Even in the best times of life, one thinks that there will come a day of misfortune

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After graduating from university, my friend joined a private company and worked hard alongside the boss; the boss valued him greatly. The company grew rapidly, and he was promoted to a high position – he was the one who did well among us all. In the years that followed, every time I called him or he called me, the news he brought was either about expanding business overseas or launching new products in the domestic market. From time to time he would also attend public seminars and give speeches, as well as appear in interviews; he seemed to be in high demand and extremely successful. In my eyes, it was as if he were flying high in a helicopter. Some time ago, he suddenly called to ask me if there were any suitable job opportunities. What? As soon as I heard that, I jumped up – why wouldn’t you work for such a great company? What do you want to do? Upon further discussion, it turned out that two things had happened that led him to consider leaving his job. Firstly, with the company’s rapid growth, some employees seem to be struggling to keep up with its development. On this matter, his view is to increase training efforts, send these managers out for further study and professional development, and invite consulting firms to provide guidance at the company. But the boss firmly disagreed. The boss’s exact words were: “If they can’t keep up, let them go!” ”This filled him with deep confusion. When he went to this company, he went there alone, without bringing any of his own people; and the supervisors in the key positions now are also those he identified from his original team and gradually trained. He is fully dedicated to building a talent pipeline for the company; he truly hopes that these people will grow and be able to take over his position one day. But now the boss treats him as an outsider, and even the managers he worked hard to develop within the company are treated as outsiders by him, which makes him extremely sad. “He didn’t treat us as the company’s talent, but rather as consumables. Its value isn’t that high anymore; they want to get rid of us. ”The \"he\" he is referring to is the boss. The second thing is that the boss failed to fulfill his promise to give him shares. Although the boss always spoke nicely every time, whenever specific matters were brought up, he would dodge the issue; so after almost ten years, not a single penny in shares was given to him. He said that a few days ago he insisted that his boss clarify the matter regarding shares, and the boss replied that shares could be given, but he would have to pay for them himself, at an exorbitant price that made it completely unfeasible to do so. “I worked at this company for 10 years, sacrificing my family life and dedicating my youth, only to end up with nothing but empty promises. I never imagined that this would be the outcome I’d end up with! He said he wanted me to buy shares, but actually he was trying to get me to leave. ”His tone was filled with resentment. The matter of friends has had a quite big impact on me. It made me think seriously about my work approach and methods. Everyone has a day when things go wrong; never assume that the good luck you’re experiencing now will continue forever. Those who start working in private enterprises are well aware that sooner or later, they will face a day when their jobs are at risk and things go wrong for them. No one can be sure that if I work at this company today, I will still be working here in 20 years. In other words, the cruelty of the workplace has always been there; we should have been aware of it from the very day we started working there. It’s just that we don’t know in what form or when it will arrive. Ordinary office workers, those in positions such as supervisors, clerks, writers, staff members, team leaders, and the like, are easily eliminated when the overall situation is poor, performance is low, the company is going through transformation, they cannot get along with their supervisors, or they are unable to adapt to the new environment. The good thing is that these positions and roles at these levels are relatively easy to find, so it’s simple to change jobs, and those who leave suffer less damage as a result. As for the senior executives of those companies, although they hold high positions and power and appear arrogant with a bright future ahead, once things go wrong for them, it often gets even worse – they immediately lose their positions and end up failing. Why? Think about it – how difficult it is to reach mid-to-senior management levels; one has to work hard for a decade or two, right? What was your age at that time? In their forties, fifty years old. At this age, once you fall down, how can you turn over again? If, unfortunately, you have worked at that factory for over a decade or even several decades, then there are hardly any options left; there’s no way to turn back, and you’re stuck with no choice but to stay. In this matter, never rely on luck. The mid-life crisis is an inevitable part of the workplace; almost every working professional experiences it at some point. In the workplace, especially in private companies, those who are able to rise through the ranks without experiencing a mid-life crisis are extremely rare among the people I’ve met; the proportion is so small that it’s just as uncommon as elderly women who grow old and become kind and gentle without going through menopause. If that’s the case, then what is there to resent or complain about the unfairness of fate? Ultimately, it’s still because I didn’t prepare in advance and didn’t take proper precautions. In the workplace, there is no such thing as luck – those who succeed are those who are prepared. Since one cannot rely on fate to do things for them, and must write their own destiny, it’s better to prepare in advance. How to do it? My advice is: 1. Believe that bad luck is inevitable for you. All those sad stories and tragedies heard in the workplace could happen to one’s own self. Therefore, it is necessary to be mentally prepared in advance; when there is a chance to gain benefits, one should strive to obtain those benefits and maximize them as much as possible. At work, you can be loyal and dedicated, but don’t let loyalty and dedication drive you to lose your sense of reason. 2. Be a bit more self-interested. What is moderation? During the work process, it’s important to remember that the company belongs to the boss, and its interests are the boss’s interests; one can receive a good salary, but cannot own those interests. So, while you are young and working hard for the company alongside your colleagues, remember to work hard for yourself as well. While creating value for the company, make use of its platform to accumulate more resources, stay in touch with peers, build your own brand, and increase your value. At work, when working with your boss, it’s not necessary to doubt their integrity without reason, but you must always keep a backup plan for yourself. In this way, should things change suddenly one day, you won’t need to be surprised or disappointed; instead, you’ll have the flexibility to maneuver and move around, with room to step onto a new stage.