There's a common saying, sometimes whispered, sometimes declared: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," often implying that learning significantly slows down after thirty. While we've previously argued that age isn't the barrier it's made out to be – learning is always possible with adjusted habits – there's a crucial, undeniable factor: energy.
While your capacity to learn might not vanish, your physical and mental stamina inevitably changes with the decades. Many readers ask, "Can I achieve X at 40?" or "Is Y possible at 50?" Let me share some personal reflections on navigating these life stages.
This journey can be understood through two concepts: the "Human Path" (人道大經) – our personal development trajectory – and the "Heavenly Path" (天道大經) – the natural cycle of seasons.
The Twenties: The Season of Planting (Self-Improvement)
Looking back, I firmly believe that the period before 30 is paramount for learning and self-growth. This isn't hindsight; it's what I believed and practiced in my own twenties. Why? Because, frankly, you usually don't have much else.
With maybe a few thousand dollars to your name, what significant financial returns can you realistically expect from investments? The real profit isn't monetary; it's the comprehensive upgrade of yourself through exploration, familiarization, and skill acquisition.
In the mid-2000s, as a young man in my twenties, I hadn't achieved major career milestones or investment windfalls. But I was investing heavily in myself. In 2004, I barely knew Linux command lines. By 2006, I was deeply modifying the Linux kernel to run on a non-standard, poorly documented chip – a task even its creator wasn't sure how to handle fully. It required understanding vast amounts of code and tackling immense ambiguity through learning and experimentation.
Completing that project, despite my relative lack of prior experience, positioned me to become an solution architect in 2006. The tangible career rewards didn't truly materialize until 2009 when I joined a client company . Before that, the focus was solely on self-improvement. Without that growth, why would anyone hire you as an expert to guide their work or set technical standards?
Similarly, in investing around 2005-2006, I didn't make significant money – my starting capital was too small. A doubled investment was less than a good annual bonus. What mattered was transforming from a market novice into someone familiar with its workings. By the end of 2009, I had developed my own trading system. Imperfect? Yes. Requiring future revisions? Absolutely. But it was my first ship, and it set sail. By 2010, it was consistently profitable, laying the foundation for everything that followed, even if earnings didn't yet replace my salary.
The key takeaway for your twenties: Maximize self-improvement. You lack capital, but you possess seemingly limitless energy. I could work until 2 or 3 AM, be back at work by 7 or 8 AM, and recharge with a short nap. This was sustainable, day after day. This is your springtime – the time for sowing seeds.
The Thirties: The Season of Growth (Leading and Teaching)
From 30 to 40, your reality shifts. Sustained late nights become difficult. Working until midnight feels exhausting. Constant business travel across multiple cities takes a heavy toll.
This is where the foundation laid in your twenties becomes crucial. If you built solid skills and knowledge, you likely have people working under you by now. Your role evolves. You still need to demonstrate capability – like Captain in "Soldier Sortie," occasionally showcasing prowess to remind your team you're the real deal – but you're not constantly on the front lines.
Your experience and skills are peaking, but your physical stamina is declining. You transition into a coach, a leader. This requires two things:
- Proven Skill (from your 20s): This earns respect and demonstrates authority.
- The Ability to Teach: Simply overpowering others might instill fear, but not loyalty. Teaching involves helping others grow. When you can diagnose their weaknesses better than they can themselves and offer effective guidance, you earn their genuine respect and trust. They grow faster under your mentorship, solidifying your authority.
In your thirties, the focus shifts from doing to teaching and leading. You build your influence, your team, your "territory." This is your summer – a time for cultivating growth.
The Forties and Beyond: The Season of Harvest (Strategic Direction)
After 40, physical energy declines further. Working late consistently becomes unsustainable. Your effective work time might shrink to 4-5 hours daily, primarily focused on high-level tasks: reviewing emails, listening to reports, setting direction – steering the ship, not rowing.
Trying to pull all-nighters trading or engaging in intense hands-on work becomes unrealistic. I've tried setting alarms for peak market hours in the middle of the night – it quickly leads to burnout and illness.
At this stage, your experience and knowledge are at their zenith, but your physical capacity can't keep up. This is where the team and structure you built in your thirties become essential. Think of the historical Zhang Sanfeng – an aged master wouldn't be brawling in the streets. He knows how to fight but can no longer personally execute it at scale. The loyal team you cultivated becomes your hands and feet; you become the brain.
The rewards in this phase can be substantial, but they are the fruit, not the seed. The seeds were planted back in your twenties. This is your autumn – the time for harvest.
Aligning with the Paths: The Human and the Heavenly
This progression – learning, leading, directing – mirrors what we call the "Human Path." It aligns beautifully with the "Heavenly Path," the natural order described by Sima Qian: "Spring birth, Summer growth, Autumn harvest, Winter storage – this is the great law of the Heavenly Path." Just as nature has its seasons, so too does human life and development. You reap an autumn harvest because you sowed seeds in the spring.
Think of personal growth like the Chinese character for earth, "土". In your 20s, you're the starting point at the top of the vertical stroke. In your 30s, you begin the first horizontal expansion. By your 40s, you complete the full structure.
Can You Plant in Autumn?
Is it possible to do "spring" work (intensive learning) in your later years? Theoretically, yes. Colonel Sanders (KFC) is a famous example of late-life success. Some people are late bloomers.
However, for most, diminishing physical energy and, crucially, waning mental energy or motivation ("心氣") are significant hurdles. If you start learning intensely at 20, aiming to apply it at 30 and reap rewards from 40 onwards for decades, the long harvest period feels worthwhile. If you start learning at 40, aiming to apply it at 50 when you're already feeling the strain, the prospect of a harvest potentially starting only after 60 can feel demotivating. The "fire in the belly" might be gone.
So, unless you plan to coast through life from the start (and are certain you won't regret it), starting early is almost always better. You simply don't know if you'll have the health, energy, or even the time in your later decades.
Align your efforts with your life's season. Invest heavily in yourself during your energetic youth, transition to leadership and mentorship as your energy shifts, and focus on strategic direction in later years, relying on the foundations you've built. Plant in your spring, tend in your summer, and you'll be well-positioned for a fulfilling autumn harvest.
