The secret to success

 　　While favorable circumstances are easier to navigate, adversity always outweighs them. In the journey of life, often it's not favorable circumstances that determine a person's fate, but rather adversity; whether one can successfully overcome them determines the success or failure of their career. This is especially true in the business world.

　　Those of us who work in the workplace know the importance of following our superiors' orders. Sometimes, leaders don't prefer the most talented employees, but rather those who are more obedient, because this is beneficial to their management. However, life tells us that this isn't always the case. Sometimes, disobeying our superiors can yield unexpected results.

　　In a Starbucks store in Santa Monica, California, an employee named Tina Campion launched a new iced coffee drink that she believed customers would love, and she even gave it a catchy name: Frappuccino. However, just as everything was about to stop, she encountered rejection at the last step. The company didn't recognize the new product, and her boss forbade her from selling it in Starbucks stores. Perhaps most people would have stopped there and obeyed their superiors. But Tina Campion didn't give up on her plan. Knowing the company forbade her to sell it, she offered free samples to customers. To her surprise, they loved it, so she boldly started selling her homemade iced coffee in Starbucks stores. A month later, she was astonished to find that it was the most popular drink. Even more unexpectedly, some time later, she received a call from Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks. Schultz thanked her for ignoring his orders and decided to roll out her iced coffee nationwide. In its first year alone, the drink earned the company $100 million.

　　The secret to success can be summed up in two words: innovation. Sometimes, we really need to break with convention, have courage, be innovative, and adjust our thinking promptly. Because every success is hard-won, and the first person to try something new has to take a risk.