永远不要将门关上

——第一位进入美国内阁的美籍华人赵小兰在《开讲啦》第66期的励志演讲稿

我非常感谢，能有机会让我来到这儿，见到你们很开心。所以，大家请坐吧！我现在在中国，因为我刚从新疆和甘肃回来。所以这一次，我是陪我的父亲到新疆到甘肃去，因为我的父母，他们在好久以前想要访问这两个地方，可是他们都没有机会，我的母亲是2007年8月2号的时候她就走了，可是她生病以前，她生病的时候常跟我父亲讲，因为她是个（文化人），她说如果我有机会的话，我身体好一点的话，我们一定、肯定要到新疆和甘肃去。虽然我母亲这一次没有机会到新疆和甘肃，我的父亲还是要来，所以是我陪他，而且在我母亲的精神（鼓励下），我们是代表她看看新疆和甘肃。

曾经有些人问我你是怎样开始的？怎样开始从事政府工作的？每当问到这样的问题时？我会这样回答：其实我一开始并没有做好打算要直接从政，我到美国那时候上小学三年级，那时候是8岁。刚到美国那时候一句英文也不会讲，非常困难，我父母的日子也很难过，我们当时不了解美国人的语言、不理解他们吃什么东西、也不理解美国人的传统。其实问我的想法,我还是很中国的，如果有人问我：你成功的驱动因素是什么？是什么激励你走向成功？那我会回答：第一，我想让我的父母以我为骄傲，因为他们为孩子牺牲了太多。第二，我一直想服务于一个更大的使命而不仅仅是为了小我而工作，所以我一直想贡献自己的力量去帮助别人。

所以如果你要问我的职业目标是什么？其实我没有什么职业目标，今天回头来看，这样的想法反倒帮上了我的大忙，因为我们的社会在那个时代是非常小的，我们是移民的，所以我们好多事情在美国都不了解的。如果那时候我有个目标的话，我想那个目标也不是太高的，目标说不定是在底下的，所以对我来说当我从学校毕业时，我是很认真的告诉大家，我的人生目标很简单：第一，找到一份工作；第二，弄一套房子，这样我就可以出来独立了。后来我又上了哈佛商学院，从哈佛商学院毕业的时候，因为我的家庭都是从商的，所以我决定去银行工作，从那儿得到些经验。当时我不怎么了解银行业，但我一步一步去学，当时我是给花旗集团工作，我在给花旗工作了四年以后，突然有一个机会去白宫实习，因为花旗当时有个特别的项目，他专门选那些比较优秀的银行职员，给这些银行职员一个机会，也是给他们一个支持，让他们去白宫做实习生，我当时就是这样子，叫白宫学者。我当时在白宫工作了一年，当时做白宫学者是非常难的， 但是我非常兴奋，我觉得特别好玩，因为之前从来没有华人或者亚洲人被选去白宫做白宫学者，对我来说可以说是给其他的亚裔美国人开辟了一条新的可能的路径。在这个过程中我学到了很多东西，为未来做一个好的领导人打下了基础。做白宫学者做了一年，当时在任的总统是里根，他是来自加利福尼亚州的，而我是在纽约成长的，以前从来没有去过加利福尼亚州。当时，我决定要去加利福尼亚州看看，我又找到了一份美洲银行提供给我的在加利福尼亚州工作的机会，那我就搬到了加利福尼亚州。当时谁也不认识，也没有朋友，但我特别兴奋，我就是想看一看加利福尼亚州是什么样子的，我在加利福尼亚州住了三年。有一天有人给我打电话了，给我打电话的是当时的交通部部长伊丽莎白，她希望找到一个了解银行业的人，那我之前在花旗工作过，此外她还要求这个人了解航运业，我在给美洲银行工作时积累了航运业的工作经验，这两个专业领域帮上了我的忙让我拿到了一份工作，使得当时的交通部长给我打电话了。当时在交通部这里有一个组合，每年亏损18亿美金，他需要一个真正有银行经验的人来把这个组合清理好。所以有一个周末，我就从加利福尼亚州飞回到华盛顿，在那开始工作，礼拜一就正式走马上任，这个是海事署，我在海事署工作了两年，学到了有关政府的方方面面。

两年以后，我被任命为联邦海事委员会主席，我为什么会被任命呢？主要是因为前任主席突然去世了，这时候政府需要一位既了解船运又在政府从事过航运工作的人来做联邦海事委员会主席，由于我碰巧满足这三方面的要求航运、运输、银行，正好有这样的一个组合满足他们对于人选的需要，我就被任命为主席了。工作了一年，后来新总统上任，这回是老布什总统，老布什总统任命我为交通部副部长，当时我是35岁，虽然比各位年长，但还算是年轻的，我当时是老布什总统内阁里最年轻的副部长，此外，我还是第一个亚裔美国人进入内阁。

又做了一段时间，那就到了1992年了，22年前，好久以前的事了，当时老布什总统在竞选连任时败北，第二任没有赢之后他的竞选班子的人都离开了，我也离开了，我就加入了美国最大的慈善机构组织——美国联合慈善基金会，我在那工作了四年。后来39岁刚过，我就结婚了，39岁才结婚也还可以，我的先生是国会共和党的领袖，他是非常好的丈夫，他自己的衣服自己洗、自己做饭，而且家务事他也愿意和我分担，他对女人很尊重、很鼓励，我觉得这个很重要，如果你能找到人生的另一半，他一辈子愿意和你做朋友，他愿意和你一起去适应生活，他也会帮助你去适应你的职业这很重要。

到了1996年，我想休息一下，所以我就加入了一个智库组织，也就是说我花了一些时间去研究和学习有关美国的政治制度，如何把很多好的想法去传播，因为美国社会其实充满着对抗。人们总是就很多话题展开无止境的争吵，有人说要这样，有人说要那样，这也是可以的，所以有很多来来回回的争吵，那就到了2000年，当时小布什总统准备竞选，我之前就认识小布什先生，因为我曾经和他一道为他的父亲竞选美国总统工作，我们在哈佛也是校友，他是71年那届，我是79年那届哈佛学生，我们是校友。此外我以为他们会任命我做交通运输部部长，但是他们没有任命我，当时我还挺失望的，那么至少在这可以告诉大家一个教训：如果你遇到了失望的事情，第一永远把眼光放长远，哪怕从目前来看这个好事没有落到你头上，但是你不要灰心丧气，如果你能应对好这次沮丧，那么从长远来看会有更多的好机会等着你。因此，一开始我确实听到这样的说法，就是劳工部长想要我来做，但是对于劳工事务，我并没有像交通事务那么擅长，因此我当时还很希望自己能当交通部长，然而交通部长人选旁落他人的时候，我非常的镇定，我也感谢总统和他的团队考虑我，我希望他们在新的内阁能够取得成功。结果两个星期之后，总统本来的劳工部部长人选在他的确认听证会举行的时候遇到了一些困难。在美国是这样，总统提名一个部长人选，但是议会要同意，所以原来的劳工部长人选在听证会的时候他的确认程序遇到了困难，所以他被迫退出。那这个时候白宫还有总统需要找一个新的劳工部长，他们要信任这个人，这个人他们要了解，可以来解决问题，而且能获得国会的批准，以前的历史都是非常好，这样可以很顺利通过国会的程序。然后他们再次来找我，问我是否愿意担任这个职务接受劳工部长这个任命，这就是我成为劳工部长的过程。所以我并不是第一人选，但是我觉得生活是很有意思的，你很难把每一步都精心计划，你可以有一个大的规划，但是很难精心计划每一步怎么走，而且也很难知道所有的机会到底在什么地方？我觉得要有一个好的态度要能够有信心、乐观并且向前看。

所以，当我讲我的事业的时候，每一步都非常有意思，但是我从没有精心设计过它就自然而然发生了，因为什么呢？因为我努力，我总是超越对我的要求，而其他人会注意到，当有机会来的时候我的名字他们马上就想到了，所以我觉得最重要的就是人生需要规划，但你不能规划到每一步，关键要对自己有自信，要热爱自己从事的工作，对它有真实的兴趣。当我第一走进华盛顿的时候，我非常有兴趣、非常有热情，我想去发现美国的工作机制到底是什么？像我来到美国，我不了解美国政府的工作机制，我想到政府里去看看他的工作机制是什么？所以我就进入了政府，当我进入了美国政府以后一扇门打开了，我进去之后又一扇门为我打开了，我又进去了，又一扇门随之打开。这些为我打开的门不是我之前可以预见的，因为当时我的视野是那么狭小，当时有很少的亚裔美国人在政府工作，没有榜样，没有人和我说未来的职业路径，但是后来我发现这个反倒是帮上了我的忙，因为父母常和我说人要有勇气、要有热情、要有好奇心。

我想有一件事是我父母反复和我强调的，那就是人不能没有好奇心，要有对某个事物的兴趣，有了好奇心才能不断的成功，才能推开一扇又一扇的门，这些门会为你打开。只要你有这种坚持的精神，之前做好规划，又有这样的毅力坚持下去，那今天在我们面前都存在这样的机会，机会非常多，我没有办法讲具体的展现形式。只要你对事物有好奇心、有坚强的意志、对自己有信心就一定会抓住很多很多的机会。我真的希望大家认识一下我的父亲，因为他是一个很有趣的人，他讲话的时候有上海口音，可是我想你们都是上海人，所以应该没有问题。

以下是开讲啦赵小兰完整版励志演讲视频：

赵小兰简介：

赵小兰(英文名：Elaine Chao)，美籍华人。2001年1月11日，当选总统乔治·沃克·布什提名赵小兰出任劳工部长。她是美国历史上第一位进入内阁的华裔，同时也是内阁中的第一位亚裔妇女。赵小兰的丈夫是现任美国参议院共和党领袖米奇·麦康奈尔。

原英文版演讲：

What are my career goals? I didn’t have it, which was a good thing because our community at that time was so small. So for me when I graduated from school. I was serious I had my simple goals, one is to get a job, two, it is basically to get an apartment, so I can be independent.

And then I went to Harvard Business School. I graduated from Harvard Business School, and because my family was in business. I decided to go into banking, to get some experience in banking. I didn’t understand so much about what banking was all about, but I learned. I worked for Citi Group, and when I was in the middle of working in Citi Group for 4 years, I had an opportunity to work at the White House because Citi Group had a special program. They selected outstanding performers within the bank and then gave them opportunity to support them for an intern in the government. I was selected as a White House fellow. I worked at the White House for one year. It was a difficult time, not easy, but I was so excited. It was so interesting because there was no Chinese, no Asian at the White House at that time, so I felt I was blazing a new trail for other Asian Americans. And I was learning a lot to be a better leader in the future. I worked for the White House for a year.

The President at that time was Wilson Reagan. He was from California. I grew up in New York.

I had never been to California, so I decided to go to California, so I found a job in Bank of America in California and moved to California. I didn’t know anybody. I didn’t have friends there, but I was excited. I just wanted to see what California was like. So I was within California for 3 years and one day I got a phone call from Secretary Elizabeth Dole, and she was the Secretary of Transportation, and she needed someone who understood banking which I gained the experience from Citi Bank, and she also needed someone who understood shipping which I also had gained in Bank of America, so the two expert teams really helped me to get the job that she had admired. She had a portfolio (证券投资组合) in the Department of Transportation that was losing $1.8 a year, and she needed a banker to go and clear it up. So within one weekend I flew back from California, found an apartment in Washington D.C and started work on Monday. This is Maritime Administration. I worked there for 2 years and learned a great deal about the government. Around 2 years later, I was appointed Chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission. The reason why I was appointed was because the previous chairman of Federal Maritime Commission had passed away suddenly. The government needed someone who understood shipping, who had been in the government in shipping, who can be the Chairman. So once again my particular background in shipping, transportation and banking was very important, so I was the Chairman for a year, and then a new president came in. It was the first President Bush, and he asked me to be the Deputy Secretary of the Department of Transportation. At that time I was 35, though older than you, very very young. I was the youngest Deputy Secretary in the whole government and I was also the first Asian American Deputy Secretary in United States government.

And then in 1992, more than 20 years ago, such a long time ago, President Bush lost his re-election. When he loses re-election, what happened to America is that everybody who was with him goes. So I joined United Way of America. United Way of America was the NO.1 charity in America. I was there for 4 years.

I had little time to get married at the age of 39. It was very late. My husband, as you know, is the leader of Congress. He is a very good husband. He does his own laundry, he cooks and helps me with the house too. He is very encouraging women. I think it is really important to find someone who is going to be your life partner because they will help you adapt your life and they will help you adapt to your career as well.

In 1996, I wanted a break, so I joined Think Tank where I took some time to study and learn more about American political system, how to get ideas across, because America is a very confrontational society. People are arguing all the time, so some people are saying this, some people are saying that, and it’s OK. There is a lot of fighting back and forth. And then in 2000, President George W. Bush was getting ready for his president chosen, and I had known him before, because I had companied with him for his father, and I knew him also at Harvard Business School. President George W. Bush was class of 71, and I was the class of 1979, so we knew each other from that as well. You will be interested to know that I was actually supposed to get, I thought, Department of Transportation, but nominate of Department of Transportation, so I was very disappointed.

I can tell you a lesson that if you face a disappointment, NO. 1, you must always think of a long term, so even though it can be a disappointment, don’t be discouraged. If you handle the disappointment well, there will be lots of other opportunities. So indeed, I was originally not offered, but I was indicated that Secretary of Labor was a position that they wanted for me. I wasn’t very familiar with labor as much as I was familiar with transportation. So I was hoping to be appointed to transportation. When it did not happen, I was very calm and I thanked the President and his team for considering me. I wish them well in their new administration, thinking that I will not be going to be a part of it. 2 weeks afterwith, the President nominate for the Secretary of Labor position encountered difficulties in confirmation hearing. In United States, the President proposes a Secretary, and then the Congress, the Senate approves. So the original choice for the Secretary of Labor encountered difficulties in her confirmation process, and she had to drop out(退出). So the White House, the President had to find a new Secretary of Labor, someone they trusted, someone they know, can clear and gain the approval of the Senate, who had no blemish on their records, so they can go through the confirmation process very easily. They approached me again and asked me whether I would be interested in accepting the position of the Secretary of Labor, so that was how I became the Secretary of Labor.

I wasn’t the first choice because my world at that time was so small that there were so few Asian Americans in the government at that time. There was no guide, no one to tell me what to expect, but what I did find helpful was what my parents were talking, you have to have courage, interest and curiosity. I think one thing my parents talked to me a great deal of is curiosity. You have to have interest, you have to have curiosity, and if you are curious, you will go on and seek more doors and more opened and these doors opened for you, if you have persistence, planned ahead, and if you have the will to persist. The world is changing so rapidly, so you have the same opportunities for you. I can’t tell you what the opportunities are, but if you have interest, and have the will, and you have the confidence, you will have a lot of opportunities.