名篇背诵25:成功之路(卡耐基)

 　　编者按：

　　把所有的鸡蛋放在一个篮子里，然后小心地看好它；要量入为出；最后一点，要有耐心，就像艾默生所言：“除了你自己没人能真正阻止你成功。”
　　The Road to Success
　　It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping 1 out the office. I notice we have janitors 2 and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself.
　　Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is “aim high”. I would not give a fig 3 for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, “My place is at the top.” Be king in your dreams.
　　And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery 4, and know the most about it.
　　The concerns which fail are those which have scattered 5 their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” is all wrong. I tell you to “put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket.” Look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration.
　　To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure 6 always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as Emerson says, “no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves.”
　　成功之路
　　安德鲁.卡耐基
　　年轻人创业之初，应该从最底层干起，这是件好事。匹兹堡有很多商业巨头，在他们创业之初，都不情愿地肩负过“重任”。他们与扫帚相伴，以打扫办公室的方式度过了他们在商业生涯中最初的日子。我注意到我们现在办公室里都有工友，所以很可惜，年轻人就错过了商业教育中这个有益的环节。如果碰巧哪天上午，专职扫地的工友没有来，某个具有未来合伙人气质的年轻人便会毫不犹豫地试着拿起扫帚。新来的员工在必要时，扫扫地也无妨，你并不会因此而有什么损失。我自己就曾经扫过地......
　　加入你已经找到工作，并且有了一个良好的开端，我对你的建议就是：要志存高远。一个年轻人，如果不曾把自己想象成是一家大公司未来的老板或是合伙人，那我就会对他不屑一顾。在任何企业，不管它的规模有多大，你的内心都不要满足于做一个首席助理、领班或者总经理。要对自己说：我要迈向顶尖！要做就做你梦想之国里的国王。
　　成功的首要条件和最大秘诀就是：把你的精力、思想和资本全都集中在你正在从事的事业上。一旦开始从事某种职业，就要下定决心在那一领域闯出一片天地来：不断提高自己，采用最优良的设备，对专业知识熟稔于心。
　　过于分散自己资本的企业，注定会失败，因为分散资本就意味着分散了他们的精力。他们向这方面投资，又向那方面投资；在这里投资，在那里投资，到处都投资。“不要把所有的鸡蛋放在一个篮子里”的说法其实大错特错。我要对你说：“把所有的鸡蛋都放在一个篮子里，然后小心地看好那个篮子。”看看你周围，你会注意到：这么做的人其实很少失败。提着一个篮子并看好它，并不太难。在我们国家，想同时提很多篮子的人往往打破的鸡蛋最多。提三个篮子的人，必须把一个顶在头上，而这个篮子很可能掉下来，把他自己绊倒。美国商人的一个错误就是没有集中自己的精力。
　　总结一下，我所说的：要志存高远；不要出入酒吧；要滴酒不沾，要喝也只在用餐时喝少许；不要投机；不要寅吃卯粮；要把公司的利益当作你自己的利益；要专注；把所有的鸡蛋放在一个篮子里，然后小心地看好它；要量入为出；最后一点，要有耐心，就像艾默生所言：“除了你自己没人能真正阻止你成功。”