Success in the United States is not an entitlement in China. You have to go there and earn it, and earn it the right way.
Interpretation
Success requires hard work and integrity, especially in different cultural contexts.
This quote highlights the contrast between perceptions of success in the United States and China. It emphasizes that in China, success is not handed to individuals; instead, it must be earned through effort and moral integrity, suggesting a deeper understanding and respect for the values of hard work and ethics in achieving one's goals.
In practice
During a motivational talk about cultural differences in work ethics.
The rules of engagement around building a brand have changed significantly over the past 10 to 15 years. Where companies at one time could spread their message through traditional marketing, consumers now seek an enduring emotional connection with the companies they patronize. The foundation of that connection is the most important characteristic of building a world-class brand: trust. Trust with your people and trust with your customers.
The future of America is not an entitlement. We have been given a treasure chest of gifts and opportunities, but some people are being left behind, and success is not sustainable unless it is shared.
Starbucks is not an advertiser; people think we are a great marketing company, but in fact we spend very little money on marketing and more money on training our people than advertising.
While their service is ending, our responsibility is just beginning!
In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity or you can pick yourself up and say listen, I have to be responsible for myself.
When I first discovered in the early 1980s the Italian espresso bars in my trip to Italy, the vision was to re-create that for America - a third place that had not existed before. Starbucks re-created that in America in our own image; a place to go other than home or work. We also created an industry that did not exist: specialty coffee.
Being successful doesnβt necessarily make you great. What makes you great is when you reach back and help somebody else become great.
Past failures unlock future successes
Paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich.
My success was due to good luck, hard work, and support and advice from friends and mentors. But most importantly, it depended on me to keep trying after I had failed.
I have known lots of millionaires who were not happy men; they had not got all they wanted and therefore had failed to find success in life. A Singalese proverb says: "He who is happy is rich, but it does not follow that he who is rich is happy." The really rich man is the man who has fewest wants.
I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what's next.
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