Lazy thinking is also a form of wisdom for success

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There was a British tourist who took a trip on the American cruise ship Mississippi. The cruise ship sailed along the magnificent Mississippi River, enjoying stunning views along the way. Hearing that the captain had been working on this ship for decades, the British tourist took the initiative to talk to him: “Mr. Captain, you have been sailing here for so long and possess such extensive experience; I’m sure you must be well aware of every shallow spot in the river, right?” The captain had sailed on this river, known as the “River of the Old Men”, countless times and had certainly accumulated a lot of experience and lessons, but his answer surprised the British tourist greatly. He said, “No, sir, I’m not entirely familiar with the shallow areas in the river. If I were to try to figure out all of them, it would be pure waste of time.” ”The British tourist asked in confusion, \"What do you mean? You say it’s a waste of time? If you don’t even know where the shallow waters are, how can you navigate then?\" The captain replied firmly, \"Yes, figuring out where the shallow waters are is indeed a waste of time.\" Why should I fumble around in the shallow waters? Isn’t it enough for me to just know where the deep water is?” Seeing that the British tourist still didn’t understand, the captain continued, “Simplicity is the trend in modern life. To make photography easier, disposable cameras were invented; to make driving simpler, cars came equipped with automatic transmissions. There are also fully automatic washing machines, rice cookers, credit cards, the Internet… All of these make people’s lives simpler and more convenient. The simpler it is, the more practical it is; the simpler it is, the higher the efficiency. ”After hearing about this captain, do you think he is truly smarter than some of us who have read many books, or even spent a lifetime reading? Behind the captain’s intelligence lies a unique way of thinking – the lazy thinker’s mindset! Many people, and perhaps many captains as well, do this: they painstakingly record, based on their own experiences, knowledge, and memories, all the areas where running aground is likely, in order to avoid encountering such places while sailing. It’s just that they didn’t realize there are so many shallow areas scattered throughout the river; it’s easier and simpler to remember just a few deep-water areas rather than trying to recall the locations of all those shallow areas. Isn’t this the result of lazy thinking? Perhaps, in the dictionary of normal thinking, lazy thinking refers to a lack of ambition and drive, to seeking shortcuts, and to being utterly vile. In fact, this is completely wrong. The many examples of modern daily necessities listed by the captain, which were successful due to their simplicity and convenience, tell us that a lazy mindset is the greatest driving force behind individual success for humans, as well as the main catalyst for progress in human society. In fact, many of humanity’s inventions and creations stem from this way of thinking. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors lived in harsh caves, and whenever they wanted to drink water, they had to go to rivers and streams. It’s so tiring; they take their time to figure things out, always trying to bring all the water they’ll need for the day home at once. Thus, stone buckets and wooden buckets were invented one after another. Many years later, the lazy people grew tired of carrying water every day as well, and they naturally thought of building pipes and digging ditches to bring the water to the nearest place. Later on, the lazy people wanted water to flow into their homes automatically, so they invented the water wheel. For an individual, aren’t these inventions and creations a tremendous success! He might win the Nobel Prize today! Even if you don’t win any awards, starting your own company can still yield quite good financial returns. Isn’t the motivation behind all this success simply the desire of lazy people to take fewer steps? In fact, it is this very thing that has driven human civilization and progress. Over a hundred years ago, in England, there was a young man named Humphrey Porter. People hired him to sit next to a steam engine, and whenever the control lever was pressed down, he would release the waste steam. Humphrey, who liked to have fun, found this task too exhausting, too tedious, and too mechanical, so he wanted to modify it. After some time of experimentation, he attached several wires and bolts to the machine, allowing the valve to open and close automatically thanks to these components. In this way, Humphrey can not only get away to have some fun but also the engine’s power is doubled. Look, this lazy guy lazily figured out the principle of the reciprocating piston; for him, success meant being able to slack off. Frank Gilbreth, an outstanding American engineer and management expert, was a researcher on human motivational behavior. He often films the work of outstanding workers from various industries to determine how few movements are minimum to complete a task. After his research, he found that the best workers were, without exception, all lazy people, as they were too lazy to make even a single unnecessary movement while working. In today’s China, Jack Ma, the chairman of Alibaba’s board of directors, can be considered a standout figure in the business world; he has said on more than one occasion that most successful people are lazy. He gave an example: “Look at the person in your company who arrives earliest and leaves latest every day, working non-stop like a spring – is that person not the one with the lowest salary? And then there’s the guy who just sits around doing nothing all day; is he not the one with the highest salary, and is it not said that he even owns shares in many companies?” Of course, Jack Ma also said, “Being lazy doesn’t mean being stupid; if you want to do less work, you need to find clever ways to be lazy.” ”I understand that the concept of \"laziness\" as mentioned by Jack Ma refers to a kind of smart laziness, an expression of great wisdom! If you want to \"be lazy\" regarding something, you need to find the best way to handle that task for you! From this perspective, lazy people are often better suited to be leaders, as they have plenty of time to think, as well as time to rest and replenish their physical and mental energy, thereby improving their overall capabilities. A competent leader should be lazy; he will never do things himself whenever capable subordinates can handle them. Wasn’t it because Zhuge Liang was inclined to handle everything personally that he ended up working himself to exhaustion until his death? Therefore, the essence of leadership is to do the right things, rather than doing things in the right way. That is why those who are successful, those with leadership qualities and leadership skills, often have a lazy mindset. They are very good at doing what they like and what they consider important, while for other trivial matters they will slack off if possible, avoid them if they can, or postpone them; and if it’s really necessary to do them, they’ll find the simplest, most effortless, and most convenient way to do so. If you devote a great deal of energy and time to diligently doing your own tasks, you won’t have as much time to explore other fields, or to come across information and ideas that could have a significant impact on your current work. As a result, it will be difficult for you to make new inventions and innovations, and success will gradually slip further away from you. In today’s world, where the financial crisis plagues and restricts everything, people’s concept of success has **declined**, and the true meaning of success has **shrank**. Today, for those who aspire to success, being able to find a job within the growing pool of unemployed people and secure a relatively suitable position, or even start a small business, can be considered a minor success; achieving greater success, however, is much more difficult. At this time, adopting a lazy mindset is indeed a matter of urgency, because while others are working hard to make a living and earn money, those with a lazy mindset tend to think differently, find unique approaches, and discover a path to success even when all seems lost. Taiwanese writer Liu Yong chose the title — \"I’m Not Teaching You to Deceive\" — for his book on social skills, in order to avoid any confusion. I think I should also avoid causing any misunderstandings, so that people don’t think I disapprove of hard work; therefore, I’d like to say one last thing — I’m not teaching you to be lazy! (Excerpt from Shandong Youth)