Almost everyone who asks me to analyze their life pattern (格局) has one burning question: “When am I finally going to get wealthy?”
Fair enough. It’s a shallow question, but it still deserves a proper answer.
I don’t expect you to grasp this in a single read — but go through it a few times, and something will click.
If I’m right about this, what follows is the highest-level insight on this subject you’re going to find anywhere.
If you’ve already reached middle age, yet your career, your prospects, and your family life still show no signs of improvement — or worse, things seem to be getting harder by the day — then you need to read this article carefully.
This is a deeply restorative prescription, written to help you rebuild from the root up.
Drink it slowly. There’s no rush.
1
After the economic turbulence of the past two years, I hope you’ve come to understand: those who once took shortcuts, back-alley deals, and risky paths have overwhelmingly come away with nothing to show for it. The wealth accumulated through shadowy means has, for the most part, proven impossible to keep.
I’d like to recommend a few books for developing your mind — suitable for readers of all ages. After finishing them, you’ll find the world begins to shift from chaos into clarity, and you yourself will move from confusion into genuine awakening.
1⃣ Brain Science: The Brain: The Story of You
Author: David Eagleman, a celebrated neuroscientist.
His bestselling book takes a deep dive into how the brain actually works — why the same event is perceived completely differently by different people, why we experience memory illusions, what truly controls our will and behavior, whether the brain can be reshaped, and what the future holds for artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces.
In this life, you are destined to pass through a long season of emptiness.
During this time, you will pour in tremendous effort — yet see no results, reap no harvest, and receive neither understanding nor recognition from those around you.
But this is precisely what it means to take root and begin to grow.
So do not let others throw off your rhythm. And never, upon seeing someone else hand in their exam early, rush to scribble down your own answers in a panic.
1 - If you belong to any of the three generations — the 80s, 90s, or the 00–05 cohort — there is a very, very high probability that you will face at least two major career upheavals in your lifetime. The reason: a new wave of technological disruption is already knocking at the door.
Simply put, within the next ten years, the vast majority of repetitive white-collar work — writing reports, managing spreadsheets, data analysis, building PowerPoint decks and project plans — will be replaced by AI that never tires and is always available on demand.
Tonight’s piece is a lighter read — it doesn’t require complex, brain-burning analysis. Just sit with it quietly.
That said, if you don’t have any real ambition, you’ll find this hard to get through. Don’t force it. Close the tab, go to sleep. A quiet, ordinary life may suit you just fine.
But if you carry that restless feeling — the sense that you’re no less capable than anyone else, yet can’t figure out why your efforts keep coming up short — then what follows is worth your late-night attention.
If a person cannot read the great tides of the era, they naturally cannot find their own path through life. After all, each of us ordinary people is nothing more than an utterly insignificant pawn on the chessboard of our times.
And yet, the true tide of the era is a strange force. It is silent much of the time — but if you truly listen, it speaks with a voice that shakes you to your core.
I’ve always had a very clear picture of who I’m writing for.
First, ideally, readers should be 30 or older — below that age, it’s nearly impossible to truly grasp lessons that cut to the bone.
Second, ideally, readers should be middle class or above — at a management level or higher. Otherwise, they simply won’t have the depth of understanding to make sense of what I write.
If there’s a third threshold, it’s this: readers need to be strong enough to bear the weight of my insight-heavy, unapologetically gray wisdom — the kind that walks the line between righteous and ruthless.
If you’re past thirty and still feel like you’re just drifting through life — stop overthinking it.
Start subtracting from your life. Right now. Immediately. Without delay.
Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that at your age, with so many responsibilities, making subtractions means letting people down or causing harm. That’s not how it works. Subtraction isn’t about giving up. It’s about reorganizing yourself so you can travel lighter — moving with more ease and grace.
Brothers and sisters who truly understand never need much explanation — straight to the core advice:
★ - If the past forty years of changing your fate depended on daring to fight and seizing opportunities, then as times grow more stable, what matters now is whether you can reduce the probability of making life-altering mistakes.
★ - At my age, once you’ve accumulated enough experience and standing, you come to understand: a person’s overall achievements are always a reflection of their overall abilities. Rich or poor, noble or humble — that alone says everything.