Respect the facts and be realistic; in fact, many people cannot achieve this.

Some 30 to 40 years ago, going to college was a genuine leap of opportunity. Higher education had stagnated for years and then suddenly opened up, putting almost everyone on roughly the same starting line. Back then, getting into college really was like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate.

But about twenty years ago, getting into college was no longer that life-changing. So what was? Buying a house was.

Buying a house twenty years ago changed your life far more than going to college did, because it was another opening—a window similar to the one that had just reopened for higher education.

Then, about ten years ago, buying any house stopped being the answer. You had to buy in prime locations in core cities; otherwise today you'd be stuck with an illiquid asset that's impossible to rent out.

This is what change looks like—how a window shifts from its early days to its tail end.

Insisting on making one old strategy work across wildly different eras is simply impossible.

No one can win a new landscape with old methods, but new methods are a different story. Many battles aren't worth fighting at all. Victory doesn't always come from engagement; sometimes the moment you shift your thinking, you win without firing a shot.

You can't blindly buy a house, just as you can't blindly pursue a degree. The era of selling everything to fund your child's education is gone, just like the era of mindlessly buying property.

The viable strategy is to watch the other side's gains and losses before deciding whether to add to your position or reduce it. Never go all-in or go all‑in carelessly. That kind of effort comes only when you see the target clearly—like releasing a falcon only when you spot the hare. In uncertain situations, start with a small probe. Add to it when there's a positive signal, and only commit fully at the decisive moment.

How are good jobs distributed? Out of every ten top positions, five go to the five people who already have money and power. The remaining five are split among ninety-five others. It has nothing to do with where they went to school. From start to finish, you're competing with those 95 people for the last five spots.