Why should a beggar earn a monthly salary of 8,000?

Thread Content

That day I had to get from the ferry to the airport, so I rushed to end a meeting at the International Bank Center and then looked for a taxi at the ferry. A beggar noticed me and, in a very professional manner, climbed straight up to me. I reached out, and that led to the astonishing story that followed, which was like taking a vivid MBA case study class. To remain faithful to the beggar’s original intent, I tried my best to repeat his words as remembered. “Handsome guy... boss... please, give me some money to buy food. I haven’t eaten frog with pickled chili in two days. Do you know? Before I saw you, I walked around the entrance of the International Bank Center a few times, and finally I spotted you! Someone who comes out of an office building must be a big boss.” “Oh?” You’re really resourceful! ”I agreed. “Even when being a beggar, one should use scientific methods. ”He said. I was taken aback and immediately became quite interested. “What scientific methods?” ” “One must understand statistics. I have done precise calculations. I’ll tell you. I work as a beggar for 17 hours a day, at a cost of 7.5 yuan per hour…” “How was that calculated? ”I pressed further. “Calculate it yourself: I have to pay 30 yuan in tolls to the leader of the Beggars’ Gang every day. Even though I’m a beggar, I can’t expect to eat something really poor, right? For breakfast, you need to eat well – it costs around 8 yuan. For lunch, you want to eat enough, which costs 15 yuan. Even for dinner, it still costs about 10 yuan. In total, eating costs around 33 yuan. Then there are costs for communication, clothing, and makeup (to make oneself look more like a beggar). Occasionally, I also go karaoke with a few fellow beggars, which costs an average of 64.5 yuan. With 17 hours per day, the average daily fixed cost is 127.5 yuan. So, isn’t that 7.5 yuan per hour on average? ”I was a bit surprised. I have lived for 29 years and encountered beggars who counted their time as 30 years (including the 10 months in the womb); it was the first time I heard of someone calculating costs in that way. The beggars I met before all told me that they hadn’t eaten for days, that their wallets had been stolen and they needed money to get home, or that they had to sell themselves in order to bury their fathers. “Costs cannot be calculated based on expenses; they can only be calculated based on time. You see, I have a “Wenqixing” PDA with accounting functions. You can see a detailed record of the day. I have done data analysis, and the average interval between each act of begging is 7 minutes. If you encounter a stingy person and give them 10 or 20 cents, it will probably take about 10 minutes to get the money. In other words, each customer who spends 0.1 or 0.2 yuan incurs a cost of 17 minutes, which amounts to 0.2 yuan. That won’t do**** I still need to support my family! If those who visit the Bank Center, the International Trade Building, and Atlantic Seaview City can be considered customers who eat meals, then those who spend just 20 cents are not even worthy of being called customers who eat – it’s more like they’ve just had a little MSG added to their food. ” Strong! This man doesn’t sound like a beggar at all; he seems more like a cost accountant. “So what will you do? ”I’m more interested now; keep asking. It seems there’s still time to learn something new on the way to the airport. “Under no circumstances should you let the pedestrians all around pull you around the street. Rather, by choosing the location, time, and kind-hearted people to ask for alms, you actively decide where you want to go begging. ”I’m very surprised; it sounds interesting. “Some say that being a beggar is a profession that relies on luck. I thought it wasn’t. You need to stand in the shoes of a good person and think from that perspective. ”This sentence sounds very professional; it’s a bit like what many business management trainers say, \"put yourself in others’ shoes.\" Let me give you an example: at the entrance of a hospital, one person is holding medicine and another is holding a basin – whom would you ask for help from? ”I thought about it and said I didn’t know. “You need to reach out to the one holding the basin. Ordinary people who suffer from minor illnesses or aches go to the hospital, get some medicine, and are extremely anxious themselves; they may not necessarily be willing to pay money. The one holding the basin is the one being discharged. How can there be no deaths in a hospital? Who died on the second floor today? Another one died on the third floor tomorrow. Those who leave the hospital often feel as though they have been given a new life; they come to understand anew that health is the most important thing. That day, this person said, Here, 100 yuan. 100 RMB! Not blinking an eye. Do you mean he’ll only give 10 or 20 cents? Absolutely not! ” I couldn’t help but start to admire it. “Let me give you another example. That day at Lianfu Building, three people were in front. A young woman, carrying a small bag, has just finished shopping. There was also a young couple, clearly out shopping. The third is a man wearing a fleece shirt underneath and a down jacket on top, holding a notebook bag. It takes me only 3 seconds to look at a person. I climbed up to this man without hesitation. The man hurriedly took out 10 yuan from his pocket and gave it to me, saying, \"Take it~~~\" Before he could say anything else, I couldn’t help asking, why did you come to me without hesitation? There are two people in front of me; if they give you money, I’d feel embarrassed to give you any more. I replied that it was noon, with a few minutes left until 2 o’clock. That girl slipped out at noon to do some shopping; she probably has to rush back to the office for work, so she surely doesn’t have time to take out her wallet ； That man and woman were tourists; they didn’t have anything with them. Apparently, they had been advised by their guide or locals not to trust strangers easily, especially beggars, to avoid being deceived ； You’re going out on business; you have a notebook bag, which clearly indicates it’s for work. And going out at this time is probably in a hurry; if you try to stop them, you’re afraid of wasting time, so you’ll definitely give something. The man said, You’re right, get lost! ” “Would those people wearing pajamas, waiting for the bus at supermarket entrances or subway stations, give me money? Would you give 100 bucks without batting an eye? It’s impossible; they themselves are short of money. ”That makes sense! The more I listen, the more interesting it becomes. “Many beggars complain that it’s hard to make a living as a beggar these days – prices have risen, and people no longer feel sympathy; they instead look for faults in others. I said, you always look for reasons in other people; you can never improve. Look within yourself to find out where the problem lies. ”This phrase sounds very familiar; it’s like a variation of “If you can’t change the world, then change yourself,” or something similar to Steven Corvey’s concept of “circle of influence and circle of concern.” “Once, a person came out of Daqianpu Night City and gave me 10 cents. Later, another time, at an international exhibition center, someone only gave 10 cents. I just asked, why do people from Qianpu all give 10 cents? People say I’m even poorer than you; if I had money, I wouldn’t live in Hexiang West or Fushan – why would I live in Qianpu? It clicked for me. For example, look at our current international banking center – everyone is in a hurry, trying to leave as quickly as possible. So customers here usually pay whatever amount of change they have, and it generally isn’t less than 1 yuan. ” “That’s why I say attitude determines everything! ”I’ve heard more than a dozen CEOs say this phrase; it’s the first time I’ve heard a beggar say it. “Business should be conducted using scientific methods and statistics. Why are there so many beggars, packed together on Zhongshan Road every day? How can one make money? How can one support his wife and children with only 500 yuan per month? That’s murder! Chronicly murder your entire family. Arm yourself with knowledge. Learning knowledge can turn a person into a smart one, and a smart person who keeps learning knowledge can become even smarter. A very intelligent person who learns *knowledge can become a genius. ” “Once, there was a man at the train station. He said the smallest amount he had was 10 yuan, but he was only willing to give me up to 1 yuan. I said, dude, aren’t we about to board the train soon? You went home to see your parents, right? Money is something external to one’s self; if your parents, relatives, and friends are as poor as I am, would you have the heart to give only 1 yuan? He said, That’s true too, but I’m just a migrant worker; I don’t earn much in a year. I said, it’s okay; you’ll earn back twice as much for what you spent. You don’t have any change, do you? I'm looking for you. 5 yuan is enough; I’ll give you back the extra. Finally, following my advice, he gave me that 10-dollar bill; I took 5 dollars and gave him back 5 dollars. The man was very happy as he saved 5 dollars. These 5 yuan represent almost the cost of one hour for me. As I just said, my cost per hour is 7.5 yuan; I was just talking big – how affordable that is of mine! ” “In the Beggars’ Guild, generally a beggar earns 1,000 to 2,000 and takes it home. Those done well are around 3,000. A top-tier beggar can probably earn 6,000 per month. Among the 20,000 beggars in Xiamen’s Quan Beggar Bang, perhaps only 2-3 out of them are exceptional – one in ten thousand – and they can earn over 8,000 per month. I am one of those 2-3 people. It’s also very stable, with hardly any significant fluctuations. ” Too strong! Up to this point, I admire this beggar more and more. “I often say I am a happy beggar. Some people say that you’re happy because you earn a lot of money. I told them that you are completely wrong. It’s because I have a happy and positive attitude that I earn more money. ”What nice words! “One must learn to appreciate the beauty that work brings. While lying in Ferry Square, many beggars complained that the sea wind was so strong and that passersby refused to give them money! What bad luck. Never do that; take the time to appreciate the beauty of Xiamen. It is an international garden city. We can beg here, and many beautiful girls pass by outside, while Gulangyu Island is right across from us. There are also very modern high-rise buildings here. Although we may not be able to afford them, we can still enjoy them with an appreciative eye. Winter is white, and the sea breeze is enticing; how beautiful. Look at my broken bowl again – I’ve managed to get a little over 100 yuan for it, and now it’s even more beautiful! Being a beggar is also a job, and every job has its own beauty; we need to learn to appreciate this beauty in our work. ” “10 years ago, I was the on-site manager at a real estate company’s sales office. 8 years ago, I worked as the marketing director for three different projects at a company. Later I quit; it only paid 5,000 or 6,000 yuan a month, which was pointless, and there was no freedom – I was restricted. They take the initiative to become beggars. I am willing to be a happy beggar. Hahahahaha. ” Since I was in a hurry to get to the airport, I left him a business card and said, “Are you interested in coming to my office this Friday to tell my employees how you became a beggar?” Think of it as begging on a ferry – with a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan, I’ll pay you whatever amount you ask for. Call me. ” I couldn’t wait to record his engaging MBA class on the plane.