Do you have a solid path in your own heart?

Do you really believe what you claim to believe? Probably not. Because at this moment, you haven’t climbed out of the well. Your understanding of the world above is purely imaginary. The moment you become immersed in your immediate surroundings, you’ll be quickly assimilated.

For example:

When Yue Yunpeng worked as a waiter in Beijing, he was just a young man from a rural area in Henan. If he had spent his days smoking, drinking, and playing cards with the other waiters, he would have soon become one of them. Would he ever have had the chance to be spotted by Guo Degang?

Beneath the well, there are countless people standing shoulder to shoulder. A rope is thrown down from the opening. Why does it land on your head? Often, it’s not because you’re likable—it’s because, at this stage, you are fundamentally out of step with the people around you.

The first step toward becoming likable is precisely having the courage to be unlikable—to resist being corrupted by others.

What is your situation? What about the people around you? You are all in the pit. Everyone is in the pit. Do you think you can rescue them by sitting cross-legged together and complaining? Useless.

So what should you do? You must climb out first.

Only after you’ve climbed out, only after you’ve acquired resources, can you genuinely and effectively communicate with those still below.

Because once you’ve established yourself outside the well, you’ll be in a position to lend a hand, to engage downwardly, to make up for the things you didn’t do when you were young.

Only through betrayal can you get out. The same applies to colleague relationships. When you start reaching for that rope, they worry you’ll leave. When you grab the rope and begin climbing, they may even pull you downward. They fear you. They don’t understand. They assume that once you’ve climbed out, you’ll never care about them again—just like those bosses do.

But deep down, you know you’re not like that. You climb out so you can eventually pull them out, one by one.

Therefore, during the process of climbing out, you must endure—endure misunderstanding. Every problem in this process is yours to solve.

If you can’t see eye to eye with your boss, that’s your problem—you need to figure out how to align with him. If you’re constantly chatting with colleagues, that’s also your problem—you need to restrain your tendency to conform.

Your value depends on you, but more importantly, it depends on the platform you’re on. Odobiao can only haul bananas in Africa. But if he went to the Olympic stadium, he might even win a cycling拉力赛 championship.

No matter how much you learn, how hard you work, or how much you strive, none of it compares to being in the right environment. A gemstone sells for 50 yuan at a street stall—that’s its ceiling. No one at a street stall will pay more. At Sotheby’s, it can sell for 5 million. Nothing changes but the environment, the platform.

If you don’t go to Sotheby’s, you’ll never meet wealthy clients. That’s all there is to it.

Avoid contact with the weak as much as possible; instead, seek out the strongest people you can reach.

In traditional Chinese thought, fate, luck, feng shui, and accumulated merit are the four pillars of blessing. The more complete and abundant these are, the better your fortune. So here’s the question: what if you don’t have them? Apart from reincarnating or praying to gods, what other path can lead you to obtain them?

The answer is simple—just four words: become likable.

You’re seeking a transformation on the level of destiny, feng shui, and merit. Do you think you can achieve that through your own efforts alone? Is this something hard work can solve? Imagine you’re at the bottom of a very deep well, with smooth walls. Your efforts are like spinning in circles or doing handstands. What use are these for escaping your current dimension?

None.

So what do you need? You need a rope thrown down from outside the well. But tell me—why would anyone throw it to you?

The answer can only be one: you must become likable. More precisely, you must become likable to people who hold resources.