Steadfast Perseverance Without Haste Will Not Go Unrewarded

I have never thought my articles were particularly well written, nor that my medical skill has anything outstanding about it. But regardless of whether the writing is good or bad, and regardless of whether the medical skill is outstanding, I love writing and studying medicine, so I have always been able to persevere in these two things calmly and without impatience.

As the saying goes, heaven rewards the diligent, and the slow bird starts early. For someone lacking exceptional natural talent like me, to achieve anything in life I can only put effort into diligence. I have met many people smarter than I, but few more diligent.

I grew up in the countryside; my parents led by example and were hardworking all their lives. My mother's catchphrase was: "Diligent, diligent—food and dishes to eat; lazy, lazy—cold and hunger." So by the time I reached maturity, I had become as diligent as my parents. Early to bed and early to rise every day, never dragging my feet. If I set out to do something, regardless of whether I could do it brilliantly, I would persevere to the end.

Having persisted for so many years, studying medicine and writing every day without interruption, it has not been in vain. Over the New Year, a deputy director of the National Library left me a message; it turned out he had been silently following my official account for a long time, and after reading my articles, he approved of me greatly. A few months ago, he recommended me to a director of our Hubei Provincial Library, who came to consult me about his family's illness.

This made me feel both a little surprised and a little delighted. After all, the National Library is my spiritual home; I have lived next to the National Library for more than twenty years and go there to read whenever I have free time. I never imagined that one day a deputy director of the National Library would become my reader.

This month, China Journal of Chinese Medicine (Zhongguo Zhongyiyao Bao) published two of my articles. As early as last year, Editor Qin of the newspaper had contacted me, hoping to publish a large number of my articles. At the time I hesitated a little, but later agreed.

Unfortunately, Editor Qin was transferred to another section, and the plan to publish my articles stalled. But in July of this year, when she took charge of the eighth page of the newspaper, because she liked my articles, she again began selecting pieces from my official account to publish in the newspaper.

This too made me feel both a little surprised and a little delighted. Having long written diligently in the field of Chinese medicine, I had not imagined that my words would one day appear in such an authoritative publication. As a TCM practitioner, having articles published in such a journal is of course a joyful feeling.

I often tell my spouse that I hope, after I am in my fifties or sixties, to have the chance to stand on a seven-foot lectern, to take the outstanding talents of the world and nurture them, training successors for Chinese medicine. I am a blindly optimistic person and always feel this wish of mine may yet come true.

I have not thought of realizing my wish in the short term; if at some point in this life I realize it, I will be fully satisfied. When I was young, I did indeed have some ideals and uttered some boastful words. But now those ideals have gradually faded; I prefer a life free of contention with the world and resentment with others, returning to simplicity and keeping everything plain. I will still continue my career, but I am less attached to ideals.

It is just that I also believe that, if a person can persevere calmly and without haste, he will not go unrewarded. How far a career goes depends both on personal effort and on one's natural talent. Do not force any result; let everything take its natural course. Whatever the final result, if a person can do the work he loves, this life is already happy. To have gained this happiness is enough; why ask for more?