Utility-driven

The less desire you have for something, the fewer worries you will have, the less obsession you will have, and conversely, the more you will be able to go with the flow and follow your inner self. You will consistently continue doing it in the way you are best at, and the quality of your work will improve as a result.

June 13, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

The internet has massively broadened the possible space of careers. Most people haven’t figured this out yet.

You can go on the internet, and you can find your audience. And you can build a business, and create a product, and build wealth, and make people happy just uniquely expressing yourself through the internet.

June 13, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Specific knowledge cannot be taught, but it can be learned.

You have to do it by yourself.

June 13, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Thinking is too difficult for them; they only need the standard answer.

This is the result of being educated with standard answers since childhood. Even when the professor taught the Prisoner’s Dilemma, with all the formulas and mathematics already available, they still hesitate to consider whether gun control can be relaxed.

June 10, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

"Trying" is purely an excuse.

You’ve already thought of a fallback plan before you even start. Usually, there is no room for experimentation; you only have two choices—to do it or not to do it. If you approach things with a tentative mindset, they are highly likely to end in failure.

June 10, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Hard work is important, but there are some things that are more important than hard work

Work as hard as you can. Even though who you work with and what you work on are more important than how hard you work.

June 10, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Don’t look for a get-rich-quick path

There are no get-rich-quick schemes. Those are just someone else getting rich off you.

June 10, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

What’s the difference between wealth and money?

Money is how we transfer wealth. Money is social credits. It is the ability to have credits and debits of other people’s time.

June 10, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

What is Wealth?

Wealth is what you desire. Wealth is assets that generate income while you sleep. Wealth is the factory, the robots, producing items continuously. Wealth is the computer program that runs at night, serving other customers. Wealth is also money in the bank that is reinvested into other assets and businesses.

June 10, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Intelligent Pig Game

This is a free-rider game. One party bears the corresponding cost, and both parties share the resulting benefits. Whether individual rationality and collective rationality conflict depends on the game’s rules. When A < 10, the collective should participate (or contribute). However, due to unequal income distribution, individuals are reluctant to contribute. To resolve this conflict, we should not deny individual interests (let the big pig press the button selflessly), but rather change the game’s rules (if the small pig doesn’t press, it eats a little less). Therefore, while free-riding, don’t forget to give something back to the other party. The willingness of the wealthy to be benevolent cannot exist without the approval (or “likes”) of the poor.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

'Trap', has three characteristics

There is a clear lure. The path to the lure is one-way—you can enter, but you cannot exit (sunk cost). The harder you try to break free, the deeper you fall.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Avoid the ¥10,000 trap

Don’t expect to buy it at a very low price. (Don’t expect to spend 100 to get 10000; you should just bid 9900) Two robbers passed a gallows. One sighed, “How great it would be if there were no gallows.” The other replied, “Are you crazy? Without it, others will come and rob us.” Quickly send the signal of “inevitable success.” (Like breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boat, tell others that I will get it even if it bankrupts my family) Only fight for the steamed bun, not for the spirit. Without the bun, the spirit eventually dies. (Be pragmatic; don’t let emotion get the better of you) High vision, far-reaching foresight. (Think three times before acting; you must be able to anticipate that this is a trap)

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

The urgency to compensate for losses, to the extent that one forgot the risks being borne.

The more significant a potential loss is, the stronger our aversion to that loss becomes. In other words, the more dangerous the situation, the more likely we are to quickly make irrational decisions.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Given that it has already happened, please face and accept it calmly.

Everyone can fail; what’s important is realizing the mistake, cutting losses, and accepting the consequences. Focus on the future and don’t make the same mistake. Where there is silent cost, there will be a ten-thousand-yuan trap.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

How to escape the $10,000 trap?

People who fall into traps usually have two motivations. One is the economic motivation, which is a rational motivation—the desire to minimize financial losses. The other is the non-economic motivation: the desire to regain face and punish the opponent. There are many such traps in life: For example, two deputy directors want to get promoted and compete by giving gifts. The gifts already given are sunk costs, which cannot be recovered unless you, as the deputy director, decide you don’t want to do it anymore. Another example is the game Zheng Tu (征途): this is a game that changed the landscape of online gaming. In an era where everything required clicking a card, it was permanently free to operate. When you try it for free for a while, you are quickly drawn into the game world. However, you gradually realize that if you don’t pay, you aren’t truly playing the game; you are being played by the game. Those “RMB players” (real-money players) who possess various luxurious equipment and high levels will crush you to the point where life is worse than death, making you feel your self-esteem has been completely trampled. So, in anger, you shout, “Isn’t it just RMB? I have it too!” and immediately purchase the full set of luxurious equipment, instantly leveling up, thereby completely defeating the previous humiliation and achieving a triumphant victory. ...

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Ten Thousand Dollar Trap

People who fall into traps usually have two motivations. One is the economic motivation, which is a rational motivation—the desire to minimize financial losses. The other is the non-economic motivation: the desire to regain face and punish the opponent. There are many such traps in life: For example, two deputy directors want to be promoted and compete by giving gifts. The gifts already given are sunk costs, which cannot be recovered unless you, as a deputy director, decide you don’t want to do it anymore. Another example is the game Zheng Tu (征途): this game changed the landscape of online gaming. In an era where everything required a point card, it was permanently free to operate. When you try it for free for a while, you are quickly drawn into the game world. However, you gradually realize that if you don’t pay, you aren’t really playing the game; you are being played by the game. Those “RMB players” (real-money players) who possess various luxurious equipment and high levels will crush you to the point of misery, making you feel your self-esteem has been completely trampled. So, you angrily shout, “Isn’t it just RMB? I have it too!” and immediately purchase the full set of luxurious equipment, instantly leveling up, thereby completely defeating the previous defeat and achieving a triumphant return. ...

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

To bargain using game theory

You cannot use the reference point the boss gives you; instead, you must provide a reference point for the boss. For example, you tell the boss: “The place next door only sells it for 60 yuan.” The most extreme scenario is whether the boss can give it to me for free. You must push it back to the price point where the negotiation is about to break down. No movement, no price reduction.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Prisoner's Dilemma

The game ending is unrelated to the truth; the game rules determine the outcome. Even if [we] haven’t done it, lying is still the best choice, because lying might lead to immediate release.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Decision-making requires reference points.

It is impossible to make a decision in a vacuum, but the reference point can be controlled.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug

Give people more multiple-choice questions, don't make them do judgment questions.

If you don’t give the other party a shared stake in two interests, they will assert their claim over your interest alongside those of others, and consequently dismiss you and leave.

June 9, 2023 · 1 min · xgDebug