1. Sunflower
Qian Zhongshu said, there is no person or thing closer to the sun than the sunflower. For entrepreneurs, a firm goal is that sun. With a firm goal, what needs to be done becomes a habit. Over time, the sunflower gets used to facing the sun, and people get used to it too, not questioning why it faces the sun. Once you have a goal in your heart, every day starts with small, ordinary tasks, sometimes merely repetitive ones. It doesn't need to be earth-shattering or unconventional.
The story of Master Van Gogh and the sunflower also illustrates this well. The sunflower, a plant that knows how to seek out the sun, has the same character as Van Gogh himself. Before painting the sunflower, because Gauguin was coming to his home to paint together, he expressed his then uncontrollable excitement through the sunflower. In my eyes, Van Gogh has always been a melancholy, lonely child. I don't know if he liked sunflowers. But, I think he must admire the tall spirit of the sunflower. It is forever cheerful, open-minded, and brilliant.
The first step in entrepreneurship is actually very simple: set a goal, choose a direction, and just go for it.
2. Populus Euphratica
There's an idiom that says "hardship refines you like jade," which applies to the entrepreneurial journey, meaning entrepreneurship is not easy. The popular saying now, "cried enough, shouted until tired, fell asleep, woke up, sobered up, and started working again as usual," is actually the bitter history after a successful entrepreneur. Patience is a virtue, but for entrepreneurs, patience is a necessary quality.
Populus Euphratica, also known as "Hu Tong." Unlike regular poplar trees, it can endure the arid and changeable climate of the desert and has extremely strong tolerance for salinity. Even in the Taklamakan Desert where the groundwater has a high salt content, it still thrives lushly. People praise the Populus Euphratica as the "spine of the desert."
Populus Euphratica can "live for a thousand years without dying, die for a thousand years without falling, fall for a thousand years without decaying." To survive, Populus Euphratica grows different leaves: large leaves to absorb sunlight, small leaves to reduce water loss, and waxy leaf surfaces that can lock in every drop of water. Liu Xingliang believes that no tree is more resilient than the Populus Euphratica.
Isn't this the quality that entrepreneurs need most?
3. Dandelion
There is a small flower whose fruit is very interesting, each black fruit has white fluff at its top, resembling a white parachute. Gently pluck one and place it by your mouth, blow hard, and the fruit flies away with the help of the little umbrella, flying further and further... When I was a child, my teacher told me that this plant is called dandelion.
Entrepreneurship is an activity of seeking survival in the cracks, especially during periods of social transition when various systems and legal environments are not fully established. Entrepreneurs can only adapt to society first to avoid problems in human relations. Entrepreneurs must understand the situation, not only politically and commercially, but also socially and interpersonally, which should be a basic quality of an entrepreneur.
When starting a business, we must borrow all kinds of momentum, always ready to fly far with even a slight breeze.
4. Weeping Willow
The branches of the weeping willow are long and soft, hanging down gracefully with the wind, its posture elegant and unrestrained, its tender branches brushing the water, adding a special charm. The weeping willow has a gentle attitude, greeting everyone it meets, being smooth in all directions.
This kind of mindset is lacking in many entrepreneurs but is indispensable. Especially those who were once very successful career managers and have turned to entrepreneurship need to learn this.
5. Skyward Poplar
The biggest feature of the skyward poplar is that it strives to grow tall, none willing to be shorter than their companions, growing straight upwards towards the clouds.
Skyward poplars are driven by a desire, a desire that every entrepreneur must possess. "Desire" is actually a life goal, a life ideal. There is a saying in Buddhist scriptures, "without desire, one becomes strong," but achieving "no desire" is not an easy task. The difference between the desires of entrepreneurs and ordinary people lies in the fact that their desires often exceed their reality, often requiring them to break their current foothold and shatter the cage before them to achieve their goals. Therefore, the desires of entrepreneurs are often accompanied by action and a spirit of sacrifice.
The desires of entrepreneurs are restless, higher than reality, something they need to reach by standing on tiptoe, sometimes jumping to reach.
Why start a business? Because entrepreneurs have desires in their hearts. Changing identity, improving status, accumulating wealth, everything stems from desire.
6. Red Rose
What does the red rose represent? Passion, enthusiasm. Entrepreneurs should be like the red rose, always maintaining the passion for entrepreneurship, thus keeping the vitality of the innovative spirit, motivating their entrepreneurial partners, and maintaining the vitality of the entrepreneurial company.