As a CEO in the tech world, I'm surrounded by "noise." I see it every day on social media (SNS), on news feeds, and in pitch meetings. It’s a constant stream of overnight successes, miracle hacks, and people making their fortunes look effortless.
But here’s a simple truth I’ve learned from building a company: Everything looks easy when you’re watching. Nothing is easy when you’re doing.
We are drowning in a sea of spectators, and we’ve forgotten what it takes to actually play the game. This confusion, more than talent or luck, is why most people fail.
TL;DR
- We're Trained to be Critics, Not Players. Social media puts us in the "spectator" seat, judging everyone from a place of "perfection." We critique the Olympic athlete who only won by 0.01 seconds.
- The "1% Rule" is Real. We see a fit retiree and say, "I could do that if I had the time." The truth? Statistically, less than 1% of people actually do it, regardless of time. Success is about relentless consistency, not ideal conditions.
- Your "Score" Only Matters Relative to Yourself. Stop judging yourself from the "perfect 750" (a perfect score). If you're at 550, your only goal is to get to 600. That incremental progress is the whole game.
- Master One Move, Not 1,000. The world doesn't reward people who know a thousand things. It rewards people who have mastered one thing and execute it perfectly.
🏟️ The Spectator vs. The Player (Are You Judging from the 750?)
Let's use an example we all understand: a college entrance exam, scored out of 750.
From a "perfect" 750, everyone else is flawed. The person who scored 730? Flawed. "Why'd you only get 145 on the 150-point language section? You missed 5 points on the essay!"
This is the Spectator's Mindset. From the sidelines, you're a critic. You're scoring everyone against an imaginary, perfect ideal. This is the mindset social media breeds. You scroll, you "like," you critique, and you judge.
But when you're a Player, your entire perspective changes.
You realize the highest score in your state this year was 720. The highest in your city was 710. The highest in your school was 650. And your score, right now, is 550.
Suddenly, 750 is irrelevant. The critic's "perfect" standard is just noise. Your real job is to figure out how to get from 550 to 600. That’s it. That one move—getting into the next tier—is all that matters.
Are you here to critique the game, or are you here to play? If you're here to play, your only focus is your next 50 points.
🏋️♂️ The "Boring" Truth: The 1% Rule
When you see a retired man in the park with an incredible physique, what's the first thought?
The spectator says: "Big deal. He's retired. He has nothing else to do. If I had that much free time, I'd be in shape too."
But here's the reality: If you did a big data analysis on all retirees, you'd find that the ones who show up every single day, rain or shine, to work out... they make up less than 1% of the total.
It was never about time. It was about doing.
This same principle applies to building wealth. I've been asked how employees at big tech firms earn such high salaries. It’s shockingly simple.
The "how-to" is easy to describe:
- From a young age, master the fundamentals. (e.g., Memorize all four volumes of New Concept English and a book of classical prose.)
- Do this, and you'll almost guarantee top marks in language.
- Grind math problems. Not to be a genius, but just to ensure you don't make stupid mistakes. That alone gets you a top-percentile score.
- Get those scores, and you can pick any university, any high-value major (like computer science).
- Get a degree, get a job at a top firm, and a six-figure salary is practically automatic.
It sounds simple, right? But just like the old man in the park, how many people actually do it? Less than 1%.
It’s not a secret. It’s not magic. It's just that the knowing is easy and common, while the doing is hard and rare.
🍜 The Master's Secret: One Move, Done Well
You might think you need to be a superhero to succeed. You think success is a "750"—that you must be flawless, an Iron Man who's a genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist all at once.
The truth is, you just need one move.
Let's imagine how a regular person sells a bowl of beef noodles.
"Here's a bowl of noodles, 15 yuan. Want extra beef? That's 20."
Now, how would a master-level entrepreneur sell the same bowl of noodles? He'd do this:
"Hello everyone! Today, I’m proud to introduce an unprecedented product: the Super Rice Noodle.
Our 3,000 engineers, after 300 days of big data analysis, discovered that 98% of people feel hunger at 6 PM. And noodles provide more satiety than rice.
We built a world-class central lab in Lanzhou. After 2,048 formula iterations, we developed this Super Noodle, which increases satiety by 81.5% over traditional noodles.
We then partnered with a premium water company to develop a specific, pure-water broth that enhances the taste by another 18.5%.
This bowl isn't just delicious; every bite is filled with the taste of technology.
Today, the Super Noodle is available for a limited time. The noodles, broth, meat, green onions, and cilantro—all five items—for just 15 yuan.
PLUS, we're giving away eleven value-added services for free: chopsticks, a spoon, a placemat, a table, a stool, vinegar, salt, chili oil, hot water, napkins, and air conditioning!"
Now, your spectator brain might be laughing. "That's ridiculous! It's just noodles!"
But that's why you're a spectator.
The player sees it differently. They see that this entrepreneur used one move—narrative, value-stacking, and marketing—to take a 15-yuan commodity and build a potential empire. He's not an Iron Man. He just mastered one thing.
This is the secret. Knowing 1,000 moves is useless. Mastering one move is priceless.
You don't need to be perfect. You're probably at 550. Your job is to master the small, boring, consistent-every-day tasks that get you to 600.
The world will give you unbelievable rewards for just doing one small thing with perfect consistency.
The only question is: will you?
