Today is the Lantern Festival. First, I wish all my brothers and sisters peace, joy, and smooth sailing in everything. And since it is the Lantern Festival, it also marks the true beginning of the new year.
Some of you are still feeling a little lost. You sense that this Year of the Wood Dragon may bring a gradual warming and renewal — yet you’re not quite sure what to do about it.
Here is what I believe we must commit to in 2024: “Total focus, wholehearted dedication. Hold it in mind, and it will find its echo.”
What does this mean?
It means we must pull ourselves together. No more letting failure and the urge to just lie flat take root in our hearts. Instead, remind yourself: a new cycle has begun. This is a good starting point — and I cannot afford to be complacent and let it slip by.
So we must attend carefully to what is right in front of us, treat the people in front of us well, and cherish the connections that are right here, right now.
Take your career as an example. When you are focused on your work, give it everything — don’t second-guess yourself or keep looking over your shoulder. Instead, approach every single task at hand with care and thoroughness, and hold yourself to that standard consistently, day after day.
Let me be clear: this is not about becoming a mindless workhorse who sacrifices everything and gets nothing in return.
It is about using this state of earnest engagement to continuously build your capabilities and deepen your inner foundation.
Once your abilities grow and that inner foundation becomes solid, you will find that the road ahead suddenly opens wide and becomes clear. At that point, any opportunity you choose to act on can lift you up an entire level — and you will quickly pull away from those mediocre souls who spin their wheels endlessly but never seem to improve.
Remember: life is a fascinating thing, and it is always bitter before it is sweet.
And it is only through that bitterness that the sweetness becomes something you can truly enjoy — with peace of mind, free from any backlash or lingering negative energy.
The same principle applies to everyday life. Bring total focus and wholehearted dedication to everything you do.
When you eat, eat with intention — eat healthy food, eat food you enjoy, eat food that nourishes you. Don’t settle for stuffing yourself with high-sugar, high-fat junk and calling it enough.
When you sleep, sleep with intention. Don’t lie in bed endlessly scrolling your phone in search of some hollow sense of relaxation. The deepest rest for both mind and body is always a full, uninterrupted night’s sleep.
Likewise, in how you treat family and friends: either fully respect their own life’s path without interference, or engage genuinely and offer your care with real sincerity.
And when it comes to reading, exercise, self-reflection, and review — be completely undistracted, deaf to the noise outside your window.
Do not let unnecessary things and unworthy people drain your precious energy.
Make a firm decision to reclaim your Jing-Qi-Shen (精气神 — your vital essence, Chi, and spirit), and direct it entirely toward what truly matters. Waste none of it.
Under this kind of focus, you will quickly notice that your state of being, your energy, your emotions, and your fortune (运势) all continue to improve — and with a particularly clear, flowing ease.
This is the practice you are here to cultivate this year.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us work toward this together. We can do it.