Patience is bitter, fruit is sweet 苦吃多了就甜了

We all know someone like that—they think of a great and novel idea, get hyped, and then do nothing about it. Once in a while, the dream or idea crosses your mind in the depths of the night, lighting up your soul with flames of passion. You spend about ten minutes imagining what could be, and fall go back to sleep.

You might have brought up the dream with your friends. They laugh, and quickly change the topic to avoid an awkward silence. Perhaps you thought of doing something about that dream, but the mocking voices have the incredible ability to discourage and stop you. So you bury that passion even deeper.

I’ve been through these, but no matter how difficult things got, I chose to persist. With every decision I make, I know there are countless possibilities lying ahead. Repeat those steps a few times, and I became what people call an “entrepreneur”.

What inspired me to pen this down is Luyu Chen, renowned Chinese talk show host. While watching her show a few days back, I was surprised to hear that her beliefs are almost entirely in line with mine. She said: “entrepreneurship is a lonely path”—a sentiment that effectively encapsulates my journey thus far.

Indeed, this journey is a lonely one. It always will be, because you’re doing things differently from everyone else. There’s no one for you to confide in, no one to consult, no one to guide you through rough patches. But you know what? All obstacles are an inner process. In most cases, you can’t expect to get help and too often, you’re the only one you can rely on. You just have to accept this fact and embrace the journey—the joys and pains through it all. This experience is priceless, and it has nothing to do with money nor fame.

Monspace has been around for three years. We started off as a small team, and not many people took us seriously. We had to cross oceans and climb mountains to be where we are today, but people who know me know I never complain. I know every challenge and every bit of pain are outcomes of my own decision. Plus, everyone in the company is facing their own problems. If I don’t set a clear direction as a leader, how would I be able to lead?

Over the years we have had many young people join us. Their youth and passion has injected much creativity into our work, and gave us the boldness we need to succeed. I always tell them—as young people, you need to know yourself, and know how to express that. It’s not just about making money, it’s about having a clear direction and plan in life.

I also say this often: if you have a dream to start a business, you should first acquire experience in the relevant field. It will turn out to be an invaluable asset for you.

If you have the opportunity for entrepreneurship at a young age, you’ll enjoy not just fame and wealth, but a more colourful and exciting life.

Dear readers, the journey to your dreams may be lonely. There won’t be many who understand or support you, but you must stay true and never doubt your conviction. I know how much effort it takes to achieve big dreams, and I can tell you it will be worth it.

May I leave you with some words of encouragement: don’t listen to the noise in the world. Choose to look at what’s constructive and beautiful, and use your life to impact others.

 

我想，许多人心中都曾有那麽一个时刻，脑中浮出一个新点子，想着若实现一定很棒丶很有趣，然後就不了了之。

然後你就是将它搁在心底，然後在午夜梦回时偶尔想起自己心中有一团火丶有一个从未说出口的梦想，花了十分钟沉浸在幻想中然後继续入睡；

也许你也曾在与朋友的聚会中提了出来，然後和朋友哈哈大笑几声紧接着继续下一个话题避免冷场；也许你决心要试试看，但在寻求投资者时被冷嘲热讽丶碰了一鼻子灰然後将梦想压得更深。

我曾经历这些阶段，举步纵使再艰辛，我仍选择继续下去，在做决定那一瞬间，我深刻的知道未来也还会有无数个“也许”在等着我，我依然咬牙撑到了最後，於是我就成为了他人口中的“创业家”。

让我突然有这番感触的是鲁豫，前几天看到鲁豫这段视频时，我怔愣了，因为她完全切中了我的心声，她对创业的想法丶对人生的看法恰恰是我向来秉持的信念， 尤其她那一段“创业是一条孤独的路”完全概述了我的心路历程。

没错，创业的确是一条孤独的路，因为你和其他人做不一样的事，或许在一开始，你还可能面对没有同侪的困境，没有可以参考或讨论的对象丶没有老板或更有经验的人可以靠。但你知道吗？所有的磨难都是一个内在旅程，很多时候，你不能只想着你需要得到帮助，很多时候，你只能拥抱自己，然後打开心胸接受，因为这趟旅程是无价的，与钱和名誉是无关的。

MONSPACE集团成立三年了，我从小小的团队并并在不被看好的情况下，发展成现在的规模，过程是酸甜苦辣百味杂成，但熟悉我的人都知道我从不言苦，因为我知道再苦也是自己的选择，因为我知道，集团的每一个岗位上的人都有自己的压力，作为领导者的我，若不断言苦，我凭什麽能带领团队向前迈进呢？

集团成立至今，招揽了很多年轻人加入，因为有他们，我们的团队很有创意，因为初生之犊不怕虎，我们的团队总是勇往直前，我常常告诉年轻人，年轻时应该要认识自己，学习表达，这不仅是把东西卖掉赚大钱，而是能设定生涯计画丶策略。

而我也常常说，年轻的你若有创业的梦想，不妨争取在相关领域的领导企业练功的机会，累积自己有形和无形的资本。

如果有机会在年轻时创业，除了名利丶金钱，你有机会见识到更精采丶更宽广的人生，无论是内在或外在旅程。

各位，追梦的过程虽然孤独丶也许不被理解，甚至不被期待，但请不要怀疑过自己。我知道一个人要坚持自己的梦想不放手，是需要多少努力才足够。但我知道一个人的梦想也许不值钱，但努力很值钱，坚持自己想要的，不听乱世的耳语，只看想要的风景，与各位共勉之，用生命影响生命。