Hello, question asker.
I'm going to give you a warm hug. Your question reminds me of two books I read before: The Soul of Money and Become a Better You by Wu Zhihong. I'm going to look at your current problem from two perspectives.
Money is like a nose ring. It leads us wherever it wants. We forgot that we designed it.
—Mark Kinney
The magic of money
This is an era of consumerism. Everything has a price tag. Every service has a price tag. Even the sacred institution of marriage, which represents love, has a price tag. There's no doubt about it: consumerism, with its emphasis on money, has penetrated every aspect of our lives. It's clear that 99% of problems can be solved with money. The author of "The Soul of Money" mentions that we have been plagued by three myths:
It is a simple fact that resources are scarce. There are not enough resources for all of us to sustain everyone's life, and someone has to be left out.
The planet is overpopulated. There is not enough food, not enough water, not enough air, not enough time, and not enough money.
More. Regardless of our financial situation, the pursuit of "more" will demand our attention, drain our energy, and deprive us of the opportunity to feel fulfilled.
If you believe in and obsess over the promise of "more," you will fall into a bottomless pit. It doesn't matter how much you have, it is never enough because "more" is better.
This is simply the way things are. We lack sufficient resources, and the more resources there are, the better. However, we can only have more of them if someone else has less.
This is unfair, but we must continue playing this game because that's simply the way things are. It's a hopeless, helpless, unequal, and unjust world, and there is no way out.
These three myths and the feeling of deprivation influence each of us to create our own "golden rules" when it comes to money. The first thing most people consider when they open their eyes every day is how to accumulate a large amount of wealth faster, more effectively, and more efficiently.
I don't know which myth the questioner is most influenced by, but I know which one I am not.
Money is neither good nor bad. It has no inherent power. Our problems with money arise from our interpretations and interactions with it. However, this also provides us with opportunities for self-discovery and personal transformation.
[Get rich quick and all-powerful narcissism]
In Wu Zhihong's "Become a Better Version of Yourself" video series, he gave an example about his sister that impressed me. My sister, who didn't study much, has always been ambitious and has tried many investments, all of which have ended in failure.
Take cooking as an example. Mr. Wu made it clear that when a person is unable to settle in the present and always wants to get rich overnight, they are trapped in the state of omnipotent narcissism and unable to extricate themselves. They have an unrealistic and mysterious confidence in themselves and unrealistic expectations of success. They feel that they are naturally gifted, omniscient, and omnipotent, and only see the glamorous side of the rich, ignoring the accumulation of small amounts and long-term hard work. As the saying goes, "great wealth comes from fate, while small wealth comes from hard work." Money that comes easily is often not easy to keep. News stories about people becoming rich quickly and then falling back into poverty are commonplace.
From omnipotent narcissism to omnipotent rage, and then to complete helplessness, it is easy to be defeated by setbacks. They give up too easily, without even trying to understand why they failed. Instead, they start a new round of fantasies.
Let's examine the nature of the feeling of deprivation.
Yan Geling's new book, "Macao is a City," makes a clear and compelling case that the sense of disaster is the mental shame and trauma left by poverty. The author's thesis is that because we lack the opportunity and time to get rich, it is inevitable that we will have a sense of urgency and crisis when we get rich. This, in turn, leads to a shortsightedness and eagerness for quick success and instant benefits.
We sense that the deadline is near, that the system is about to change, that the policy is about to change, and that if we don't seize the opportunity, it will pass us by. The rich want to get rich quickly, and they want to get rich quick.
And all wealth can be gained quickly, but nothing can be gained as quickly as at the gambling table. The inventor of Bitcoin also exploited people's desire for a quick fortune, proclaiming that this was a new way to get rich quickly. As the old saying goes, no pain, no gain. Everyone wants to get something for nothing, but that's not how it works.
In the casinos of Las Vegas, even though the wealthy and powerful have already found a way to make a fortune and have become successful, they cannot overcome the genetic code that has been passed down through our nation for thousands of years. This code is the sense of disaster and the mental shame and trauma left by poverty. How long has it been since the Chinese got rid of internal and external troubles?
In less than a century, we have created enough living space and enough to eat and wear for everyone. There is no reason why any Chinese person should lack the decency and dignity of food, clothing, and shelter.
These continue to affect our collective subconscious, perpetuating our nation's millennia-old worries and fears about poverty and famine. This innate fear and sense of worry that comes with our lives, independent of our will, makes our hunters and heads of households—Chinese men—always secretly harbor a dream of getting rich quick.
The questioner undoubtedly found the root cause of their own perceptions and thoughts. Who doesn't want to get rich overnight and solve their problems once and for all? But just like stock trading, there is a technical component to cryptocurrency trading. Who doesn't want to buy low and sell high? The dealer is the only one who can seize or create such opportunities.
Replacing scarcity with abundance and omnipotent narcissism with healthy narcissism is the answer.
Changing one's perception and achieving unity of knowledge and action is not easy. Gambling is something even a three-year-old knows is not a good thing, yet in casinos, you can always see gray-haired old people eager to turn a profit. Why?
They lack "flow" and the experience of living a life of abundance. The Yi Xinli platform is currently running an event called "Experience the Flow of Good Fortune and Find Your Sense of Well-being." The questioner should take this opportunity to experience the little moments of happiness in life, discover that what they already have is actually more than enough, and understand that all they need is three meals a day and a place to call home.
The deep-rooted sense of fear will be dispelled, no doubt about it.
You must move away from the all-encompassing narcissism that ultimately leads to the shattering of dreams and move towards a healthy form of narcissism. Wu's advice is this: find the object of your life's seed – a person or an event – connect with them, love them wholeheartedly, and devote yourself to doing things. You will be able to establish a reasonable perception of yourself and appropriate expectations for success. Does the questioner have anything they particularly like and are particularly good at doing?
You can discover it and experience it.
I am Zhang Huili, the Sunny Dolphin. I am confident my answer will help you. As we welcome the new year, I wish the questioner great success, good health, and all the best.
Comments
I understand how tempting those quick riches seem, but it's important to shift focus to longterm goals and stable growth. Consider what you're passionate about and start building skills in that area. It might not be as fast, but it's more fulfilling and less risky.
Reflect on the reasons why you got into crypto speculation in the first place. Was it just the allure of quick money or was there something deeper? Once you identify your true motivations, you can find healthier ways to channel that energy into more constructive activities.
It sounds like you've already made significant progress by stopping gambling for three years. That's a huge accomplishment. Now, think about setting small, achievable financial goals. Start with budgeting and saving, and gradually work your way up to investing in safer, more regulated markets.
Maybe it's time to redefine what being 'rich' means to you. Wealth isn't just about money; it can also be about having meaningful relationships, good health, and personal satisfaction. Focus on enriching these areas of your life, and you might find a new kind of fulfillment.
You've recognized the problem, which is the first step. Next, try surrounding yourself with positive influences—people who are working hard and achieving success through dedication. Their mindset can rub off on you, helping you to adopt a more disciplined approach to achieving your financial goals.