• [Reflection] What’s the secret to making money? It’s simply this: focus on making money. Most people spend almost zero mental energy on it daily—not because they don’t care, but because earning money is extraordinarily hard. Harder than nearly anything else. It demands holistic thinking, delayed gratification, high emotional intelligence, deep concentration, and risk tolerance. And even then, success isn’t guaranteed. Yet if you commit just one hour a day—fully focused—and let time compound that effort, your earning capacity will surpass that of most people.

  • [Reflection] As we enter middle age, health must become non-negotiable: movement, emotional regulation, nutrition, sleep—everything. Many bodily systems, once damaged, recover extremely slowly—if at all. The older we get, the harder change becomes; many deteriorations are irreversible. You’re left managing chronic discomfort and diminished quality of life—not because you didn’t try, but because you waited too long. Prioritize health now.

  • [Reflection] When we admire an idol, we shouldn’t worship only their outcome—we must study their process and reasons. Otherwise, admiration stays shallow and performative. Conversely, if you want to become someone else’s role model, invest in telling stories that reinforce your values and stance. Only stories stick, spread, and deepen perception over time.

  • [Reflection] All healthy, sustainable relationships—personal or professional—rest on two pillars: mutual empowerment and mutual independence. Mutual empowerment means shared material interest, shared intellectual or emotional resonance, or both. Independence means honoring each other’s freedom—and protecting each other’s solitude. When both exist, the relationship generates a quiet, lasting sense of ease.

  • [Reflection] We say “wealth rarely lasts three generations”—but poverty often persists across many more. So when you’re struggling financially, don’t resent the wealthy. Instead, ask honestly: What’s broken in my own thinking? The deepest gap between rich and poor isn’t capital—it’s cognition, mindset, and mental models. If you know a wealthy friend or relative, treat it as luck. Study how they interpret problems, spot opportunities, and respond under pressure—not what they own, but how they think.

  • [Reflection] Why is Zhang Qi so effective? Not because he’s uniquely brilliant—but because his team systematically reworks every viral piece of content from top influencers: they copy, refine, reinterpret, and repackage it through Zhang Qi’s voice and lens. Why does this work? Because in the short-video era, users’ memory is astonishingly short. The same topic, even near-identical content, feels fresh when delivered by a new person. Can you recall any of yesterday’s scroll-worthy videos?

  • [Reflection] For non-standard service projects—consulting, training, advisory work—always prefer prepayment over net terms. It benefits both sides. Prepayment signals commitment: the client pays attention, and the provider delivers with higher fidelity. Under prepayment, stakeholders naturally notice strengths; under credit terms, they instinctively hunt for flaws. Same team, same capability—but different framing leads to dramatically different outcomes.

[Notes from a meeting with a business head at an education group]

  1. The group is building its founder’s personal brand. The chairman posts many short videos—but likes come almost exclusively from employees. It’s classic self-celebration, not audience growth.
  2. Leadership says it wants to embrace short video and live streaming—but internal resistance is massive. Two root causes: rigid thinking (heavy reliance on past experience), and entrenched interests (the biggest barrier).
  3. They’ve invested significant effort—but produced zero results. Why? Because they’re executing new tactics with old mental models. Implementation is ritualistic, not strategic.
  4. Their current approach fails on four counts: high cost, low replicability, poor scalability, and weak controllability. The flaw is conceptual, not operational.
  5. The real bottleneck? The chairman’s understanding—and willingness to lead the shift personally. Without that, internal change is nearly impossible.
  6. Unless the chairman deeply grasps the need and steps into the arena to drive it, no internal initiative will succeed.
  7. An alternative path exists: partner with external agencies. No legacy baggage. No internal politics. Faster iteration. Higher odds of traction.
  8. For any large group exploring new-media opportunities, the hardest barriers aren’t methodology, budget, or talent—it’s mindset and vested interests.
  9. A friend asked: Why share these core insights so openly? Because knowing the map is just step one. Actually walking the path requires navigating internal resistance, securing resources, and solving countless execution-level details—none of which can be resolved in an hour-long conversation.
  10. Still—should they succeed using this direction, I’ll have contributed something meaningful. No downside in that.
  11. Final alignment: They’d like my team to deliver an internal workshop for the chairman and senior leadership—to shift mindsets first—then explore deeper collaboration opportunities.