What to do if you can’t choose your favorite job?

When we are unable to choose a job that we like in the workplace, if we do a job, love a job, and do a job well, maybe the final success will be far beyond our original dreams.

General Patton’s dream: Fading away

General George Patton’s original dream was to be an excellent cavalryman, but he unexpectedly became the founder of the American Armored Forces. , and finally became a five-star general in the army known as "General Iron Gut".

Patton was born into an aristocratic family and developed excellent riding skills since childhood. He graduated from West Point Military Academy at the age of 24 and joined the U.S. First Army Cavalry with the rank of second lieutenant. He fully expected that he would continue to do so for a long time, but unexpectedly Unexpectedly, in 1915, when he was 30 years old, he was transferred to be the aide-de-camp of General John Joseph Pershing, the top general of the U.S. Army, and followed him to Europe.

General Pershing admired Patton very much, calling him "a true fighter" and promoted him from lieutenant colonel to colonel within two years. Faced with the rocket-like speed of promotion, the young Barton was not complacent, and he did not want to be content with the status quo. What he yearned for was the front-line battlefield. General Pershing saw this and was delighted.

Patton originally expected that after the general agreed to his request, he would naturally send him to the cavalry unit again. However, Pershing only gave him two choices: either lead the formation of a tank unit, or lead an infantry battalion. ?Although the general broke the convention and let his subordinates choose positions, no matter which choice he made, Patton was not willing to do it. Barton understood his boss's character of telling the truth, so he replied unhappily without any further excuses: "I still have to think carefully about it." ?Pershing patted him on the shoulder and said he could give him plenty of time to think and prepare.

Patton knew very well that since it was a request he made on his own initiative, he could not take it back and become an adjutant as if nothing had happened. Because that is not his character, it will definitely disappoint his boss who carefully cultivated him. But when I thought about it again, I felt that the arrangement made by the general must have been thought about for a long time and there must be a reason for it.

The contradiction between ideals and reality left Barton unable to make a decision. He thought of his father-in-law, a well-known entrepreneur in Massachusetts, who recognized Barton with a keen eye. Barton also liked and admired his father-in-law very much, and regarded his father-in-law as his life mentor. The father-in-law obviously understood his son-in-law's eagerness to make a career, so he advised him: "The objective reality is that people often choose careers, not people who choose careers." What needs special emphasis is that if I were a soldier, I would also take the initiative to volunteer, but I believe that the most glorious thing for a soldier is not to kill many enemies with his own hands, but to win the war with the minimum cost of casualties. ?The words of his father-in-law made Barton suddenly enlightened. It made him feel that his father-in-law was as great as General Pershing. Isn't the purpose of establishing the tank force exactly what his father-in-law said?

So on November 9, 1917, just shy of his 32nd birthday Colonel Patton was two days away from becoming the top commander of the U.S. Army's first tank unit. In addition to the French army sponsoring twenty tanks, the rest was entirely up to Patton.

Patton was a novice who had just learned to drive a tank, and the newly recruited soldiers knew almost nothing about tanks. Patton had to combine the roles of tank driver, trainer and commander. Although there were many difficulties and great pressure, Patton knew very well that since he accepted the task, he had no choice. For the country, others and himself, no matter from any angle, he could only move forward and not retreat. So, he Put up a slogan: "A cup of sweat will be exchanged for a bucket of blood!" Let the officers and soldiers shout it as a slogan every day, and educate everyone to truly understand that only by training hard in peacetime can casualties on the battlefield be reduced.

In fact, the small space and hot and stuffy environment in the tank are not suitable for the tall Barton. In order to motivate the soldiers, Patton personally drove a tank and took the lead in training, leaving more than a cup of sweat every time. Patton's personal experience made a well-trained tank army with six companies develop rapidly in less than half a year. built. General Pershing almost cried with joy when he saw this.

Patton led the tank troops to great achievements in the battle against Germany, and his reputation spread everywhere. However, when he first became familiar with tank combat, he was quickly transferred to the infantry unit. During World War II, he was promoted to commander-in-chief of the Third Army with his impressive record.

Every step General Patton takes seems to be getting further and further away from his original dream. But I never blame others, but listen to the teachings of my elders, obey the assignments of superiors, respect reality, put in all my efforts in every position, and achieve outstanding results. We should do the same in the workplace. When we can't choose a job we like, we should do a job, love a job, and do a job well. Maybe the final success will be far beyond our original dreams.