What is it, exactly?
As you slowly move into middle age, you must cultivate a mindset of letting yourself off the hook — and letting others off the hook too.
No ruminating. No explaining yourself. No flattering. No second-guessing.
Whatever you do, stop draining yourself with that exhausting habit of turning every decision over and over in your mind, trying to account for everyone’s feelings at every step.
Just focus on doing your own thing well. Then, openly and generously, offer your warmth and energy to the people who deserve it — the ones who can actually see and appreciate you.
No matter how deeply a person has walked the path of spiritual cultivation (修行), they are, in the end, still human.
And being human means carrying the six desires and seven emotions — craving the pleasures of sight and sound. Especially when the door closes behind them: how many people can truly hold firm against the pull of appetite and desire?
Just a week ago, I said there were more jaw-dropping events to come — prominent, celebrated names heading straight into a mudslide of scandal and ruined reputations. I just didn’t expect it to happen this fast. What follows may well arrive in quick succession.
Because this is so widespread and so dangerous, I — Master Chi — must sound the alarm for you.
Remember this: if someone spends their days pouring endless complaints into your ears, treat it as a warning sign and work to distance yourself from that person as soon as you can.
The reason they vent to you constantly is simple — in their mind, you are an emotional spittoon. A vessel designed to receive unlimited negativity, bad moods, and toxic energy without limit.
Master Chi has been busy with content lately, but came across an article today that compiles life advice from various authoritative institutions around the world — both domestic and international.
With 40 tips in all, we can’t possibly follow every one. But a quick scan is always worthwhile as a reference.
Exercise 30 minutes daily (The Lancet) Get 7–9 hours of sleep (The Sleep Revolution) Read one book per week (Yale University) Learn one new skill per year (Max Planck Institute) Meditate for 20 minutes each morning (Massachusetts General Hospital) Eat more colorful fruits and vegetables (New England Journal of Medicine) See 3 friends per week (Harvard University) Write a gratitude journal before bed (University of California) Save 20% of your income (Berkshire Hathaway) Post your goals on the refrigerator (Dominican University) Take a walk in the park on weekends (University of Exeter) Count to 10 silently before speaking when angry (Carnegie Foundation) Switch your phone to grayscale mode (Stanford Attention Lab) Volunteer once a month (University of Michigan) Try unfamiliar routes (psychologists) Write a weekly review (Wharton School) Smile before answering the phone (University of California) Keep only one credit card (credit reports) Write stream-of-consciousness when under stress (trauma treatment experts) Leave your phone in the living room at night (Penn Behavioral Lab) Drink enough water daily — 2–3 liters (British Journal of Nutrition) Practice deep breathing exercises regularly (Harvard Medical School) Get 15 minutes of sunlight daily to improve vitamin D levels (Nature journal) Share dinner with family 3 times per week (Columbia University) Learn a musical instrument (Frontiers in Neuroscience) Tidy your room for 10 minutes daily (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology) Practice mindful eating (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition) Do a weekly “digital detox” — reduce screen time (Annals of Behavioral Medicine) Compliment someone every day (Journal of Positive Psychology) Regularly review your career plan (McKinsey research) Cultivate a hobby that costs nothing (Journal of Happiness Studies) Give yourself 2 hours of alone time per week (Psychological Science) Decline meaningless social obligations (Journal of Social Psychology) Learn basic financial literacy (Federal Reserve economic research) Do one thing each day your future self will thank you for — like planning ahead (Journal of Behavioral Decision Making) Practice the “5-Second Rule” to overcome procrastination (Mel Robbins research) Get regular health checkups (The Lancet Public Health) Spend more time with positive people — emotional contagion theory (Nature Human Behaviour) Learn one phrase in a foreign language daily — builds cognitive reserve (Brain and Language) Avoid serious discussions in the hour before bed — improves sleep quality (Sleep Medicine Reviews)
The day before yesterday I shared some thoughts with my brothers and sisters on the topic of “getting out more — absorbing the spiritual Chi of heaven and earth, drawing in the essence of sun and moon, and restoring both body and mind.”
The response surprised me. Everyone agreed, and many asked me to go further — to share more practical suggestions for elevating their Chi fortune (气运).
Fair enough. Some of these principles carry real weight. Today is a rest day, so let me sit down and talk through a few more with you.
Tonight, just one simple heartfelt thought — nothing more.
The best state of life: long-term optimism, short-term caution, consistent self-discipline, occasional spontaneity.
Live by these words, and you will have both achievement and joy in your life — and they will come with ease and quiet certainty.
The recent business surrounding Elder Zong has everyone talking — and honestly, I’m a bit surprised too, because in Jiangnan circles, this has long been an open secret.
But never mind. That sort of trivial romance gossip is best left for the entertainment crowd to chew over.
Master Chi would rather use this moment to share a few thoughts:
1 — Never trust a public persona. Never be blinded by how polished someone appears in public.
If you are 33 years old right now and have nothing to show for it — you can still take one or two years to retreat, reflect, and do a thorough post-mortem on your past failures. Get your thinking straight. When you emerge, you’ll still only be 35.
Then, with ruthless resolve and a near-possessed level of drive, you push forward and build. Even if it takes a full ten years before you have real wealth and real results — at that point, you’ll only be 45. Solidly in your prime. You haven’t even reached the halfway point of your life.
1 —
Something interesting keeps happening: every so often, a reader reaches out asking the same question — “Master Chi, I’m already in my thirties. Is there any point in having you analyze my life pattern (格局)? I feel like my youth is behind me, I’ve run out of time, and there’s no way things can turn out well from here.”
And yet they can’t accept the idea of fading away quietly — living an unremarkable, flat, dried-out life. They’re still not sure whether there’s any point in having me read their destiny.
1 - If your finances allow, give your children access to schools with stronger faculty credentials and better academic pedigree. As you’ve likely noticed, the majority of food safety and education scandals in recent years have disproportionately come from smaller cities. Keep this in mind: talented educators and medical professionals overwhelmingly tend to build their careers in major cities.
2 - Keep an eye on what your elders are impulse-buying online — those unregulated products with no manufacturer info, no certifications, and no quality guarantees are a consistent hygiene risk. When it comes to food, never chase a bargain. It has always been: you get what you pay for. If the price looks wrong, the quality is wrong — you just can’t see it yet.