我的指导原则

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应用智慧

我的一位大学教授曾经问过我一个问题：

“智慧是什么?"

答案不仅仅是知识. 而是同情心引导的知识。

因为知识自己用的

因为单独使用的知识可能会枯燥、无用，甚至是邪恶的。事实证明，智慧并不是无动于衷的。智慧就是知道什么信息有益，什么信息有害，并选择利用知识来获得最大的利益。

I continue to use this definition of wisdom as a guiding principle. But I like to call it Applied Wisdom. Because when I meet someone, I don't just seek to think well of him from afar. I seek to apply my wisdom to the situation or person in front of me. When I'm with any client or investor, my performance frame begins with this guiding principle:

how can I apply my knowledge to your situation in a way that empowers you to leverage your situation for the highest good?

One day while working with some animals on our ranch, my father saw that I was afraid of a barking dog and immediately instructed me to "never be afraid while I was out there working."

First, he explained that if I ran away in fear, it would trigger the instinct of the dog to give chase and maul (or possibly trigger the cattle to stampede).

But controlling my actions wasn't enough. He explained further, that if I just stood still in fear, the animals could smell fear, and they would remain unsettled and hostile.

In that moment, my 5 year old self had to figure out quickly how to move freely and confidently around agitated livestock and dogs to do my job of feeding them.

After all, if they could smell my fear, it wasn't enough to hide it. I had to extinguish the feeling of fear all together.

And what could extinguish my fears? Faith. I chose to trust in absolute faith that I could accomplish the job if my father had believed in me enough to send me to do it.

So after that, I walked with unwavering resolve when feeding the animals. And my father was right, it settled the animals once I walked in authority and focused on my task.

And this became the way of approaching all my work. Dangers are real and ever-present. So too are the set backs they can cause. But I continue to walk with unwavering resolve to accomplish whatever task that has been entrusted to me.

One of my first law professors told the class on the first day, "you better develop a meaningful goal in life bigger than the accumulation of money itself, because money is not a sustaining goal--it's a mere tool to reach real goals."

Ever since, I've asked myself, if money is a mere tool, what meaningful goal should I be applying it toward?

Like most, its been a progression from investing in myself, and then my family, and then my community.

But as I've aged, that question has changed a bit. I don't have endless resources, and I won't be here forever. Yet the needs of the world continue to grow.

So, there's a bigger question I ask myself now--how can I leverage this tool called money for the most lasting impact? How can I multiply the impact of my actions. How can I touch the most lives? Can I touch lives even after I'm dead and gone?

It's taking the long view of planting a tree today when I personally may never enjoy its benefits.

Whether I'm assisting a client-family, managing a fund, or directing charity, I have the same question. What strategy will allow my actions to have the most impactful legacy.

And one answer to this question has been realizing how much more leverage can be applied by working cooperatively with others who share your vision. Together with my family, my clients and partners, and other community philanthropists, I'm looking for strategic ways to extend our collective reach and influence, deploying wisdom and wealth for maximal positive impact.

坚定不移的决心

最大化遗产