The greatest gap between people is not emotional intelligence, nor ability, but…
Online, there is a question: “What is the easiest thing to limit one’s development?”
There is a great answer: “Many times, what limits a person’s development is not emotional intelligence, nor ability, but the imprisoned mindset.”
When thinking is restricted, it is easy to be trapped in a single thought, and ultimately, one can achieve nothing.
Schopenhauer once said: “The biggest prison in the world is the human mind.”
In the new year, if you want to keep moving forward, you must break free from the cage of thought and be vigilant against these three effects.
1
The Short-sighted Effect
In “Friends,” the actor playing Joey became addicted to material pleasures after successfully becoming a leading actor and could not extricate himself from them.
He first moved into a luxurious apartment and then used each salary to buy many designer bags, clothes, and accessories.
Even when he didn’t have enough cash, he would use his actor status to make “face” purchases.
His friends, seeing him mesmerized by material things and spending without restraint, advised him that since his career had finally taken off, he should seize the opportunity to save more money for a rainy day.
However, he dismissed their advice, believing that now that life had improved, he should not live as frugally as before.
But three months later, due to poor ratings, his character was written off the show.
Now without money, he had to move out of the luxury apartment and sell the high-priced luxury goods one by one at a loss.
When his friends saw him again, he was covering his stomach while enduring pain during an audition.
It turned out that he had contracted a hernia shortly after leaving the show, but because he had no money, he had to find work first before he could get reimbursed for the surgery through labor insurance.
This is the consequence of the short-sighted effect.
The writer Mark Twain once said:
“Fanatical desire will induce dangerous actions and lead to absurd things.”
Power and wealth can be exhilarating but also deceptive.
Once you are immersed in the abyss of desire and unable to extricate yourself, you will be devoured by it, bringing unexpected pain and disaster upon yourself.
The greatest weakness in human nature is the inability to curb greed, resist temptation, and let desire lead the way.
And when what you pursue becomes more than your ability to achieve, you will go astray.
As Laozi said: “The greatest misfortune is insatiability, and the greatest fault is the desire to possess.”
To live a relaxed and happy life, you must learn to let go of unrealistic desires, cherish what you have, and live well in the present.
2
The Hoatzin Effect
In language textbooks, there is an article titled “The Hoatzin Bird.”
The Hoatzin and the magpie are neighbors.
As autumn arrives, the magpie begins to prepare for the winter, frequently flying out to find branches to build a sturdy and warm nest.
In contrast, the Hoatzin spends its days either playing or sleeping.
Despite the magpie’s reminder to take advantage of the warm weather and quickly build a nest, the Hoatzin ignores the advice and asks the magpie not to disturb its enjoyment of play.
Soon, winter arrives with heavy snowfall. The magpie retreats to its cozy nest, while the Hoatzin freezes to death.
In life, aside from eating and sleeping, much of our time is spent working.
If you take work lightly, it will not reciprocate much in return;
If you settle for the status quo in your work, it will turn you into a useless person.
As stated in “The Black Swan”: “The only thing standing in front of you is yourself.”
Human potential is limitless, and to achieve breakthrough growth, one must break free from the barriers of old thinking.
By overcoming the Hoatzin effect and focusing energy on work, one’s abilities can be ignited, and life may have the potential for a turnaround.
3
The Herd Mentality
An experiment was conducted:
A fence was set up in front of a flock of sheep, and the leading sheep leaped over the fence, followed by the rest of the flock.
What happened next was quite interesting; when the staff removed the fence, the subsequent sheep still jumped as if it were still there, imitating the actions of the sheep before them.
This is known as the “herd mentality,” a form of conformist psychology.
Many people, like the sheep in the experiment, blindly follow trends and fall into the traps of life.
Media professional Meng Shu shared a story like this:
She had a friend who was a designer at a well-known 4A company.
At the age of 33, seeing many people around him making a fortune by starting their businesses, he resigned and followed suit, opening an independent studio.
However, once he became the boss, his friend began to regret his decision.
Previously, his friend only needed to focus on design, while other tasks like copywriting, administration, and finance were handled by specialists.
Now, his friend had to manage all the trivial matters and was responsible for the entire operation of the studio.
As his time for thinking about design gradually decreased, the quality of his work noticeably declined, and even after multiple revisions, he could not satisfy his clients.
After a while, his friend not only exhausted himself but also damaged his reputation in the industry.
Ultimately, his friend only managed to last half a year, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and had no choice but to return to being an employee.
In real life, many people can’t help but look at the successful lives of others and change their own pace:
Although working within the system is quite stable, seeing the achievements of friends who have started businesses, they also try to emulate, only to end up in a mess.
Seeing friends buying houses and cars while they are still renting, they work overtime day and night, and with irregular diets, they ruin their health.
Going with the flow without thinking is like a high-stakes gamble, with a great risk of losing.
I once read a sentence online:
“The meaning of life should be to restrain oneself in the face of temptation and to remain calm amidst chaos.”
In the torrent of the times, not being in a hurry, not blindly following, and clearly knowing one’s capabilities, working steadily, can lead to success.
4
I strongly agree with this saying:
“Average people change results, excellent people change causes, and the highest caliber of people change patterns of thought.”
The kind of thinking patterns you have will determine the kind of life you live.
Your thought patterns define the altitude you reach.
In the book “The Genius is to the Left, The Madman is to the Right,” it is said:
“How vast is the world?
If thought is a wall, then the world is on the other side of that wall.”
Without breaking, there is no establishment; only by shattering the walls of thought can new life emerge.
For the rest of our lives, may we all break free from the shackles of old thinking and widen the path of life as we journey on.
