Does mentality determine success or failure? Is mentality that important and serious?

Regarding the mindset determining success or failure, I will share a domestic case and a foreign case.

A few years ago, the youth class of the University of Science and Technology of China was called the "concentration camp for prodigies". In the past 30 years, China has produced thousands of "young college students", among whom the most notable is Ning Bo, the "first person" in the youth class of Chinese universities. He is very intelligent and obedient, possessing all the elements of a perfect child in the hearts of Chinese people. In 1978, newspapers, magazines, and television throughout China were reporting on Ning Bo.

According to reports at the time, Ning Bo was already able to recite more than 30 poems and verses by Mao Zedong at the age of 2 and a half, count 100 numbers at the age of 3, learn over 400 Chinese characters at the age of 4, go to school at the age of 5, start learning "Introduction to Traditional Chinese Medicine" and using Chinese herbal medicine at the age of 6, and play Go and read "Water Margin" proficiently at the age of 8. Almost overnight, this magical boy wearing glasses became well-known to the people of the whole country.

But today, Ning Bo has become an unknown person, only people from the University of Science and Technology of China know that he is a teacher in this school. On New Year's Day in 2004, when the reporter went to search for Ning Bo's footprints again, he had already become a monk and did not know where he was.

In fact, after graduating from university, Ning Bo strongly hoped to apply for graduate school in his heart, but he repeatedly gave up his hope. The first time was after registering, he gave up; The second time was after the physical examination, and he gave up again; The third time, he even received his admission ticket, but the moment before entering the examination room, he gave up again. He never fought for similar opportunities for himself again.

Along with Ning Bo, there is also an outstanding "prodigy", who is Zhang Yaqin. When Zhang Yaqin later talked about his classmates, he said with great regret, "I believe Ning Bo took the wrong step in taking the postgraduate entrance examination. If he had taken a step forward and walked into the examination room, he would have been able to pass the exam because of his high intelligence and excellent grades. Unfortunately, he did not enter the examination room. This is not a matter of intelligence or not, but a matter of mentality. Just like when I took the college entrance examination that year. At that time, I was sick and living in the hospital, so I could have avoided taking the exam, but I had fewer concerns, more confidence and courage, so I made a very simple choice. Ning Bo, on the other hand, had more concerns and less courage. It's a pity that I made a wrong judgment with confidence and courage, and as a result, my wisdom couldn't be fully utilized. Those who dare to try are definitely smart people, they won't lose. Because they will think, 'Even if I don't succeed, I can still learn from it.'. ’”

Ning Bo's misfortune lies in his concern for his abilities and fear of failure. He felt that he couldn't bear failure because no one would accept the failure of a 'prodigy'. From then on, he lost the most precious thing in humanity - confidence and persistence, and even hesitated to reach out for what he longed for.
And his classmate Zhang Yaqin has embarked on another path towards career and life success:

In 1978, at the age of 12, he was admitted to the Youth Class of China University of Science and Technology;

In 1989, at the age of 23, he obtained a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University in the United States;

In 1997, Zhang Yaqin, who was only 31 years old, was awarded the title of Fellow of IEEE, becoming the youngest scientist in the 100 year history of the American Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers to receive this honor;

In 1999, he returned to China and joined Microsoft China Research Institute, serving as its Chief Scientist and Vice President;

In August 2000, he was appointed as the President and Chief Scientist of Microsoft Research China;

In November 2001, Microsoft China Research Institute was upgraded to Microsoft Research Asia, with Zhang Yaqin as the first president;

In January 2004, he was promoted to Vice President of Microsoft Corporation, responsible for the global development of Microsoft's mobile communications and embedded systems business.

Sometimes we look at our classmates, comrades in arms, and colleagues, who were all on the same starting line, running towards a brilliant tomorrow with beautiful ideals. But ten years have passed, and you suddenly realize that there are some people who are more outstanding and outstanding than you. You feel confused about this and even complain about the unfairness of fate. Actually, it's not because they have unique advantages, in fact, you are just as outstanding as them. If your current situation is different from theirs, it's just because your spirit and mentality are different from theirs. They may just be more proactive, confident, sunny, courageous, and have more willpower than you. It is this slight difference that leads to the difference between your life and destiny.

Let me tell you another real case that happened in the UK:

In December 1997, a British newspaper published a photo of Prince Charles of the British royal family posing with a street wanderer. This disheveled street wanderer is none other than Krupp Harudo, a former alumnus of the prince. When Prince Charles visited poor people in London on a cold winter day, Krupp Harudo said, "Your Highness, we used to attend the same school." The prince asked, "When?" He replied, "At the high school in the hill hut, we used to make fun of each other's big ears!" It turned out that Krupp Harudo came from a financial family and attended the same aristocratic school as Prince Charles. Later, he became a somewhat famous writer and a member of the English Successful Club. It can be said that he had an enviable family background and higher education, but after two failed marriages, Krupp began to drink excessively and eventually turned from a writer to a street wanderer. Can it be seen that the two failed marriages defeated Krupp? Obviously not, it's his mentality. From the moment he gave up his positive attitude, he had already lost his life.

In summary

——Fundamentally, the quality of our lives is not determined by money, power, knowledge, or ability, but by our mentality!

——Personally, career competition may appear to be a competition of knowledge, ability, position, power, performance, and relationships, but in essence it is a competition of professional mentality and life attitude;

——As far as enterprises are concerned, the competition of products, markets, services, and brands between enterprises ultimately boils down to the competition of enterprise popularity and spirit. The survival and destiny of a company are not determined by funding or technology, but by the morale and spirit of its employees. So, what businesses operate is not products and services, but people's hearts;

——A positive gold mentality is a resource that is even more precious and scarce than gold. Attitude is the core and fundamental competitiveness for individuals and businesses to compete and win.