Right Timing, Right Location and Right People

The sage Mengzi (Mencius) ever said, “The right timing is no better than the favorable location; the favorable location is no better than the cooperating people.” If we want to pursue great achievement, we should do it with the right people, at the right location, and at the right time.

We don’t rise from nothing; we are the product of our environment. The family and community we grow in, the culture we belong to and the legacies passed down by our forebears shape our thinking, behavior pattern, social situation and connection.

However great and talented you are, if you are at the wrong location with the wrong people, you are unable to tap your real potential and feel shackled, as a misplaced pearl loses its sparkle in the darkness. A dragon should go swimming in the colossal ocean; a tiger should be the king of mountains. If they stay in different surroundings, they lose their power.

Although when and where we grew up make a big difference, we are not entirely passive to our environment. We are defined, but not limited by our environment. However hard it can be, we can create and change our environment, proactively communicate with people we like and respect. No one truly makes on his own.

As a tall tree grows from a hardy seed, a lot of highly-achieved people are born in modest circumstances and by virtue of their own determination and talent fight their way to greatness. Hardships and obstacles train their character, refine their skills, bring opportunities to them, and pave a way for them to the tower of success.

At the right location, with the right people, if we can’t grasp the right timing, the time will pass by quickly. Nevertheless, it needs a lot of wisdom to judge the right timing, the right location and right people. Maybe, a real wise person, living in a realm of freedom, will never be restricted by the limitation of time and location, and will be never disturbed by the wrong people.