1 - A new round of natural selection has already begun — don’t blame society for being cruel. This is an ecological mechanism as old as civilization itself.
Sometimes I look at certain people in their 20s and 30s, and I can only shake my head. Some people are poor for a reason — and it’s entirely fair.
Young, yes. But their capabilities are shallow and narrow. And yet they feel no urgency, convinced that youth is on their side — not realizing the water beneath their feet is slowly rising. They won’t scramble to learn to swim until it’s already at their necks.
I’ve said it before: programmers and white-collar workers in their 30s today — unless they’re at a top-tier company with a rock-solid position — are destined to be in tears a decade from now.
Let me ask you one simple question: if you lost this job, or lost your current drive to push forward, what could you still earn money doing?
If you can’t answer that in three seconds, then when the day of reckoning comes, you’ll be completely lost.
Supposedly grown adults in their 30s or 40s, yet as bewildered and helpless as a small child. Tell me — isn’t that just foolish?
2 - How should you build the fortress of your own capability? Understand the order of construction, and it becomes clear.
Always start by mastering the fundamentals of whatever work you’re currently doing. Don’t just understand it — become excellent at it. Even if you’re a kitchen prep worker chopping vegetables, pour real effort into perfecting your knife work.
Then observe two tracks: the leadership track and the platform track. Study the interests, goals, and operating rules of every person on those two tracks. Learn from them quietly. Borrow from them. Analyze them.
When you have free time, use it to express respect and humility. Shamelessly ask your seniors for guidance. Give generous compliments. Speak sweetly. Be open-handed.
Never let your own competence make you dismissive of others — thinking you deserve to climb simply because of your ability alone.
Anyone who thinks that way has a fundamental flaw in both character and judgment. They don’t even grasp the most basic principles: that people lift each other up, that progress is mutual.
Once you’ve fully absorbed your current work — once you understand it inside and out, know exactly how to advance step by step, and have developed real depth — that’s when it’s time to pursue breadth.
Law. Marketing. Finance. Business logic. Learn these.
Finance. Real estate. Stocks. The latest speculative games and the traps laid for the unwary. Learn these too.
The more you understand, the more paths you’ll see. And the risks and opportunities along those paths will become far clearer to you.
3 - In life, you must learn to hunt small, not large — especially when you haven’t yet built your own standing. Never waste your energy analyzing macro trends and international geopolitics.
There’s a kind of person who is both pitiable and laughable: someone who claims to know everything from astronomy to history, ancient and modern — yet when you dig a little deeper, they have no money, no capital, no status, living like a beggar.
So tell me: after all that effort, what exactly have they gained?
And even when this kind of person says something reasonable — who is going to listen?
There is no greater fool than this.
Once, at a distant relative’s wedding banquet, I sat through an older man talking for over two hours straight about international conflicts and foreign conspiracies. I didn’t engage. I ate my food. I clapped. I smiled. When there was a pause, I offered heartfelt wishes to the newlyweds.
During the banquet, the groom came to toast me twice specifically, and singled me out to thank me for coming. A few warm exchanges, a little mutual flattery — and the weight of who you are becomes apparent. He didn’t glance at that older man even once. The man eventually fell quiet with an embarrassed smile.
You have to work hard to build your own capital — only then will others respect you. Your knowledge only earns recognition when it brings you tangible results.
Remember: it’s only in those old alleyway neighborhoods and run-down housing blocks that you find groups of “all-knowing” old men holding court — stubbornly arrogant, yet with virtually zero ability to create real wealth.
By contrast, the higher the caliber of a residential community, the more humble and courteous the residents. And what they focus on is always what genuinely advances their own endeavors.
4 - Let’s talk about marriage. You need to understand its core meaning: finding a life companion who shares your fate — someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with you in the battles ahead.
So an interesting soul is fine to admire from a distance. It’s the soul that walks the same path as you that can accompany you into old age. What you’re looking for is your own kind.
If you’re a sheep, don’t expect to find a wolf to provide you with an abundant life. Over time, they’ll come to see you as a burden.
Likewise, if you’re a wolf, don’t choose a sheep. A sheep cannot understand your ambition and drive. A sheep will only hold you back when you’re giving everything you have.
But in this era, having someone who truly understands you is still far better than going it alone. So don’t give up on the possibility of marriage too early.
A good marriage is always 1 + 1 = 100.
You should know: many people simply cannot accomplish anything on their own — but give them a trustworthy partner, and with mutual support, they can crack open any situation in an instant.
It’s like tomatoes and eggs: cooked separately, each is ordinary. But together, the flavor is something remarkable. What you may be missing is exactly this kind of partner. Once found, your life will never be the same.
5 - One final suggestion to close: this year’s strategy must be defense, not offense — accumulation, not dispersal. Do not blindly expand your debt. Do not let consumerism harvest you.
Save wherever you can. Spend only on necessities. Use this as an opportunity to test the limits of your own self-discipline. See whether you can detach from the things you don’t truly need. Subtract from your life.
One last hard truth: look around, and you’ll see that those who couldn’t hold on these past two years are almost universally the ones carrying too many unnecessary burdens — while doing nothing to broaden their capabilities or open new avenues for income.
Don’t follow their example. We must dig deep roots and store plentiful reserves — otherwise, surviving the next winter will be very difficult.