Always iterate upward and keep growing. Not having a glamorous background or resume is nothing to fear. With clear goals and the drive to execute, there is always hope.
What should working professionals pay attention to? Projects you can be proud of — projects with a strong reputation across the industry. Former colleagues and upstream/downstream connections who trust and support you, and speak well of you. Transferable knowledge — through your work, can you walk away with insights that apply broadly across multiple fields at a higher level of understanding?
Student Question:
Hello Master, some background: I’m a college senior. Both my parents work at my uncle’s company. It started when my father’s factory investment failed and our family went bankrupt — no debt, but no money either. That’s when my uncle invited my father to join his company as a manager. The role was demanding, overseeing many employees, but paid around four to five thousand a month — not much, yet it was rain after a long drought.
Student Question: My job search hasn’t been going well lately, and the positions I find don’t pay much. Once, my mother said something really hurtful — that if she spent all that money raising and educating me only for me to end up in a job like this, then what was the point of studying at all. Those words genuinely hurt. On top of that, I worry about joining a company, working there for a few months, failing to get along with colleagues, not adjusting to the work, and then quitting — and cycling through jobs like that over and over. How do I overcome this?
From childhood through adulthood, we are shaped by one relentless message: “You must stand out — you must be better than everyone else. That is the only measure of success.”
And so our minds grow tense from an early age — always afraid of being overtaken, terrified of falling behind, haunted by the fear of being left out.
But as you truly mature, you come to understand that excellence takes two forms: overcoming others, and overcoming yourself.
People often ask me how to improve their professional capabilities — whether there’s some shortcut they’re missing.
I’ve thought about it, and honestly, the paths boil down to just a few:
Read like your life depends on it Work like your life depends on it Take care of your body That’s it.
For ordinary people without exceptional talent, there’s no special growth formula. Those legendary stories you hear? They’re written for geniuses — they have nothing to do with the rest of us.
Recently, many of my brothers and sisters have been telling me they’re already feeling the influence of the Li Fire major cycle (离火大运). Their emotions and mindset have grown increasingly restless and anxious — it’s hard to settle down and get anything done.
So I thought it was time to write something to help cool that inner fire. Let’s talk about how to achieve what the ancients called a state of calm Chi, tranquil spirit — where everything flows smoothly.
Student Question: Hello Master, what are the things that truly broaden one’s horizons? Work, travel, reading — or stepping outside the circle you’re comfortable in?
Master Chi’s Response: My answer is this: learn to become a producer.
Most people in this world are timid as producers, but relentless as consumers.
Reading fifty thousand words a day — effortless, pure pleasure. Writing two thousand words a day — stumbling at every step. Spending a hundred thousand a month — light as breathing. Earning a hundred thousand a month — nearly impossible.
Every Friday night is the perfect prelude to a beautiful weekend — and nobody wants to wade through a lengthy read. So here are a few simple tips to help boost your fortune (旺运). Don’t take my word for it: those who’ve tried them say they work remarkably well. [福]
1 - The year-end is approaching. Avoid gloomy, dreary places as much as possible. Instead, head to upscale, bustling malls, hotels, and restaurants. The livelier and more prosperous the venue, the better — go soak up that good energy.
There is one thing you absolutely must wake up to as an ordinary person: the wealthy and powerful who stand where they are today got there with very little to do with “hard work.” Who among the ordinary isn’t working hard just to survive?
Remember — moving up comes down to three core things.
First, the accumulated legacy of generations before you. Second, the ruthless willingness to keep seizing era-defining opportunities. Third, deeply-rooted, interlocking networks of resources.
Once a person can recognize patterns, those patterns lose their power over them. This is true not only in chess, but in every other domain of life. If you look back at the formulas used by the most popular magazines of our youth — Reader, Yilin, Zhiyin — you’ll find they didn’t just capture human nature; they captured the core desires of their era. At the very least, their approach to shaping public opinion is worth studying.