What Truly Matters Is Scarcity, Not Talent or Anything Else

Whether it's talent or something else, it first has to be converted into scarcity before it becomes valuable. Like how bird's nest soup isn't actually tastier than glass noodles—it's just rarer.

Two things are unavoidable when turning talent into scarcity.

The first is luck. Your talent has to happen to align with what the majority likes at a particular moment in time for you to become Dong Yuhui.

The other is cost.

Even if your talent happens to resonate with the current era, there must be a cost for people to get to know you. People's time is limited—you can't meet everyone in this lifetime. I might really like you, but knowing you comes with a cost.

First, you have to be favorably received by the times; then, you have to hit the lottery. Only when these two combine do you create scarcity.