The Way to Wealth

Speaker: 楊智為老師

2011.11.6 - The Reflection after Attending A Lecture Held by YANG

By Katrina Tsai 

 

 

When the turning point in your life popped up in front of you, could you sense it and seize it right away? I knew I did today. The speech delivered by Mr. Yang this morning entirely changed my attitude toward wealth.

 

I was like a blind fish following a huge school of other fish in the ocean without seriously questioning the way I dealt with my money, not to mention setting a series of specific goals in different periods of my life. If I just moved on like this, I might be trapped in the “Money-Exchanging Circle”— which means using our time and energy to earn a limited amount of money— throughout my life. Wasn’t that pathetic?

 

“Unless your goals are concrete and specific enough can you possibly achieve them.” Mr. Yang emphasized. He classified the financial goals into three types:

1.     Short-Term Goals: the basic ones, including eating, dressing,

living, transportation etc.

2.     Mid-Term Goals: prepare for the risks of accidents and take the responsibilities of family.

3.     Long-Term Goal: TO RETIRE, in other word, you gained enough money, and it has nothing to do with your age.

Encouraged by Mr. Yang, I set a goal for myself: I wanted to gain my first NT$ one million at 25 years-old. Of course I would gradually figure out other life goals, but I did not want to put all of them on FB unless I completed them.

 

“The poverty I experienced in my early life later became a strong motivation within to make a fortune.” Mr. Yang said, which was a great contrast to the young ”strawberries” nowadays. “My mother took care of seven people—including herself— on her own when she was merely 20, and think about how old are you now?” Somehow, I felt quite ashamed at that moment. As a 19 years-old freshman in college, I still lived on the allowance given by my parents. In fact, I did have two tutor jobs before, but I quit in order to transfer to another department I loved more. I hoped that I could fully concentrate on the transferring exam. After fulfilling that short-term goal, I would definitely try to be financially independent as soon as possible.

 

“Do you know the vary only way to earn money?” Mr. Yang always asked good questions because they led to good or even inspiring answers. There were whispers down the stage, but no one was sure about it. Then a word jumped out from the PPT: “VALUE”. “The PRICE is decided by the VALUE.” Mr. Yang explained, and he turned into a passionate, demanding voice, as if he yearned to spark the same passion in us: “So, invest on efficient learning, upgrade your advantages, and create an overall contribution. That is how you calculate the VALUE!” Deeply touched by his words, I clearly saw the value which Mr. Yang had pursued in his whole life: to become an educator. Suddenly, I understood it: a worth-chasing goal was never the amount of money but something which made the world better.