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.
So where, exactly, should you subtract?
The relationships that bring nothing positive into your life. The everyday clutter you exhaust yourself maintaining. The trivial distractions pulling you away from focusing on your income. The games and videos eating into time you could spend reading or staying fit. The negative emotions blocking your optimism and growth.
The truth is, most things in this world share the same fundamental nature.
Even the finest home, left unclean and uncleared of junk, will become filthy and decrepit. Even the mightiest tree, left unpruned and untreated for pests, will rot from within.
People are no different. If you don’t proactively subtract and clear out the bad, you will inevitably be dragged down by more and more dirt and decay. Your Chi fortune (气运) will keep declining, falling further into stagnation.
The reverse is equally true. If you consciously and consistently absorb good things into your life, you will naturally grow stronger, more positive, and healthier. Wealth and social connections, romance fortune (桃花) and opportunity — all of these will begin to favor you more and more.
There’s an old saying: A weak person cannot hold wealth; a strong person attracts a hundred blessings. This is exactly what it means.
If that still feels abstract, here’s the simplest way to understand it: picture yourself as a tree.
What you need is radiant sunlight, abundant water, rich nutrients, and open space to grow.
Everything else? You don’t need it. Subtract it.
After years of quiet, earnest growth, when you finally stand as a towering tree reaching toward the sky — that’s when you’ll discover something remarkable. You’ll find you have more than enough strength and resources to protect and care for everything around you.
That is true wisdom. 🌙