The greatest tragedy in life is toiling your entire existence only to find you never enjoyed a single moment of it.
Don’t wait until your final years, looking back on everything, only to realize the only thing you can remember is relentless struggle — not one sweet memory to show for it. That would truly be pitiful.
So my life philosophy has always been this: know how to strive, but also know how to live.
That’s why, even though my articles are full of drive and ambition, when I sit down with readers to analyze their destiny charts (命盘), I always pursue both prosperity and happiness together.
Money must be earned. Connections must be cultivated. Blessings must be savored.
That is what it means to win at life.
Today’s article is simple — just a few small reflections on living well. Some touch on wealth, some on life itself. I hope you find them useful.
1
Financial freedom is genuinely not that hard — because true financial freedom has never been a specific number.
Without discipline, living lavishly, even hundreds of millions won’t be enough. With good management and a curious mind, a few hundred thousand can become a formidable treasury.
So the number itself isn’t the point. What matters is hitting four small goals:
- A primary career you love — one you’re actually willing to invest your time and effort into mastering
- A few small side ventures that bear fruit with just your time and physical effort
- A home that meets your daily needs as a solid foundation
- Frugal living habits, and an investment mindset that doesn’t let excitement override judgment
Just those four. That’s it. Not too much, is it?
Even if the financial returns from these aren’t enormous, reaching them will fill your life with a genuine sense of stability and contentment — and from there, you’ll have the foundation to build toward something even more comfortable.
2
The true secret to a comfortable life: make every effort to keep it light — fewer burdens, fewer anxieties.
This is wisdom with deep roots in Chinese metaphysics (玄学).
I often receive messages from readers venting in my inbox — too many setbacks at work, children who won’t listen, a marriage that’s lost its harmony.
How do you break through? It’s not as simple as just walking away — we’re all adults here; nobody’s that impulsive.
The best approach is to let go of what you might call the ego-grip: our stubborn insistence on seeing only the outcome we want. In plain terms — stop forcing yourself to accept nothing short of the ideal result.
Do your best, put in your effort — then let things unfold naturally. Do what you can, and leave the rest to heaven.
Don’t burden yourself with pointless pressure. Keep a light hand on things — accept the good, make peace with the bad, and move on.
After all, whose life goes by without its fair share of both smooth sailing and rough seas?
I’m no different. When it’s heaven’s will, I give it everything I have — and then I accept what comes with equanimity.
3
Don’t treat yourself like an ascetic monk. The blessings you’re meant to enjoy — don’t deliberately deprive yourself of them. There’s no reason to.
A human life spans fewer than thirty thousand days. Subtract childhood and old age at either end, then subtract the exhausting, grinding stretches in between.
The time truly left to experience this vast world is surprisingly short — genuinely compact.
So meaningful life experiences must be had.
In my view, among all the ways to truly live, travel is the most meaningful.
When you travel, don’t just check into any random five-star hotel. Seek out the places that can genuinely be called masterpieces of hospitality.
Places like Mandarin Oriental Bangkok, Hoshinoya Tokyo, Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, Azerai Can Tho.
Strictly speaking, these retreats represent the most perfect environments human hands can create. They’re not cheap — but if you want to experience the absolute pinnacle of what this world has to offer, they are deeply worth it.
Luxury cruises deserve a mention too — something worth experiencing at least once with the people you love.
I’ve personally sailed on the Oasis of the Seas and the Quantum of the Seas, and both left me with beautiful memories. I’m also looking forward to trying the Wonder of the Seas in a few years.
The difference between travel and cruising, strictly speaking: travel asks you to dig deeper, to personally uncover the wonder and magic of each place. A cruise is pure pleasure and pure relaxation. Both have their own kind of charm.
4
Better rare and refined than frequent and mediocre.
This sounds complex, but it explains itself immediately.
The idea: keep everyday life as economical and waste-free as possible — but at the meaningful moments, treat yourself well without hesitation.
Day to day, a bowl of rice, one meat dish, one vegetable is perfectly fine. But on weekends, holidays, and special occasions? That’s when you seek out the restaurants in your city with real reputations and savor true craftsmanship.
This is what I mean by: plain congee and pickled vegetables go down just fine — but abalone tastes even better when the moment calls for it.
More plainly: spend where it counts, save where it doesn’t. Direct your energy and wealth toward experiences that leave a deep and lasting impression.
I have a close friend I’ve known for many years who lives by this principle completely.
If you don’t know her well, you might genuinely struggle to understand her daily life. She can spend an entire week on milk, oatmeal, eggs, apples, and oranges — without a single craving.
But every so often, she’ll go alone to the finest restaurant in Shanghai, order a full table of exquisite dishes, and eat slowly, quietly, savoring every bite.
That evening, she’ll check into a top-tier hotel at off-season rates, gaze at the glittering city skyline beyond the window, and drift gently to sleep.
Her wardrobe follows the same logic. On any given day, she rotates through a small set of three basic outfits — the same ones, over and over. But once each season, she buys herself one exceptional piece from a top brand: a coat, a jacket, an evening dress, a timeless classic.
The better you know her, the more you see it clearly: this is a woman who spends precisely where it matters. Her everyday simplicity saves her enormous amounts of money and energy — while her experience of life is extraordinarily rich.
That’s a philosophy worth living by.
Alright, that’s enough for today — any longer and it starts to feel like rambling.
What I mean, I think, comes through clearly enough between the lines: I simply hope you can build a life that balances effort and rest, and is filled with exceptional experiences along the way.
Thirty-some thousand days. The time that’s truly yours — honestly, it isn’t much.
So treasure it. Don’t waste it.