“Onceuponatime，therewasakingwhohadadaughterasbeautifulasabloomingrose.Toallthesuitorswhocametotheking'spalacetoaskforthehandoftheprincess,theoldkingassignedthreetaskstobeaccomplished,eachnexttoimpossible.Oneday,intotheking'spalacecameahandsomeyoungprince…"Well,youknowtherest.Thethreetasksmaybedifferentindifferentversions,butthemainplotisalwaysthesame,withtheprinceclaimingtheprincess'shandtriumphantly.
Andtheendingisalwaysthesame,finishingwiththeline"Andtheylivehappilyeveryafter."
Whyaren'twetiredofsomethingsofanciful,sounrealistic,and,Iwouldsay,sounimaginative?Howcanastorylikethatenduregenerationsofrepetition`?Because,Ithink,itisatypicalsuccessstory.Itishighlyphilosophicalandsymbolic.Byimplication,weseea4-stepdefinitionofsuccess:1）agoaltobeset.asrepresentedbythebeautifulprincess;2）challengestobemet,asrepresentedbythethreetasks;3）theprocessofsurmountingdifficulties,asrepresentedbytheordealstheyouthgoesthrough;and4）therewardofsuccess,asrepresentedbythehappymarriage.
Thestorynotonlycaterstoeveryone'sinwardyearningforsuccess,butalsoemphasizestheinseparabilityoftheprocessandtheresult.Therewardofsuccesswillbemuchamplifiedifthepathleadingtowardsitistreacherous,andviceversa.Ifapersoninheritshisfather'smillionsandleadsaneasylife,heisnotasuccessfulpersoneveninmaterialterms,becausetherearenodifficultiesinvolvedinhisachievingaffluence.Theterm"success",tobesure.willnotsitstillforeasydefinition.ButasIunderstandit,thetruemeaningofsuccessentailsacombinationofboththeprocessandthesatisfactoryresultofanendeavor.Toclarifymyview,letmegiveanotheranalogy.
Ifwechangedtherulesoffootball,greatlyenlargedthegoalandsentawayDavidSeamanoranyothergoalkeeper,sothatanotherDavid,namelyDavidBeckham,couldscoreeasily,thenscoringwouldnotgivehimthethrillofaccomplishmentandthejoythatitbrings.IfwefurtherchangedtherulesbynotallowingArsenal'sdefenderstodefend,sothatBeckhamneededonlytoliftafinger,actuallyatoe,toscore,thentherewouldbenogameatall,becausethemeaningofwinningwouldhavedisappeared.Inacceptingthechallenge,insurmountingthedifficultiesandinenduringthehardship,successacquiresitsvalue.Thesenseofattainmentvariesinproportiontothedegreeofdifficultiesonovercomes.
Theconceptofsuccessisnotconstantbutrelativebecausethenatureofdifficultyisalsorelative.Somethingyoudoeffortlesslymightposeagreatdifficultyforahandicappedperson.Inacquiringtheabilitytodothesameasyoucan,heorsheachievesuccess.That'swhywegreatlyadmireStephenHawking,because,thoughconfinedtoawheelcha