After writing so many insightful articles, I find myself increasingly convinced that the wisdom capable of truly changing a life is rarely complex. It simply needs the right person to deliver it in the right tone.
And if you were my child, these few principles below would be the most heartfelt lessons I’d want to pass on to you.
On Life
Most people in this world place far too much pressure and burden on “life” — as though unless they achieve something notable, their existence has been wasted. It simply doesn’t need to be that way.
With the exception of a handful of people you could count on one hand, the presence or absence of any individual — including you and me — leaves no great mark on this world.
Having ambitions for your life is, of course, a good thing. It shows confidence, drive, and the desire to grow. But Master Chi still hopes you’ll remember: at its essence, life is a journey — eighty short years to experience the full spectrum of joy and sorrow, sweetness and hardship.
Speaking today as someone who has truly held great wealth in his hands, I hope above all that your life maintains balance and equanimity. Balance means keeping a healthy rhythm — rest when you should rest, work hard when you should work hard. Don’t burn yourself out, and don’t squander your time. Leave the rest to destiny.
Equanimity means that when you face whatever fate delivers — whether ordinary circumstances, good fortune, or hardship — you don’t let it throw you off course. Remember: none of these states are permanent. So when hardship and setbacks come, don’t sink too deep into despair. Unless death takes you, every difficulty in life eventually has a day when you walk out the other side.
The best attitude toward life is this: “Quietly cultivate your inner self, observe the shifting tides with calm, neither broken by hardship nor lost in good fortune.”
On Marriage
Marriage is one of the very few major decisions in life that you must make entirely on your own. A major decision, by definition, will shape your life profoundly. For many people, happiness flows from it — but for just as many, their suffering is rooted there too.
Some will counsel you to evaluate a marriage purely on practical terms; others will say follow your heart entirely. In my view, both extremes miss the mark. Whether a marriage is worth committing yourself to comes down to one essential question: does your partner have a genuine sense of responsibility?
Responsibility is a far deeper quality than romance. With it, a young man who once had nothing can grow into someone you can lean on. A girl who once lived only for fun can mature into a trusted partner who holds a household together. Responsibility is the core quality to seek in a life companion.
But to find such a match, you yourself must not slack in your own growth. At minimum, become a person of substance and dignity — only then will you move in circles where you can meet a partner who is truly your equal.
The most common tragedy Master Chi witnesses in marriage is when one party still has tremendous room to grow, yet feels pressured and rushed into marriage before their time. No matter how clever you are in youth, your experience and breadth of vision are still limited. This easily leads to mismatches — a dormant dragon paired with an ordinary sparrow, a phoenix hatchling beside a common serpent. In the early years they manage. But as the gap between them widens and neither can walk away because of family and children, both end up trapped in quiet misery, the marriage an empty shell.
Master Chi has encountered many cases where both parties married well into their late thirties or even past forty. At first glance, both seemed to have “missed” their optimal window — yet this in no way made their companionship any less fulfilling.
So when it comes to marriage: do not rush, do not panic, do not let anxiety grip you — and above all, do not settle for less simply because of your age. Being single, while not ideal, is far better than two people slowly tearing each other apart.
On marriage, remember this: “It is not a race. First place is not necessarily the winner. The true victor is the one who finds their rightful match.”
On Career
If fate chooses to grant you extraordinary professional success, I would naturally be proud of you. Material abundance and recognized standing will make you feel this life was well worth living.
But if fate chooses to give you only an ordinary career, I would still consider you fortunate — because it means you are equally free from the crushing pressures and risks that come with high achievement.
People always assume that power and status represent the pinnacle of life. But that isn’t so. You will eventually understand that every gain in material wealth and standing comes with a price — and when those prices accumulate, they make your life progressively heavier and more exhausting. That is not, in truth, a good thing.
A bowl of abalone rice is certainly more flavorful than plain congee — but when your heart is weighed down with heavy concerns, even the most exquisite taste is something you can hardly stop to savor.
This is precisely why you’ll notice that the most powerful and wealthy figures, once they reach middle age, gradually begin to quiet down and seek peace and stability instead.
So in Master Chi’s view, a good career must deliver three things: extraordinary wealth; genuine and tangible personal growth; and irreplaceable joy. If your career gives you even one of these, it is worth pouring yourself into.
But if it gives you none of the three, then you must be clear-eyed: this is simply a job — no matter how impressive the title sounds.
On Investment
I’ll discuss business and investment together here. As someone who is himself a semi-professional, semi-amateur investor, Master Chi hopes you understand one thing: whether in business or investment, making money requires your fundamentals to be genuinely solid. Once your fundamentals are strong enough, opportunities will find you sooner or later — because under the combined force of your judgment and capability, they simply cannot escape you.
Contrary to what most people imagine, the outstanding businesspeople and top investors of today are no longer the opportunists of twenty years ago. Without exception, they are relentlessly pursuing the refinement of genuine skill.
A wealthy friend of Master Chi’s in Nanjing — in her mid-forties today — was fiercely driven from a young age. In her youth, she applied every ounce of her intelligence to successfully marry into one of the prominent second-generation families in the Jinling area, transforming her life’s trajectory in a single move. But did she then simply settle into comfort? Not at all.
Every morning at six-thirty sharp, she rises. After a simple meal, she begins her morning reading. By nine o’clock she is scheduling her afternoon appointments, while fitting in aerobic and strength training — moving with the composed energy of a mature, agile leopard.
Afternoons are her regular society gatherings. What appears on the surface to be leisurely conversation is, in reality, a room where everyone present is there for a reason. Each gathering has three to four guests at minimum, seven or eight at most, and rarely repeats the same group unless there is purpose in doing so.
She turns every remark and piece of gossip over in her mind. The moment she catches the scent of an opportunity or a financial opening, she moves on it immediately — no hesitation, with remarkable speed and precision. Even when things don’t work out, she makes a genuine effort. Over time, people came to see her as someone with extraordinary reach and exceptional capability.
Here is a woman whose days appear to be nothing more than social gatherings — yet half of Jinling’s antiques trade, private capital networks, and key connections somehow all link back to her. Even without her husband’s backing, her personal sphere of influence extends far and wide. A conservative estimate of her net worth? Nine figures, mid-range.
Does someone like this need others to hand her opportunities? No — at least not the kind where the opportunity must fall perfectly into her bowl before she’ll act. She creates her own opportunities and claims everything she needs. Business and investment: she handles both with equal mastery.
Closing
This piece was never meant to be too elaborate — consider it a warm-up as I return to form.