Today is Qixi Festival — the day traditionally reserved for speaking about romance and the art of finding love. But the more I think about it, since the ultimate destination of any romance is a family, and eventually a family lineage, I’d rather talk about something more substantial.
Most of my readers are well past the age of youthful impulsiveness. The majority already have careers, assets, and real skin in the game. So today, let’s talk about the spirit of a thriving family.
You — don’t you dare give up on yourself or hang your head in defeat just because you weren’t born into privilege, didn’t receive a good education, or didn’t start life from a strong position. Master Chi has encountered an extraordinarily wide range of people, and I am genuinely confident saying this: the art of playing your destiny cards well has very little to do with where you came from.
Recently, with all sorts of scandalous drama erupting left and right, a number of female readers have been sending requests asking me to address the subject of infidelity — and with so many voices asking, this piece was inevitable. That said, male readers, please don’t skip this article. Have you noticed? Most of the hot-button discussions lately center on women cheating, with men cast as the wronged party. So this article will also devote space to the craft and mindset of predicting infidelity before it happens.
Today’s article is on the longer side — and admittedly a bit dry. But if you want to capture real profits in the phase ahead and actually hold onto them, building them into solid capital for your future ventures, then you absolutely must read this to the end.
Patience has always been the dividing line between those who get harvested like weeds and those who are genuinely ambitious predators. You simply cannot imagine a reckless, impulsive person — one who can’t even invest ten minutes in reading — being capable of pouring sufficient effort into anything and achieving real success. Which is exactly why they are destined to be losers: the ones who hand over their chips, roar in frustration, and are ultimately powerless — the eliminated.
This article is approximately five thousand characters. Please ensure you have a full twenty minutes of uninterrupted time before reading.
Who is this article written for?
This question is crucial. Like Master Chi’s other writings, articles that appear to be published in one place are in fact aimed at very different audiences.
I have written words of encouragement for young people just starting out, and I have written essays on cunning strategy for those who have found success in their prime. The content seems contradictory from piece to piece — deliberately so, because readers benefit from different angles.
Note: This piece was written three weeks ago, intended as a gift to all young people who are about to step into society or have just begun their journey. So many young people are heartbreakingly naive because their entire worldview consists of one equation: “I know how to do one thing, so I should be able to get something in return.” But the world doesn’t operate that way, and life is never that simple. This is a small yet comprehensive awakening for the road ahead. May every parent and every young person find something of value here.
There is a strange idea circulating today — popular among white-collar workers and grassroots circles alike: networking, socializing, building connections — none of it is worth thinking about. If you’re good enough, people will naturally come to you. So all you need to do is focus on your craft, sharpen it to the sharpest, the absolute sharpest, the most razor-sharp it can be! Heh.
Under this kind of thinking, more and more young people have become social components who “only know how to tighten bolts, but have no idea how to steer the ship.” Among them, the lucky ones become high-end components — with longer career spans and more grueling workloads. The unlucky ones grind through 996 schedules until their early forties, and when they finally can’t keep going, they become easily replaceable.
Preface: Master Chi sincerely hopes this article reaches as few readers as possible.
Anyone who clicked on this title is either currently — or has previously been — going through a period of adversity. Whether you’ve fallen in business, lost everything in investments, or been cast aside by the times, left behind by the platforms you once depended on — this article was written for you.
Because only those who have lost something want to reclaim it. Because only those who have been pushed back want to make a comeback.
I know this year has been hard for you. It has been for me too.
But there is nothing you cannot get through.
Don’t give up — don’t act on impulse.
Promise me: savor life fully, whether in abundance or in scarcity.
Every day is a reincarnation (轮回), a karmic cycle turning over. Every day is an act of spiritual cultivation (修行). Life is forever woven from suffering and joy — and in the end, it always returns to the ordinary.
A lot of you have been wondering lately whether I’ve stopped posting.
Not at all. I’ve simply been resting — barely writing, not seeing any consultation clients. Aside from answering a few questions on the community about life, investing, and decisions, I’ve spent the rest of the time in quiet recovery.
There are many reasons for this. After years of nonstop work, my body and mind simply wanted to pause. And there were enough failures and shortcomings along the way that I wanted to take this moment to reflect. The times themselves have hit a small lull, so I’ve finally settled my heart and chosen to “stop.”