(Minghui.org) Due to the bad economy two years ago, my company decided to lay off everyone except one person in our subsidiary company. I was the person they chose to keep. The management felt that it was hard to find a person like me who works hard and does not use his position to benefit himself.
To my surprise, the company paid me nearly 100,000 yuan while the rest of the employees were laid off. I was also promoted from a department manager to a deputy general manager. I was given the primary responsibilities in mainland China because the company bosses were all overseas and rarely came to the mainland.
When I got home the day of the changes, I told my wife the good news; however, she wasn't that happy. "Don't be too happy about your new title and power,” she said. “You've been promoted to the deputy general manager, but it means you have greater responsibilities. Now you are responsible for improving your company's financial situation, but more importantly, you are a Falun Dafa practitioner. You should guide your employees to improve the company. You can work together and improve the business."
After I heard this, I felt pressured to do even better at work. In order to reduce costs, I did not hire anyone for several open positions. Instead, I did the work myself. I was exhausted every day. Of course, my wife asked me to study the Dafa teachings with her every day after dinner, but I always fell asleep. In the morning, she woke me up to do the exercises, but I said I was too tired. Gradually, my thoughts and the way I handled things deviated from the Falun Dafa teachings.
When one of our customers in Hong Kong was taken by a competitor, I was very upset because I thought this would negatively impact our company's performance. I wanted to get the customer back using mainstream methods.
After I told my wife about my intentions, she and I reviewed Master Li's words in Zhuan Falun:
“‘If someone makes trouble for me, I’ll return the same. If he has supporters, I do, too. Let’s fight.” If you do this among everyday people, they will say that you are a strong person. As a practitioner, however, that is completely awful. If you compete and fight like an ordinary person, you are an ordinary person. If you outdo him, you are even worse than that ordinary person.”
I am a Falun Dafa practitioner! How could I act like that? I was so busy at work that I had not studied Dafa well for a long time. So my wife and I resumed our evening Dafa study.
I reminded myself that as a practitioner, I should change my way of doing things. Instead of accepting bribes, which is the usual way of doing business in China, I did not take an extra penny. Instead, I sometimes would take things from home and use them at work. I then did my best to return any gift cards I was given. If I couldn't, I donated the cash amount to a truth-clarification materials production site so that more people could learn the facts about Falun Dafa.
I now take my personal interests lightly. One employee disputed the compensation the company gave him and said that he was entitled to three month's salary. When I looked into it, I realized that it was due to my negligence. So I paid him 5,000 yuan out of my own pocket, and the company gave him two months' worth of salary. I did not tell anyone except my wife. Whenever a conflict occurs, a non-practitioner might try to find a way to shirk responsibility, but a practitioner always looks inward to find where things went wrong.
Not only had I become a better manager under the guidance of Dafa, but I've also led the staff to do better. They now feel that we are all responsible for the company's successes and failures. They realize it is our duty to do well individually so that the company can survive and that everyone can have a stable income.
When I conduct myself according to the principles of Falun Dafa—to be Truthful, Compassionate, and Tolerant—our company is profitable, and the bosses are happy. I live up to their trust and expectations.
As I write this, I can feel that my attachment to making money is gone. The outcome is already arranged, so why bother to fight? We exchange any wealth in this human world with virtue. As Falun Gong practitioners, we should act in accordance with the standards for practitioners. We are the most fortunate people!
Category: Improving Oneself
