. Such connections maintain continuity in your life. They also help you stay on top of what's happening in your industry in a way that mere consumption of media can't.

1 major learning experience a quarter

When you work for yourself, it can be hard to find new learning opportunities. To be sure, some independent work, such as starting a business, has learning built right into the main course. Figuring out how to manage a payroll is, after all, a stick-to-your-ribs lesson. But without automatic experiences like that, you need to create chances to learn. Menu options include taking a class, attending a conference, and volunteering. I'm all for working on a laptop in pajamas while eating homemade brownies, but you have to get out of the house to refine your palate.

2 performance reviews a year

"What? You gotta be kidding! I thought I left all that behind." No, my friend, you still need your vitamins. When you're on your own, writing an honest self-review every six months is a dietary must. Yes, that means 1-to-5 ratings on key outcome measures, including financial performance, and a narrative reflection that you share with a trusted adviser, perhaps one of those former coworkers you see twice a month. A self-review need not be a bitter pill, just a healthful portion of clear-headed reflection. If you're willing to try a more exotic type of self-examination, write a blog about life as a freelancer. But that meal, I must warn you, has to be cooked more than twice a year.

TrackBack URL: http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cgi-bin/mt/mt-tb.cgi/4115