In this world, countless cruel and malicious concepts have been invented specifically to describe and demean the poor.
Words like shortsighted, ignorant, lazy, uninformed, reckless, blind… and on and on.
But in my eyes, the poor person’s greatest problem is actually just one thing: chaos.
Why am I so certain in giving this answer?
There was a time when my family’s fortunes collapsed, and I experienced genuine poverty myself — not merely the kind where income drops to zero, but the kind where you’re buried under mountains of debt.
I know exactly what it feels like: once your life becomes a frantic scramble, you lose all ability to settle your mind and properly work on building wealth and income. And without enough money, all the small, trivial problems pile up and become impossible to handle — they keep disrupting your mental rhythm without pause.
When you’re poor, you’re like a fish caught in a dense, tangled net.
So: poverty breeds chaos, and chaos breeds poverty. They are twin brothers, inseparable.
Does that mean there’s no way out? That you’re trapped?
Of course not — didn’t I climb out myself? Haven’t I since helped many brothers and sisters climb out too?
The way I helped them, beyond life wisdom, also drew heavily on my foundation in classical Chinese studies and Chinese metaphysics (玄学). But regardless, there is a set of insights — a summary — that I want to share with you here.
I hope you don’t just know it. I hope you do it.
Because this process has helped countless people crawl out from the worst adversity.
Step One: Never allow yourself to spend extended time thinking about “how to turn things around” in a suppressive, stuffy, noisy, chaotic environment.
A hostile environment will rapidly drain your already precious willpower. Gradually, as you adapt to the hostility, you may even give up on changing your fate entirely — even when you genuinely had an opportunity to do so.
Trust me on this: go to the cultural arts district of your city, or find an outdoor rest area along a scenic river, lake, or waterfront. Order a drink. Sit back comfortably.
Then, using your phone’s notes app, think through and write down the answers to these questions:
- What are my actual capabilities right now?
- Which resources or opportunities can I connect with immediately?
- How should I further develop my abilities?
- What are my weaknesses?
- Who around me is genuinely upright and reliable?
- Who is a fair-weather friend, or someone who drains me?
Don’t lie to yourself. Be honest and objective in listing all of this.
When you’re done, give yourself ten minutes to cool down, then re-read what you wrote. By then, the answers will start becoming clear in your own mind.
Step Two: Don’t fear embarrassment. Don’t fear awkwardness. On a weekday evening — Monday through Thursday — send a text message to every reliable, decent person in your life you can still reach out to.
For those who respond warmly, never — never, never, never — approach them with the mindset of getting something for free. Generously send them a small red envelope of 118 yuan and say it’s been a while, sorry for the late disturbance, this is just a little something for a cup of tea or a pack of cigarettes.
The key: make sure they accept it. How you make that happen is entirely up to you — nobody cares about the method. Just find a way to get it done.
This is a necessary test of your breakthrough. It may even be the starting point that determines whether you can ultimately make it out.
Step Three: Familiarize yourself with every green park, community gym, and library near where you live. Then make a clear declaration to yourself: from now on, outside of work, your leisure life happens only in these places.
You will walk in the park and think. You will train in the gym and grow stronger. You will read in the library and sharpen your mind.
During my lowest point, the most profound awakening I had was this: the only things that can truly save a person from the worst depths of despair — besides oneself — are better, more upright, more sunlit environments.
Environment can destroy a person. It can also make one.
You and I should always choose the best environment we possibly can.
Step Four: Never think about making it big in one leap. And stop asking why the world is so unfair to you — why you alone seem to suffer every betrayal and injustice.
That energy spent on resentment is better used this way: every night, put your phone down a little earlier. After turning off the lights, spend twenty minutes reflecting on your day:
- Was there anything I could have done better?
- Why is my superior being so difficult — how can I work through it?
- What flaws in myself do I need to correct next time?
- What time can I carve out to develop a new skill?
These are forms of excellent, right-minded thinking. And yet 99% of people never once run through them in their heads.
That’s precisely why 99% of people are destined for a lifetime of mediocrity with no way out. But that is not your future.
Walk through all four steps genuinely, just once, and you’ll be amazed to discover that you can handle many of life’s problems in a real, concrete way — and you’ll develop an increasingly clear sense of direction. You’ll know exactly what to do next, and what not to do.
The path beyond that? Simply repeat these four steps, over and over — like the sweeping, elegant movements of a grand dance.
In my view, this process alone — even without the support of a destiny chart (命盘) framework analysis — is enough to bring you at least a baseline of financial freedom.
One more thing: each of these four steps carries its own deeper meaning within it.
If you’ve figured out what that meaning is, share it in the comments — and help illuminate it for the brothers and sisters who haven’t yet.