I just walked out of an intimate private dinner in Gubei — the kind that comes together casually. Even though a few of the guests were well-connected figures from the south, the drinks did their work and everyone loosened up, speaking frankly.
Plenty was said over the clinking of glasses. But sobering up afterward, I realized — a lot of what I shared at that table belongs here too, with all of you.
Some of it is optimistic. Some of it is matter-of-fact. But every word is honest.
1. Starting now, I hope you’ll gradually build a mindset of “planning for trouble while things are still calm.” No matter how comfortable your life is today, use your spare time to think seriously about new income streams and new ways to sustain yourself.
Don’t let a tolerable present stop you from preparing for future risks.
I’ve said this before, and everyone who’s been through life’s ups and downs will feel it deeply: unless your destiny framework is truly exceptional, you are almost certainly fated to face at least two or three major life turning points.
Whether those turns break you or make you depends entirely on whether you prepared in advance.
If you’re curious, look at everyone around you who’s been beaten down by life and lost their drive. Almost universally, they were too optimistic when the wind was at their backs — and then got blindsided when the tide turned.
2. I understand that some of you are in a darker place mentally right now.
We’re all human. Everyone feels low during the hard times. Nobody can stay carelessly cheerful forever.
But I still want to tell you: things probably aren’t as bad as they feel.
Here’s the strange paradox — on one side, you hear endless sighing and complaints. On the other, the luxury goods market keeps climbing.
The brutal truth is that wealth is still flowing. It’s just that, for various reasons, you’ve drifted away from the river. You’re no longer close enough to drink from it.
3. Picking up from there — I don’t think anyone is deliberately blocking your path to prosperity. It’s simply that the rules of business from 2010 to 2020 have fundamentally changed.
On top of that, our culture has a deeply ingrained habit of “getting rich quietly” — which means many opportunities are completely invisible unless you dig deep into them.
But once you do dig in and find your footing, you’ll discover that the room is already full of people who got there first and are eating well.
Looking back, every era’s transition plays out the same script: prosperity breeds bust, and bust quietly seeds the next prosperity.
4. Some readers still don’t understand what I mean when I say, “A person is the product of their surrounding circle.”
Here’s the simplest example: two friends of mine, both once-successful businessmen.
Lao Ming complains constantly, feeling like the world has ended, like there’s nothing left worth living for. I went to his private club for dinner recently — he was surrounded by a crowd of once-prominent elder brothers, all in their mid-sixties, every face drawn and gloomy.
A Jie has none of that. I went to his teahouse not long ago and found him buzzing with energy, brainstorming new ventures with a group of younger and middle-aged entrepreneurs, the whole room electric with enthusiasm.
So right now: it is the worst of times, and it is the best of times.
5. In today’s world, you must learn to distinguish what counts as effective effort.
Especially — don’t let your own low-value effort move you emotionally. A lot of people genuinely equate grinding through day after day of exhausting, unproductive work with real progress. That’s dangerously naive.
If your efforts were truly effective, how is it that after all this time, nothing concrete has changed?
When poverty stalls you, rethink the direction. When struggle gets you nowhere, rethink the path.
6. Here’s another important piece of advice: going forward, learn to lower your expectations of other people.
Whether that “other person” is a friend, a partner, a boss, a leader — or even a family member, a spouse.
Lowering expectations isn’t distrust. It means stop taking everyone’s promises at face value just because it would be convenient if they were true.
Many times, the other person meant well. They were confident. But in the end, circumstances were beyond their control.
No matter how good the promise sounds, always keep a backup plan for yourself. Don’t put all your chips on someone else.
What others promise you doesn’t count. Only what you promise yourself counts. Remember this.
7. One final word of advice to all of you: from here on out, the race isn’t about who moves fastest — it’s about who moves most steadily.
Especially over the next two years. Whenever someone comes to me for a Chi fortune reading, I tell them the same thing: don’t do things you’re not confident in, and don’t do things you’re uncertain about.
Starting today, wake up each morning, get your core work done as quickly as possible — then use the remaining time to improve yourself or explore a new side venture.
First learn, then familiarize. Once familiar, master it.
Don’t worry — the world will always need people who have truly mastered something. Get that right, and opportunity will slowly open its door to you.
And in your daily life: stop going to smoke-filled, pointless social gatherings. Stop fawning over friends and family who look down on you. Stop chasing people who don’t love you. Stop reaching for money and opportunities beyond your actual capability.
Quiet down. Cultivate yourself. The detours ahead will grow fewer and fewer, and your life will grow steadier and steadier.
Keep going, my friends.