Go With Human Nature for Business, Go Against It to Improve Yourself
I was listening to a podcast yesterday with Lao Fan and Zhou Baijian talking about the world of paid knowledge. Zhou Baijian first became famous by criticizing paid knowledge bloggers, and then she became one herself.
She mentioned that some of these knowledge bloggers actually have good content, but just sharing useful info isn't enough to sell well. So today, the main trend in paid knowledge isn't about making you successful, but about creating the illusion that you will be successful (I'm talking purely about the business field here).
Teaching people to succeed is tough because it's against human nature. People want to get rich but don't want to put in much effort. Making people feel like they can succeed is easy because everyone wants to get rich. Human nature craves quick gains and loves simple, magical solutions.
Back during the big startup boom a few years ago, I met some entrepreneurs who wanted to open salad and healthy food joints. I told them that healthy food and salad places wouldn't make it big because people just don't like them. Even though they pursue health, human nature inherently prefers junk food. Burger joints and BBQ spots will always outnumber salad bars. That's human nature for you.
I discussed with a friend why Meng Yan's fund from Xiaoyuzhou was selling so well. He said it's because Xiaoyuzhou has a lot of female users, and women tend to lean towards financial management, whereas men chase after getting rich. That's an insight into human nature.
When analyzing problems, there are two approaches: rational, which ends in math and logic, and emotional, which ends in human nature. Starting a business, studying, and exercising—all these are against human nature (at least in the early stages before the endorphins kick in). I'm constantly battling my own human nature, with distractions like games, short videos, food, and get-rich-quick schemes always popping up and draining my energy and attention. It's easy to get caught up if you're not careful.
Actually, achieving modest success in most fields isn't that hard. If you focus and practice diligently for a few years, you’ll definitely surpass 90% of your peers.
