Understanding the underlying logic of making money can save you from wandering for ten years.
Once you see through the underlying logic of wealth,
your financial path will become smoother and smoother.
Just like some people who toil away their entire lives, only managing to barely make ends meet;
while others delve into the essence of wealth and can accumulate riches in just a few short years.
The key to making money lies not in the money itself, but in the process of earning it.
Once you grasp the underlying logic of making money, wealth is not far away.
1
The underlying logic of time: Making money doesn’t come from being busy all the time but from thinking.
In the 1990s, the United States proposed a concept called “Working Poor”.
It refers to those who work hard every day but have a low standard of living and find it difficult to escape poverty.
They are not unemployed; some even work multiple jobs.
But those who only exert physical effort without thinking can only remain at the bottom for their entire lives.
Qing, a young man in the documentary “Working Poor”, is a typical representative of this group.
Qing once attended a public university but has been doing odd jobs since leaving a security company.
To earn more money, he often takes on multiple jobs, but after working tirelessly day and night for four years, his life becomes increasingly difficult.
On one hand, he lacks specialized skills and can only earn minimum wage;
On the other hand, daily wage work is extremely unstable, and even though he is busy every day, the money he earns barely covers his daily expenses.
As a result, as he gets older, the opportunities for stable employment become increasingly bleak.
Struggling to the end, he can only sigh helplessly:
“No matter how hard I work, I still can’t achieve a stable life. I have no expectations for the future, nor can I have any.”
In life, perhaps many people are like this.
Busy and hardworking every day, but the effort often doesn’t correspond to the income.
Always working, to the point where there is no time to stop and consider the future.
Thus, in this cycle of spending more time to earn money but earning less, one cannot escape the shackles of poverty.
Writer Liu Run said: “Thinking is the only threshold-free opportunity for anyone to stage a comeback.”
Many people are poor not because they can’t endure hardship.
On the contrary, they simply use low-level diligence to cover up their laziness of never thinking.
True effective effort involves both focusing on the task at hand and lifting your head to see the road ahead.
Once you have determined your direction, proceed steadfastly, and when you encounter obstacles, give yourself time to reflect and review.
Only when your hands and mind work in sync can you secure a slice of the wealth in the harsh social competition?
2
The underlying logic of human nature: To make money from others, you must first let others make money from you.
In the Jewish wealth manual “Talmud,” there is a story about a wealthy merchant named Kuzma.
He ran an antique shop.
Most of the customers in his shop were local farmers, who would sell their antiques to Kuzma whenever they needed money.
Among these antiques were many fakes, but Kuzma accepted them all whenever someone came to sell.
His employees couldn’t understand and asked him, “Why do you still choose to accept them when you know there are fakes inside?”
Kuzma just smiled and said:
“I accept them all, so they can make a little more money. This way, when they come across good items in the future, they will come to me first.”
It is said that profits cannot be achieved alone but must be shared.
When you seek benefits from others, the easiest way is to let them taste the sweetness first.
By considering others first in everything, you can win their support and expand your financial avenues.
In his view, those who are always trying to keep all the benefits to themselves not only fail to make money but also miss out on many opportunities.
Only those who are willing to let go of their interests can make big money.
Truly intelligent people understand that all success in this world comes not from open conflict but from mutual support.
When you start learning to consider others, the benefits you give away will eventually come back to you multiplied.
3
The underlying logic of social circles: Associating with those who are stronger than oneself is akin to accumulating capital.
Professional manager Gu Junhui once mentioned in a video,
“The top ten people you frequently talk to, if you add up their wealth and divide it by ten, roughly equals your lifetime wealth.
So, to make money, it’s about constantly breaking through social strata.”
Humans are products of their environment, and the circle you’re in often determines your height.
Being around people who settle for mediocrity will likely make you lose your drive.
If you want to become wealthy, the most direct method is to break away from the lower echelons of society and surround yourself with outstanding individuals.
In 2005, Zhang Yiming, the founder of TikTok’s parent company, began his journey in Beijing after graduating from college.
When he first joined the workforce, he was just an ordinary programmer.
But within a short year, he rose to management level and began leading a team of forty to fifty people.
Someone asked him, “Why did you grow so quickly and excel in your first job?”
In reality, Zhang Yiming only did one thing right.
At the time, most of his colleagues were graduates from prestigious universities like Tsinghua University and Stanford.
Their ways of thinking and doing things often made Zhang Yiming feel like he was opening up to a new world.
So whenever he had the opportunity, he would listen in on his colleagues’ meetings and join the discussions if he had ideas.
Even if they were discussing topics outside of his department’s scope, Zhang Yiming would actively participate and learn new things.
During those two years, he absorbed knowledge from the strong like a sponge, continuously improving his own abilities.
He also integrated what he learned and gradually developed his own set of methodologies.
In the subsequent entrepreneurial journey, these ways of thinking and insights became his greatest assets, propelling him towards success step by step.
Buffett said, that to become a winner, you must fight alongside winners.
If you want success, learn from experienced individuals.
If you want to make money, walk side by side with the wealthy.
Break away from circles that drag you down and engage more with those who are more successful than you.
When surrounded by affluent individuals, becoming wealthy yourself becomes just a matter of time.
4
The underlying logic of character: People who understand gratitude usually have decent fortunes.
Peng Kaiping, the head of the psychology department at Tsinghua University, said in an interview:
Being grateful to others is like accumulating wealth for oneself. People with a grateful heart tend to earn more money.
Many people attribute their poverty to external factors, resenting their fate and complaining about their families.
They fail to see what they already possess, exuding a sense of scarcity, which naturally keeps wealth at bay.
On the contrary, those favored by luck are always enthusiastic, giving back to others whenever possible.
The goodwill they project onto the world eventually surrounds them with blessings.
In the Microsoft headquarters, there was a temporary cleaning lady.
She had the most demanding job with the lowest pay, yet she was the happiest person in the entire building.
Always smiling, she enthusiastically helped others, even the most indifferent colleagues were touched by her warmth.
Bill Gates was quite surprised and couldn’t help but ask her, “What makes you so happy every day?”
The cleaning lady replied:
“I don’t have a high education, but I’m grateful that the company gave me this job, allowing me to support my daughter through college.
And the only way I can repay is by doing my best at work. Just thinking about this makes me very happy.”
Deeply moved by her words, Bill Gates invited her to formally join the company.
Seizing the opportunity, the cleaning lady diligently learned about computers and successfully joined Microsoft, multiplying her salary several times over.
In this world, all good fortune has its cause and effect.
When you appreciate the kindness of others, they are more willing to give you opportunities. By acting with a grateful attitude, you will continue to receive the gifts of fate.
People are often mutually supportive.
If you understand and empathize with others, they will also empathize with you. By giving, the people you help will in turn help you.
In the realm of interests, only gratitude wins hearts.
By acting with a mindset of benefiting others, the wealth of this world will gradually be attracted to you.
▽
Someone once made such a metaphor.
Your earning ability is equivalent to the digits at the end of your bank account, while your understanding of money is the leading digits.
If a person only knows how to blindly make money, even if they exert all their efforts, they will ultimately only achieve subsistence.
But by understanding the essence of wealth, the ceiling of your assets will continuously be broken through, allowing you to transcend social classes.
So, if you want to become wealthy, you must first cultivate the mindset of the wealthy.
Give it a thumbs up, grasp the underlying logic of wealth, understand the operating rules behind money, and your “financial future” will become increasingly smooth.
