一 : 给谷歌李开复的拜年信
《磐石之心给十位CEO的公开拜年信之四》
给谷歌李开复的拜年信
尊敬的李开复先生:
祝您牛年大吉大利!
我一直崇拜您的智慧、您的幽默以及您的慈父精神,我也同样是谷歌的忠实用户,无论是搜索、地图、邮箱,还是生活搜索、导航业务,我都在频繁的使用。也逐渐的将谷歌作为我个人电脑的起始页。
过去的2008年,可以说是谷歌获得巨大进步的一年,在您的正确领导之下,谷歌无论在份额,还是在收入方面都有了较大发展。而且我也欣喜的看到谷歌正在做本土化工作,比如,生活搜索,就是一个很好的本土化例子,再比如联合天涯社区搞问答,也是一个不错的idea。
的确,搜索引擎有着很强的本土化属性,谷歌作为一家外来的搜索引擎企业比如要进行本土化,就像是百度的宣传一样,“百度更懂中文”,这也是针对谷歌这个外来和尚做的一次定位营销。谷歌要想取胜,必须要加快本土化进程,无论是本土化产品,还是本土化营销。
李开复先生在工作之余还专注于对中国学生的职业、心理辅导,这也有利于让年轻人更好的认识谷歌,使用谷歌的产品。这也是一个不错的本土化营销方式,但是笔者认为谷歌仍缺乏中国式的营销,在营销策略上还过于保守,或者说过于美国化。
李先生自幼就留学美国,本身有着强烈的美国文化气息,可能对中国企业的营销方式不太认可。但是在中国必须要进行本土化的营销,比如,手机行业,当年诺基亚、摩托罗拉们进入中国市场,就因为不懂营销而被国产手机的人海战术、广告轰炸、宣传单页而打的溃不成军,诺基亚们很快的调整了他们的营销战术,也加入到人海战术中来,依靠强大的技术优势、产品优势,再加上营销上差距的缩小,诺基亚迅速成为中国份额第一的手机品牌,而国产品牌则因产品问题较多,份额持续下跌。
同样,面对百度强大的本土化营销攻势,甚至开始使用实体企业管用的广告战术,在央视黄金时段做广告来提升品牌影响力和用户忠诚度。虽然电视广告不是搜索引擎的最佳营销方式,但是在中国电视广告还是好使的。
我并不建议谷歌也去央视打广告,而是建议谷歌在已经拥有了好产品的同时,要学会“老王卖瓜”,要加大本土化营销力度,大力的宣传谷歌的新产品,宣传比对手更好的地方,比如,火车票查询、天气查询等人性化的生活搜索,再比如谷歌地图等等。
这些好的产品都是对手没有的,是谷歌的差异化所在,谷歌应该加大这方面的本土化传播,无论是通过电视广告、车体广告、新闻营销、口碑营销等方式进行宣传都是可以的。李开复先生,我建议您加大对谷歌产品的本土化营销,并结合谷歌自身情况制定行之有效的本土化营销战略,将营销提到和产品研发一样的高度,只有这样谷歌才能够在中国市场更快的实现突破。
中国市场需要好的产品,也同样需要本土化的营销去推广好的产品,无论是家电、手机、PC,还是互联网一样的适用。相比整日宣传谷歌的饮食文化,办公环境,我想加大谷歌产品的本土化营销,进行中国式营销更加重要!
最后,祝李开复先生牛年阖家身体健康,万事如意!
此致
敬礼
您的粉丝,谷歌用户
磐石之心
大年初八(文/磐石之心)
二 : 李开复 给女儿的信
亲爱的女儿: 当我们驾车离开哥伦比亚大学的时候,我就想写一封信给你,把萦绕在我脑海中的一切统统告诉你。[www.61k.com) 首先,我想告诉你我们是多么地为你感到骄傲。能进入哥伦比亚大学已经证明你是一个全面发展的优秀学生。你的理论知识、艺术修养和社交技能在最近几年都突飞猛进,无论是你在微积分中获得最高分,抑或完成你优雅时尚的设计,成功售出你彩绘的跑步鞋,还是成为“模拟联合国”中最优秀的演讲家之一,你都毫无疑问已经成为一个多才多艺的成功女子。我们为有你这样一个优秀的女儿而骄傲,你也应该像我们一样为自己感到自豪。 我永远记得第一次将你抱在臂弯的那一刻,一种无以言表的兴奋和激动一下子触动了我的心,那是一种让我永远陶醉的感觉。或许这就是将要把你我的生命捆在一起的所谓的“父女情结”吧。我永远记得我哼着摇篮曲轻轻摇你入睡,当我把你放下的时候,常常既感到解脱又感到惋惜:解脱,是因为你终于睡着了;惋惜,是因为我多么希望能多抱你一会儿啊!我永远记得带你到游乐场时,看你玩得是那么地开心。你是那么地天真可爱,以至于每个人都那么地喜欢你。 你自从生下来,就是个很棒的孩子。你总是文文静静、体贴他人、彬彬有礼、举止文雅。我记得我们盖房子的时候,那时你刚刚三岁,每周末你都默默地跟着我们花十多个小时去运建材。对于那段无聊的时光你毫无怨言,每顿都在车上吃汉堡也很开心,你和恐龙巴尼一起唱歌,唱累了就睡觉。你去上周日中文学习班时,尽管一点也不觉得有趣,却依然很努力。作为父母,能有像你这样的女儿我们真的感到无比的幸运。 你也是个好姐姐。虽然你们俩以前总是打打闹闹,但是最近几年你们成了最好的朋友。妹妹很爱你,喜欢逗你笑,她崇拜你,把你当成她的榜样。我们分开后,她非常想你,我知道你也一样想她。世界上最宝贵的就是家人。除了父母,妹妹也是你最可信赖的人之一。她是关心照顾你的人,而你也要关心和照顾她。我们别无所求,只希望你们的姐妹情谊能随着年龄的增长愈久弥香,你们要相互关爱,终此一生。在未来的四年里,你要不时地和妹妹通通视频聊聊天,有事没事发发电子邮件。 大学时光将是你人生中最重要的时光,你会在大学里真正发现学习的真谛。你经常问“学这个课程有什么用”。我鼓励你保持好奇心、善疑善问,但是我想告诉你的是:“所谓教育就是忘记你在学校所学的一切之后所剩下的东西。”我的意思是说,重要的不是你要学到的知识,而是你学习新事物、
李开复女儿 李开复 给女儿的信
分析新问题的能力。(www.61k.com]这才是大学里真正要学的东西——这将是你从被动学习向自主学习转换的阶段,从那之后你将会变成一个自学者。所以,就算你所学的并不是你生活所需,你也要认真对待每一门功课,因为学习的能力将是你受用终身的宝贵财富。 不要被教条所束缚,任何问题都不是只有一个简单的答案。还记得高中辩论课时,我总是让你站在你不认可的那一方来辩论吗?我之所以这么做是因为,事物并不是非黑即白,看待问题有很多的方法和角度。当你意识到这点的时候,你就会成为一个很好的问题解决者了。这就是“批判性思维”——一种你一生都会用到的最重要的思考方式,这也意味着你还需要包容和支持不同于你的其他观点。我永远记得我去找我的博士生导师提出一个新论题时,他告诉我:“我不同意你,但我支持你。”多年后,我认识到这不仅仅是一种变通,更是一种对批判性思维的鼓励,一种敢于放权的领导风格。现在这已经成了我的一部分,我希望这也能成为你的一部分。 在大学里,你要追随自己的激情,选择自己感兴趣的课程,不要被别人的想法或说法所困扰。史蒂夫?乔布斯曾说过,在大学里,你的激情会创建出很多的“点”,而在你后来的人生中你会把这些“点”串联起来。在他著名的斯坦福大学毕业典礼演讲中,他举了一个很好的例子:在大学里他曾修了书法课,十年后,这成了苹果机漂亮字库的基础,也因为此,才有了后来的桌面出版系统,才有了我们日常使用的像微软Word这样出色的工具软件。他对书法的探索就是一个“点”,而他创建的苹果电脑就是连接线。所以,不必过分担心将来会从事什么工作,也不要过于急功近利。假如你喜欢日语或者朝鲜语,那就去学,就算爸爸认为“那没用”。尽情地去选择你的“点”吧,你要坚信有一天你会发现自己的使命,并用这些“点”勾勒出一条美丽的曲线。 在功课上尽自己最大努力,但不要给自己太多压力。你妈妈和我对你在成绩上没什么要求,只要你顺利毕业并在四年里学到了些东西,我们就很高兴了。即便你毕业时没有取得优异的成绩,仅仅哥伦比亚大学的学历也会带你走很远。所以别给自己压力。在高中的最后几个月,因为压力小了,大学申请也办完了,你过得是那么地开心。但是在最近的几个星期,我们发现你又开始陷入忧虑了。(你注意到你紧张时会咬指甲吗?)请不必担心,唯一重要的是你学了,而唯一可以衡量你学习的就是你的努力程度。成绩只不过是爱慕虚荣的人用来吹嘘和懒惰的人所恐惧的愚蠢的数字而已,而你是如此优
李开复女儿 李开复 给女儿的信
秀,既不虚荣,也不懒惰。[www.61k.com] 在大学里,最重要的是要广结善缘、乐观向上。大学的朋友往往是你一生中最好的朋友。因为在大学里你和他们朝夕相处,而且,你们一起学会独立,一起长大成人,这是一种源自自然和天性的经历,这种经历将会把你们紧紧相连。选几个真挚诚恳的朋友,跟他们成为密友,别在乎他们的喜好、学业、长相甚至性格。在高中的后两年你交了一些真心朋友,所以相信自己的直觉,去结交新朋友吧。你是一个真挚诚恳的人,谁都会乐意跟你做朋友的,所以自信起来、外向一点、主动一些,如果你喜欢谁,就告诉她。即使她拒绝了,你也没什么损失。要为他人排忧解难,不抱成见,体恤他人。更何况人无完人,只要他们真挚诚恳,你就要信任他们,对他们以友好示之,而他们也会回报于你。这也是我成功的秘决——以诚相见,诚信待人,除非他们做了失信于我的事。有人告诉我,偶尔我会被别人占便宜。他们说得对,但是我可以告诉你:那点损失和我所得到的相比根本不算什么。在我过去18年的领导生涯中,我意识到只有一件事非常重要——那就是要想得到他人的信任和尊重,你需要首先去信任和尊重他人。无论是管理、工作,还是交友,这一点你应该好好思量一下。 要和你高中的朋友保持联系,但是不要用他们来取代你大学的朋友,也不要在老朋友身上花费太多的时间,因为那样你就没时间去结交新朋友了。 早点开始规划你的暑假——想要做什么?想呆在哪儿?想学点什么?你在大学里学习了哪些可能改变你思想的东西?我觉得你学习艺术设计的计划就很不错,你要想好在哪里学习相应的课程。当然,我们还是希望你能回北京来,但你应该去你认为对你来说最好的地方。 不管是暑期计划、课程规划,还是专业选择、时间管理,你都应该为自己的人生负责。在过去,不论是申请学校、策划课外活动,还是选择初始课程,我都帮助了你不少忙。我还会一直随叫随到,但是现在是该你自己掌舵的时候了——这是你自己的人生,你需要自己把握。我常常想起我生命中那些令人振奋的时刻——决定跳过幼儿园、决定转到计算机科学专业、决定离开学术界到苹果公司、决定回中国、决定去谷歌、乃至最近决定创办我自己的公司。有能力进行抉择意味着你将过上自己想要的人生。人生苦短,你不能过别人的人生,你的人生也不能按别人的想法去过。“一切尽在掌握”的感觉棒极了!去尝试吧,你会喜欢的! 我告诉你妈妈我在写这封信,问她有什么想对你说的,她想了想,说“让她好好照顾自
李开复女儿 李开复 给女儿的信
己”,多么简单而又深切的关怀——这才是你的妈妈,这也是你为什么深爱你妈妈的原因。[www.61k.com]这短短的一句话,倾注了她对你即将变得独立自主和自己照顾自己的殷切期望——她期望你记得吃药、好好睡觉;她期望你平衡膳食、适量运动;她期望你不舒服的时候要去看医生等等。中国有句古话,说“身体发肤,受之父母,不敢毁伤,孝之始也”。意思就是说,孝敬父母最好的方式就是爱护自己。因为父母是如此地爱你,你好了,他们也就安心了。当你成为母亲的那一天,你就会理解这些。但是在这之前,你要听妈妈的,好好照顾自己。 大学四年是你拥有自由时间最多的四年。 大学四年是你第一次有机会独立生活的四年。 大学四年是你可塑性最强的四年。 大学四年是你犯错误代价最低的四年。 所以,请珍惜你的大学时光吧,好好利用你的空闲时间,成为掌控自己命运的独立思考者,把自己发展成为中西合璧的人才,大胆地去尝试,在成功和挑战中学习和成长。 当我2005年面对人生最大挑战时,你给了我一个大大的拥抱,还跟我说了一句法语“bonne chance”,意思是说“祝你好运,勇往直前!”现在,我也跟你说同样的话,bonne chance,祝你好运,勇往直前,我的天使,我的公主!愿哥伦比亚大学的时光成为你一生中最快乐的四年!祝你成长为你梦想成为的人!爱你爸爸携妈妈
三 : 李开复 给女儿的信
亲爱的女儿:
当我们驾车离开哥伦比亚大学的时候,我就想写一 封信给你,把萦绕在我脑海中的一切统统告诉你。
首先,我想告诉你我们是多么地为你感到骄傲。能进入哥伦比亚大学已经证明你是一个全面发展的优秀学生。你的理论知识、艺术修养和社交技能在最近几年都突飞猛进,无论是你在微积分中获得最高分,抑或完成你优雅时尚的设计,成功售出你彩绘的跑步鞋,还是成为“模拟联合国”中最优秀的演讲家之一,你都毫无疑问已经成为一个多才多艺的成功女子。我们为有你这样一个优秀的女儿而骄傲,你也应该像我们一样为自己感到自豪。
我永远记得第一次将你抱在臂弯的那一刻,一种无以言表的兴奋和激动一下子触动了我的心,那是一种让我永远陶醉的感觉。或许这就是将要把你我的生命捆在一起的所谓的“父女情结”吧。我永远记得我哼着摇篮曲轻轻摇你入睡,当我把你放下的时候,常常既感到解脱又感到惋惜:解脱,是因为你终于睡着了;惋惜,是因为我多么希望能多抱你一会儿啊!我永远记得带你到游乐场时,看你玩得是那么地开心。你是那么地天真可爱,以至于每个人都那么地喜欢你。
你自从生下来,就是个很棒的孩子。你总是文文静静、体贴他人、彬彬有礼、举止文雅。我记得我们盖房子的时候,那时你刚刚三岁,每周末你都默默地跟着我们花十多个小时去运建材。对于那段无聊的时光你毫无怨言,每顿都在车上吃汉堡也很开心,你和恐龙巴尼一起唱歌,唱累了就睡觉。你去上周日中文学习班时,尽管一点也不觉得有趣,却依然很努力。作为父母,能有像你这样的女儿我们真的感到无比的幸运。
你也是个好姐姐。虽然你们俩以前总是打打闹闹,但是最近几年你们成了最好的朋友。妹妹很爱你,喜欢逗你笑,她崇拜你,把你当成她的榜样。我们分开后,她非常想你,我知道你也一样想她。世界上最宝贵的就是家人。除了父母,妹妹也是你最可信赖的人之一。她是关心照顾你的人,而你也要关心和照顾她。我们别无所求,只希望你们的姐妹情谊能随着年龄的增长愈久弥香,你们要相互关爱,终此一生。在未来的四年里,你要不时地和妹妹通通视频聊聊天,有事没事发发电子邮件。
大学时光将是你人生中最重要的时光,你会在大学里真正发现学习的真谛。你经常问“学这个课程有什么用”。我鼓励你保持好奇心、善疑善问,但是我想告诉你的是:“所谓教育就是忘记你在学校所学的一切之后所剩下的东西。”我的意思是说,重要的不是你要学到的知识,而是你学习新事物、
分析新问题的能力。这才是大学里真正要学的东西——这将是你从被动学习向自主学习转换的阶段,从那之后你将会变成一个自学者。所以,就算你所学的并不是你生活所需,你也要认真对待每一门功课,因为学习的能力将是你受用终身的宝贵财富。
不要被教条所束缚,任何问题都不是只有一个简单的答案。还记得高中辩论课时,我总是让你站在你不认可的那一方来辩论吗?我之所以这么做是因为,事物并不是非黑即白,看待问题有很多的方法和角度。当你意识到这点的时候,你就会成为一个很好的问题解决者了。这就是“批判性思维”——一种你一生都会用到的最重要的思考方式,这也意味着你还需要包容和支持不同于你的其他观点。我永远记得我去找我的博士生导师提出一个新论题时,他告诉我:“我不同意你,但我支持你。”多年后,我认识到这不仅仅是一种变通,更是一种对批判性思维的鼓励,一种敢于放权的领导风格。现 在这已经成了我的一部分,我希望这也能成为你的一部分。
在大学里,你要追随自己的激情,选择自己感兴趣的课程,不要被别人的想法或说法所困扰。史蒂夫?乔布斯曾说过,在大学里,你的激情会创建出很多的“点”,而在你后来的人生中你会把这些“点”串联起来。在他著名的斯坦福大学毕业典礼演讲中,他举了一个很好的例子:在大学里他曾修了书法课,十年后,这成了苹果机漂亮字库的基础,也因为此,才有了后来的桌面出版系统,才有了我们日常使用的像微软Word这样出色的工具软件。他对书法的探索就是一个“点”,而他创建的苹果电脑就是连接线。所以,不必过分担心将来会从事什么工作,也不要过于急功近利。假如你喜欢日语或者朝鲜语,那就去学,就算爸爸认为“那没用”。尽情地去选择你的“点”吧,你要坚信有一天你会发现自己的使命,并用这些“点”勾勒出一条美丽的曲线。
在功课上尽自己最大努力,但不要给自己太多压力。你妈妈和我对你在成绩上没什么要求,只要你顺利毕业并在四年里学到了些东西,我们就很高兴了。即便你毕业时没有取得优异的成绩,仅仅哥伦比亚大学的学历也会带你走很远。所以别给自己压力。在高中的最后几个月,因为压力小了,大学申请也办完了,你过得是那么地开心。但是在最近的几个星期,我们发现你又开始陷入忧虑了。(你注意到你紧张时会咬指甲吗?)请不必担心,唯一重要的是你学了,而唯一可以衡量你学习的就是你的努力程度。成绩只不过是爱慕虚荣的人用来吹嘘和懒惰的人所恐惧的愚蠢的数字而已,而你是如此优
秀,既不虚荣,也不懒惰。
在大学里,最重要的是要广结善缘、乐观向上。大学的朋友往往是你一生中最好的朋友。因为在大学里你和他们朝夕相处,而且,你们一起学会独立,一起长大成人,这是一种源自自然和天性的经历,这种经历将会把你们紧紧相连。选几个真挚诚恳的朋友,跟他们成为密友,别在乎他们的喜好、学业、长相甚至性格。在高中的后两年你交了一些真心朋友,所以相信自己的直觉,去结交新朋友吧。你是一个真挚诚恳的人,谁都会乐意跟你做朋友的,所以自信起来、外向一点、主动一些,如果你喜欢谁,就告诉她。即使她拒绝了,你也没什么损失。要为他人排忧解难,不抱成见,体恤他人。更何况人无完人,只要他们真挚诚恳,你就要信任他们,对他们以友好示之,而他们也会回报于你。这也是我成功的秘决——以诚相见,诚信待人,除非他们做了失信于我的事。有人告诉我,偶尔我会被别人占便宜。他们说得对,但是我可以告诉你:那点损失和我所得到的相比根本不算什么。在我过去18年的领导生涯中,我意识到只有一件事非常重要——那就是要想得到他人的信任和尊重,你需要首先去信任和尊重他人。无论是管理、工作,还是交友,这一点你应该好好思量一下。
要和你高中的朋友保持联系,但是不要用他们来取代你大学的朋友,也不要在老朋友身上花费太多的时间,因为那样你就没时间去结交新朋友了。
早点开始规划你的暑假——想要做什么?想呆在哪儿?想学点什么?你在大学里学习了哪些可能改变你思想的东西?我觉得你学习艺术设计的计划就很不错,你要想好在哪里学习相应的课程。当然,我们还是希望你能回北京来,但你应该去你认为对你来说最好的地方。
不管是暑期计划、课程规划,还是专业选择、时间管理,你都应该为自己的人生负责。在过去,不论是申请学校、策划课外活动,还是选择初始课程,我都帮助了你不少忙。我还会一直随叫随到,但是现在是该你自己掌舵的时候了——这是你自己的人生,你需要自己把握。我常常想起我生命中那些令人振奋的时刻——决定跳过幼儿园、决定转到计算机科学专业、决定离开学术界到苹果公司、决定回中国、决定去谷歌、乃至最近决定创办我自己的公司。有能力进行抉择意味着你将过上自己想要的人生。人生苦短,你不能过别人的人生,你的人生也不能按别人的想法去过。“一切尽在掌握”的感觉棒极了!去尝试吧,你会喜欢的!
我告诉你妈妈我在写这封信,问她有什么想对你说的,她想了想,说“让她好好照顾自
己”,多么简单而又深切的关怀——这才是你的妈妈,这也是你为什么深爱你妈妈的原因。这短短的一句话,倾注了她对你即将变得独立自主和自己照顾自己的殷切期望——她期望你记得吃药、好好睡觉;她期望你平衡膳食、适量运动;她期望你不舒服的时候要去看医生等等。中国有句古话,说“身体发肤,受之父母,不敢毁伤,孝之始也”。意思就是说,孝敬父母最好的方式就是爱护自己。因为父母是如此地爱你,你好了,他们也就安心了。当你成为母亲的那一天,你就会理解这些。但是在这之前,你要听妈妈的,好好照顾自己。
大学四年是你拥有自由时间最多的四年。
大学四年是你第一次有机会独立生活的四年。
大学四年是你可塑性最强的四年。
大学四年是你犯错误代价最低的四年。
所以,请珍惜你的大学时光吧,好好利用你的空闲时间,成为掌控自己命运的独立思考者,把自己发展成为中西合璧的人才,大胆地去尝试,在成功和挑战中学习和成长。
当我2005年面对人生最大挑战时,你给了我一个大大的拥抱,还跟我说了一句法语“bonne chance”,意思是说“祝你好运,勇往直前!”现在,我也跟你说同样的话,bonne chance,祝你好运,勇往直前,我的天使,我的公主!愿哥伦比亚大学的时光成为你一生中最快乐的四年!祝你成长为你梦想成为的人!
爱你
爸【http://www.61k.com】爸携妈妈
四 : 李开复给女儿的信
Dear Daughter,
As we drove off from Columbia, I wanted to write a letter to you to tell you all that is on my mind.
First, I want to tell you how proud we are. Getting into Columbia is a real testament of what a great well-rounded student you are. Your academic, artistic, and social skills have truly blossomed in the last few years. Whether it is getting the highest grade in Calculus, completing your elegant fashion design, successfully selling your painted running shoes, or becoming one of the top orators in Model United Nations, you have become a talented and accomplished young woman. You should be as proud of yourself as we are.
I will always remember the first moment I held you in my arms. I felt a tingling sensation that directly touched my heart. It was an intoxicating feeling I will always have. It must be that "father-daughter connection" which will bind us for life. I will always remember singing you a lullaby while I rocked you to sleep. When I put you down, it was always with both relief (you finally fell asleep!) and regret (wishing I could hold you longer). And I will always remember taking you to the playground, and watching you having so much fun. You were so cute and adorable, and that is why everybody loved you so.
You have been a great kid ever since you were born, always quiet, empathetic, attentive and well-mannered. You were three when we built our house. I remember you quietly followed us every weekend for more than ten hours a day to get building supplies. You put up with that boring period without a fuss, happily ate hamburgers every meal in the car, sang with Barney until you fell asleep. When you went to Chinese Sunday school, you studied hard even though it was no fun for you. I cannot believe how lucky we are as parents to have a daughter like you.
You have been an excellent elder sister. Even though you two had your share of fights, the last few years you have become best friends. Your sister loves you so much, and she loves to make you laugh. She looks up to you, and sees you as her role model. As you saw when we departed, she misses you so much. And I know that you miss her just as much. There is nothing like family, and other than your parents, your sister 1
李开复给女儿的信 李开复给女儿的信
is the one person who you can trust and confide in. She will be the one to take care of you, and the one you must take care of. There is nothing we wish more than that your sisterhood will continue to bond as you grow older, and that you will take care of each other throughout your lives. For the next four years, do have a short video chat with her every few days, and do email her when you have a chance.
College will be the most important years in your life. It is in college that you will truly discover what learning is about. You often question "what good is this course". I encourage you to be inquisitive, but I also want to tell you: "Education is what you have left after all that is taught is forgotten." What I mean by that is the materials taught isn't as important as you gaining the ability to learn a new subject, and the ability to analyze a new problem. That is really what learning in college is about – this will be the period where you go from teacher-teaches to master-inspires, after which you must become a self-learner. So do take each subject seriously, and even if what you learn isn't critical for your life, the skills of learning will be something you cherish forever.
Do not fall into the trap of dogma. There is no single simple answer to any question. Remember during your high school debate class, I always asked you to take on the side that you don't believe in. I did that for a reason -- things rarely "black and white", and there are always many ways to look at a problem. You will become a better problem solver if you recognized that. This is called "critical thinking", and it is the most important thinking skill you need for your life. This also means you need to become tolerant and supportive of others. I will always remember when I went to my Ph.D. advisor and proposed a new thesis topic. He said "I don't agree with you, but I'll support you." After the years, I have learned this isn't just flexibility, it is encouragement of critical thinking, and an empowering style of leadership, and it has become a part of me. I hope it will become a part of you too.
Follow your passion in college. Take courses you think you will enjoy. Don't be trapped in what others think or say. Steve Jobs says when you are in college, your passion will create many dots, and later in your life you will connect them. In his great speech given at Stanford commencement, he gave the great example where he 2
李开复给女儿的信 李开复给女儿的信
took calligraphy, and a decade later, it became the basis of the beautiful Macintosh fonts, which later ignited desktop publishing, and brought wonderful tools like Microsoft Word to our lives. His expedition into calligraphy was a dot, and the Macintosh became the connecting line. So don't worry too much about what job you will have, and don't be too utilitarian, and if you like Japanese or Korean, go for it, even if your dad thinks "it's not useful". Enjoy picking your dots, and be assured one day you will find your calling, and connect a beautiful curve through the dots.
61阅读提醒您本文地址:
Do your best in classes, but don't let pressure get to you. Your mother and I have no expectations for your grades. If you graduate and learn something in your four years, we would feel happy. Your Columbia degree will take you far, even if you don't graduate with honors. So please don't give yourself pressure. During your last few months in high school, you were so happy because there was little pressure and college applications are finished. But in the past few weeks, we saw you are beginning to worry (did you know you bite your nails when you are nervous?). Please don't be worried. The only thing that matters is that you learned. The only metric you should use is that you tried. Grades are just silly letters that give the vain people something to brag, and the lazy people something to fear. You are too good to be either.
Most importantly, make friends and be happy. College friends are often the best in life, because during college you are closer to them physically than to your family. Also, going through independence and adulthood is a natural bonding experience. Pick a few friends and become really close to them – pick the ones who are genuine and sincere to you. Don't worry about their hobbies, grades, looks, or even personalities. You have developed some real friendships in high school in your last two years, so trust your instinct, and make new friends. You are a genuine and sincere person – anyone would enjoy being your friend, so be confident, outgoing, and proactive. If you think you like someone, tell her. You have very little to lose. Give people the benefit of the doubt; don't stereotype and be forgiving. People are not perfect, so as long as they are genuine and sincere, trust them and be good to them. They will give back. This is my secret of success – that I am genuine with people and 3
李开复给女儿的信 李开复给女儿的信
trust them (unless they do something to lose my trust). Some people tell me that occasionally I would be taken advantage of. They are right, but I can tell you that that loss is nothing compared to what I gained. In my last 18 years leading people, I have realized that only one thing matters – to gain the trust and respect of others, and to do so, you need to trust and respect others first. Whether it is for management, work, or friendship, this is something you should ponder.
Do keep your high school friends, and stay connected to them, but do not use them as substitutes for college friendship, and do not spend too much time with them, because that would eat into your time to make new friends.
Start planning for your summers early – what would you like to do? Where would you like to live? What would you like to learn? What have you learned in college that might change your mind? I think your plan of studying fashion is good, and you should decide where you want to be, and get into the right courses. We of course hope you come back to Beijing, but you should go where you think is best for you.
Whether it is summer planning, or coursework planning, or picking a major, or managing your time, you should take control of your life. In the past, I have helped you quite a bit, whether it is in college application, designing your extracurricular activities, or picking the initial coursework. I will always be there for you, but the time has come for you to be in the driver's seat – this is your life, and you need to be in control. I will always remember the exhilarating feeling in my life – that I got to decide to skip kindergarten, that I got to decide to change to computer science major, that I got to decide to leave academia for Apple, that I got to decide to go to China, that I got to decide to go to Google, and most recently, that I got to decide to start my own business. Being able to decide means you get to live the life that you want to. Life is too short for you to live the life others do or others want you. Being in control feels great. Try it, and you'll love it!
I told your mom I'm writing this letter, and asked what she wanted me to say. She thought and said: "just ask her to take care of herself." Simple but deeply caring – that is how your mother is, and that is why you love her so much. In this simple 4
李开复给女儿的信 李开复给女儿的信
sentence is her hope that you will become independent in the way you take care of yourself – that you will remember to take your medicine, that you will get enough sleep, that you will have a balanced diet, that you will get some exercise, and that you will go see a doctor whenever you don't feel good. An ancient Chinese proverb says that the most important thing to be nice to your parents is to take care of yourself. This is because your parents love you so much, and that if you are well, they will have comfort. You will understand this one day when you become a mother. But in the meantime, please listen to your mother and take care of yourself.
61阅读提醒您本文地址:
College is the four years where you have:
?the greatest amount of free time
?the first chance to be independent
?the most flexibility to change
?the lowest risk for making mistakes
So please treasure your college years – make the best of your free time, become an independent thinker in control of your destiny, evolve yourself into a bi-cultural talent, be bold to experiment, learn and grow through your successes and challenges.
When I faced the greatest challenge and opportunity in my life in 2005, you gave me a big hug and said "bonne chance", which means "good luck" and "good courage". Now I do the same for you. Bonne chance, my angel and princess. May Columbia become the happiest four years in your life, and may you blossom into just what you dream to be.
Love,
Dad (& Mom)
5
61阅读提醒您本文地址:
本文标题:李开复给女儿的信-给谷歌李开复的拜年信61阅读| 精彩专题| 最新文章| 热门文章| 苏ICP备13036349号-1