It has been a long time since I’ve seen my brothers and sisters able to enjoy a holiday so freely and at ease.
In the past few years, even during the grandest festivals, there was always an underlying atmosphere of healing and quiet dejection.
Nothing like today — everyone is filled with eager anticipation for what comes after the holiday.
This is the power of hope: vibrant, full of life, radiant with sunshine.
You must never allow yourself to wallow too deeply in a “low period” — especially not to the point where the times and circumstances strip you of your fighting spirit.
Understand this: everyone, without exception, will go through stretches of embarrassing, face-in-the-mud days due to factors beyond their control.
But the harder the days, the less you can afford to dwell on them.
Think of a child who has fallen down. The one who sits there wailing, waiting for their parents to rush over and lift them up — that child is destined to lose in life to the one who stands back up on their own, eyes red, jaw clenched.
I’m sorry — today’s schedule has been packed with one thing after another, so I haven’t been able to settle down and write a proper article.
But something completely unexpected happened, a small surprise that caught me off guard: due to a miscalculation, I somehow blew past my fitness ceiling and managed to bench press 110kg for a working set.
I still remember how, for the past couple of years, being constantly busy kept me stuck under a 100kg ceiling for multiple reps — no matter what I tried. Today, it just happened, almost without thinking.
Honestly, I — Master Chi — had originally planned to take a break from writing for a couple of weeks. Use the time to read, and sort through some business and investment matters.
But as it turned out, on the very first day I set down my pen, I woke up to three consecutive reports of horrific social tragedies — each one unfolding in places we pass through in our ordinary daily lives.
Tonight’s dinner was an interesting one. With the new school term just around the corner, several well-connected friends from the Jiangnan region had brought their children along to the meal.
They knew I had a particular gift for developing people, so they seized the opportunity to let their children spend some time with me — to hear my thoughts and gain some perspective.
I have to say, this was an exceptionally wise decision.
★ - If things have been going badly for you lately, I want you to know — this is not your fault.
I shared this at the start of the year: our extraordinary rise over the past forty-plus years has fundamentally transformed our role on the world stage. We evolved from a cheap manufacturing supplier into what we are today — a holder of mid-to-high-end technology, and undeniably one of the top powers in the world.
This afternoon, a distant cousin of mine suddenly sent me a message, asking if I could spare about fifteen minutes — he had something he wanted to talk through with me.
The moment I heard that, I set aside everything I was working on and told him: whatever was weighing on him, he should just speak freely. We’re family — anything I can do to help, I’ll give it my full effort.
I’ve noticed that many students I consult with are shortsighted when it comes to workplace survival. At the first sign of disagreement, they want to manage upward, carelessly offend their superiors, then get pushed out — and without the means to turn things around, they end up marginalized and shown the door.
First, don’t underestimate your manager. Someone who can cut through complex affairs, verify and cross-check from multiple angles and channels, untangle the mess, and make reasonably sound decisions — that requires formidable logical thinking and hard-won experience.
If you see great potential in a leader, truly commit to becoming part of their world — follow them for at least three to five years. Don’t just skim the surface; immerse yourself completely in their circle.
There’s no need to diminish yourself. From the moment they choose to work with you, both of you are exchanging your respective value.
Learn how they turn things around when facing adversity — from mindset, to judgment, to execution.
Never paint your life too rosy. Because if you want to reach true awakening, you are destined to pass through an extraordinarily brutal low point.
But only by going through that low point — and surviving it — will your life pattern (格局), your vision, and your mindset undergo a genuine leap forward. A life of unbroken smooth sailing produces no real growth at all.
So what does a low point actually look like?