The biggest obstacle in people is still not understanding human nature despite experience.

Ordinary people want to turn things around, make a comeback, earn a little more money, and live less stressful lives. Is there really a shortcut?

I don’t believe in shortcuts, but there is one shortcut I’ve tried repeatedly with success: reading history.

01

The Biggest Obstacle

is not understanding the subtlety of human nature

I’ve loved history since I was young. At 14, I started reading Records of the Grand Historian; at 17, I began Zizhi Tongjian. I’ve read both from start to finish several times.

Zizhi Tongjian contains the most complete written history in the world. It shows the rise and fall of dynasties, the thinking and actions of major figures, and reveals the deepest aspects of human nature through the ebb and flow of history.

Dogs don’t change their eating habits, and humans tend to repeat history.

I often talk about the cycles of history, human nature, the ways to succeed, virtues of achievement, and major power struggles in history to say:

Be more cautious, think more, understand human nature—but don’t get trapped in it.

Even if you can detach yourself from 1-2% of human nature, you’ll be a big step ahead of others.

This world is made up of living, breathing people. Over thousands of years, with shifting stars and exploding technology, the only constant is human nature.

What hinders a person from becoming stronger isn’t education, wealth, or family background, but the fact that after all these years and experiences, you still can’t see the subtlety of human nature clearly.

02

The pitfalls you encounter

Have all been experienced by our ancestors

On your life journey, you will inevitably face countless pitfalls. You must confront these yourself; no one can do it for you.

But our ancestors have all gone through them.

Zizhi Tongjian is fundamentally about reflecting on past events to inform governance. Emperors, officials, and managers read it to learn how to govern.

But ordinary people also need to read this book. Because most emperors and officials are somewhat fortunate due to good genes or good family backgrounds. Some people are born with a “nine-head body,” with an IQ of 180, naturally charming—things that take others days of hard study to understand or suddenly realize. The differences between people are so vast.

Ordinary people, especially the weak, are truly at a disadvantage in this world.

The saying goes: “One’s fate, luck, Feng Shui, and accumulated virtue; reading books.” Fortunately, we still have the path of reading.

In my new book Winning Mindset, I have a dedicated chapter on human nature:

“

“The weak cannot take advantage; when you are weak, the benefits you get are often lucky chances, which carry risks, and may even be pitfalls set by others. … If we are CEOs, we must resist the temptation to exploit human evil. If we are small players, we need to learn how to prevent our human nature from being exploited.”

Therefore, ordinary people need to understand human nature more deeply. Only by understanding it can we grasp the essence of how society operates.

(First copy of the freshly released Winning Mindset)

03

Modern Business Battles Are All “Younger Brothers”

Zizhi Tongjian is an incredible, great book. It’s a hefty volume. But many say it’s too long, too many classical texts, hard to read cover to cover. They hope to grasp the essence without taking too much time.

Some friends and readers ask me, Teacher Feng, why don’t you find some current business cases and tell us stories from today? That sounds exciting—swords and flames, smoke and chaos, dragons and phoenixes, so thrilling and wonderful.

I want to say, when a case is still “young,” we can’t objectively evaluate it. Plus, people are still alive, so disputes are easy to cause.

I remember when I first read Zizhi Tongjian, I read one volume a day. I also saw it as a burden—though a favorite one. It took a long time each day, flipping through dictionaries, reading annotations, etc.

At that time, I had a strong urge to finish it quickly. Once done, I could boast that I had read Zizhi Tongjian from start to finish—nearly 3 million words, nearly 300 volumes. I felt proud, thinking I was in the top 0.01%.

But later, when I studied MBA and analyzed many business cases, I realized that their rise and fall, their power struggles, their human nature—compared to Zizhi Tongjian—were trivial.

I spent three years refining my understanding and application of Zizhi Tongjian. Behind that, I had spent nearly 40 years reading vast ancient texts and histories.

I’ve fought the good fight, I’ve run the course, I’ve kept my faith. Forty years of sharpening this sword, I hope this new mindset can help everyone live a better life today.