Jack Ma on how to find happiness at work
You probably know the name Jack Ma. The man is, after all, the chairman and founder of Chinese ecommerce giant Alibaba, and his word carries some serious weight in Asian tech circles.
What you may not know is that Jack Ma occasionally blogs. I’ve translated his latest piece below, as I think it’s something that everyone should consider, especially those of you working long hours trying to get startups off the ground.
Jack Ma氏の名前はおそらく知っているでしょう。なんといっても彼は中国eコマース巨大企業Alibabaの会長であり創業者で、彼の言葉はアジアのテクノロジー業界界隈では大きな重みを持つ。
あまり知られていないのは、Jack Ma氏はたまにブログを書くということだ。誰もが、特にスタートアップを軌道に乗せようと長時間働いている読者が考えるべきことについて書かれている、彼の最新の記事を以下に翻訳した。
Jack Maという名前を耳にしたことがあるだろう。この男は、結局のところ、中国のeコマースの巨人Alibabaの会長兼設立者になっている。彼の言葉は、アジアの技術系サークルの中で相当の重みを持っている。
あまり知られていないことに、Jack Ma氏は時々ブログを書いている。以下で彼による最近の投稿を翻訳してみた。誰であれ、とりわけスタートアップを軌道に乗せようと長時間働いている人にとって考えてみなくてはいけないことだと思ったからだ。
While resting at an airport in Alaska in a small, simple room, I watched the night shift employee Jennifer. In just ten minutes, she and my colleague discussed the influence of genetics on disease and her own unique take on the influence the earth’s rotation has on atmospheric warming.
Off to the side, I was shocked by her level of knowledge, so I curiously asked about her background. She was a geneticist from the American south, she knew how to fly a helicopter, was over 50 years old, and had three kids. She came to work in this small, polar town after her husband’s work transferred him here. She said she had already worked at that customer service desk for nine months, and she laughed: “I like this job because I don’t have to think too much, it’s simple and pleasant.”
Happiness at work comes from your own attitude. There are always people who can find happiness even in their tedious, repetitive jobs, and yet others are always dissatisfied regardless of how important and interesting their jobs are.
A good job isn’t something you go out and find, it’s something you discover while you’re working.
