Maturity has no necessary connection to age.
Some people grow old while their thinking stays stale — out of touch with the times, coasting on seniority alone. They remain, in every meaningful sense, immature. Others are in their thirties, parents even, yet still think like children — afraid of the world, adrift in it, retreating into small, familiar circles.
Meanwhile, others I know rose to senior executive roles at major companies while still young, built substantial businesses of their own, or generated remarkable wealth through investing. What they share is this: the way they speak, act, and read situations carries a maturity that far exceeds their years.
Tonight, I want to share a small reflection — just a casual late-night chat between you and me.
Don’t let obsession run too deep.
Do what you can, then let Heaven decide. Once you can see the broad direction clearly, giving seventy or eighty percent of your effort is enough.
Because the day you truly come into great wealth, you’ll find that managing it drains your mind and spirit. Buy a grand estate, and you’ll discover maintaining it is just as exhausting. Achieve fame and success, and you’ll find troubles multiplying by the day — an endless stream of people seeking your favor, and just as many who resent you.
If you frequently meet influential figures at work events and dinner parties, you’ve probably collected their contact info — but have no idea how to follow up. Take someone working in financial marketing: attractive, but worried about coming across as too agenda-driven, and acutely aware of the status gap. So the connection never goes beyond a first meeting. How do you actually maintain high-value connections when you’re just starting out?
Student Question: Master, there’s a concept going around: you should chase “sustainable compound value” — the kind of work that generates continuously compounding returns. In your view, what kinds of things can ordinary people do that qualify? Does reading, writing, or public speaking count?
Master Chi’s Response:
This is self-help chicken soup.
Here’s the simplest test: according to the logic of compounding, any wealth you hold will grow exponentially given enough time. So by that reasoning, anyone can become a billionaire — all you need is patience.
Lately, I’ve grown quite fond of this rhythm — a few short pieces, then a few longer ones. It feels just right.
And I think this rhythm will suit you too. Reading with a little ebb and flow is always more comfortable than plowing through long essays several days in a row.
Behind this shift, I believe, is something inseparable from the changing spirit of the times.
Back in 2016–2021, everyone was charging full speed ahead — sleeves rolled up, eyes fixed on material gain.
I’ve attempted to publish this article multiple times, only to have it blocked each time for “sensitive content.” After spending an entire afternoon carefully weighing every word and revising several passages, it finally went through — and it wasn’t easy. Consider this a warm-up piece for the new journey ahead. Please read it carefully and treasure it, my friends.
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After this holiday ends, stop squandering yourself. Immediately audit and clean up what you consume. Delete all the mindless gossip, celebrity scandals, entertainment, and joke content — and start following finance, real estate, politics, and in-depth analysis instead.
Tonight I won’t write a long article. In response to overwhelming demand from readers, I’ve created a brand new screensaver: “Hall of Gold and Jade.”
Along with it, I’m resharing the previous ones I made as well.
The reason: well over a hundred of you have written in to say that after switching to the new screensavers, your mood, your state of mind, and your overall energy have all genuinely improved — almost immediately.
Today I’ll just get things started. The rest, I hope you’ll share in the comments. 🌞
After this recent trip to North America, the impression that stuck with me most is this: life overseas — especially in North America — is getting harder and harder.
The most obvious signs? Housing prices and the cost of living are brutal. Even white communities, who have generally never been known for watching their spending, are starting to think twice about every dollar.
2023-09-19 17:37 — Commander replies to Awakening: Please don’t discuss specific [stock picks] here…
2023-09-19 18:04 — Awakening:
2023-09-19 18:16 — Commander
2023-09-19 16:43 — Commander: The cycle may arrive ahead of schedule!
All available information is now signaling one thing: pervasive pessimism about weakening demand. The most telling example is Germany’s PMI — Europe’s manufacturing powerhouse — approaching 30. This so-called Purchasing Managers’ Index reflects the forward-looking judgments of supply chain participants at every level. Based on industry experience and their own operating conditions, they form expectations about future production — and then adjust inventory up or down accordingly. This figure is forecast to…
All current information points toward one thing: a pervasive pessimism about slumping demand. The clearest example is Germany’s PMI — the manufacturing powerhouse of Europe — approaching 30. This so-called Purchasing Managers’ Index reflects the judgments made by supply chain participants, based on industry experience and their own conditions, about future production expectations — judgments that drive decisions to increase or reduce inventory. The figure signals whether production willingness is expanding or contracting. Over the past few months, it broke above 50 several times, prompting sweeping pessimistic coverage from Western media. But Germany’s index has since fallen below 40. Subsequently released US data shows that over the first seven months, American imports from the rest of the world dropped by $1 trillion compared to the same period last year. As the world’s largest consumer market, the Eagle’s (America’s) imports are other countries’ exports; its demand is other nations’ production. This sharp drop in demand has left mid- and downstream manufacturers starved of orders, which in turn has kept raw material exports and commodities in a sustained slump. The commodity price cycle, therefore, will determine the overall direction of the global economy.