Introduction: Changing Yourself From the Inside Out

Good day to all! We have covered seven habits thus far. Let's consolidate and summarize what I have shared about the Seven Habits. What conclusions can you draw? Take a moment to reflect. Some might say it's about transforming oneself, dealing with oneself, and changing oneself from the inside out. Excellent! Being proactive, beginning with the end in mind, putting first things first, and cultivating oneself—all are excellent points.

This book begins with the concept of inside-out and concludes with it. After so much discussion, I summarize it as: The effect of a lifetime comes from the heart. In other words, how a person thinks and contemplates in their heart is crucial. If you think like a dog, you will live a dog's life. If you think like a lion on the African savanna, you will live a lion's life. If you think like God, your life will become a godly life, and that is extraordinary.

No matter your age today, it's never too late to hear what I'm sharing. If you are in your teens, you are much luckier than I was, to learn these lessons at this age. I imagine if I had known these things in my teens, I would be unstoppable now! If we were to summarise what we have learned over this period, it all comes down to a fundamental foundation: the effect of a person's life comes from the heart.

I believe that the problem in a person's life lies within the person themselves. How we contemplate in our hearts determines the outcome. Some might say, That's not right. Look at the young man next door; he didn't get into university because of his poor family environment. Speaking of family environment, my family's situation was the worst, but I not only got into university, but a good one. Why is that? Not all of my siblings are like that; they each have their own thoughts.

The thoughts a person holds in their heart throughout their life will shape their habits. I repeat once again today, regardless of your age, the same is true: The effect of a lifetime comes from the heart, and it has nothing to do with external factors. In secondary school, did you learn in philosophy class that external causes work through internal causes? The Chinese have understood these things deeply since ancient times.

Recently, a renowned traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) expert shared his views on the novel coronavirus. He said that Western medicine studies various viruses daily, but bacteria and viruses are external to the human body. However, there is a miraculous phenomenon: in the world today, you will find that some people are exposed to viruses and do not get sick, while others do. What is the reason? No one can explain it clearly. The TCM expert said, Actually, we TCM practitioners study the human body itself.

I have read quite a few books on TCM and have some understanding of it. I think the TCM expert is right; it aligns with what we learned in philosophy class: External causes can only work through internal causes. Viruses can only exert their effects depending on the original state of the human body. If a person's physical condition is excellent, not just muscular, but their body is balanced and healthy, even if they encounter a virus, it will have no effect on them.

If a person's internal condition deteriorates, the virus comes, and they contract COVID-19. Not because of anything else, it's just that those who contract COVID-19 have varying degrees of severity. Why? Because their physical conditions are different.

Whether from a philosophical or TCM perspective, we are studying the internal problems of a person. Today, I tell you that the internal is key. We don't have the ability to change external conditions or environments to suit us. If you try, you can make demands, but who will listen to you? You're not the Emperor. Even if you were, not everyone would listen. The key lies in changing ourselves internally, which is the essence of this course. What do we need to change internally? Many incorrect things.

Proactive Learning: Emerging from Ignorance

I ask you, before you learned these things from me, did you know them? You didn't. No one is born knowing these things. Some people are not natural; all their reactions are innate, and this inborn set of reactions is a state of ignorance. Therefore, I want to tell you that we have covered a lot of content, such as being proactive and beginning with the end in mind. I think it is necessary for everyone to go back and listen again. What does it mean to put first things first? What about second things? I didn't mention anything beyond first things. Putting first things first highlights the need for a person to have knowledge.

Some time ago, I shared sermon called My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. If a person is ignorant and relies on their natural reactions, can they have a good life? The most people I see are those who haven't read many books from their teens to their twenties, or from their twenties to their thirties. What did they do instead? They wasted their time!

From their thirties to their forties, they learned nothing. Besides getting older, growing wrinkles, becoming better at distinguishing good from evil, and growing in pride, they gained nothing else. Do you think such a person will be well in old age? No way! From their forties to their fifties, they gained nothing. Wrinkles increased, their necks grew thicker, and their eye bags got bigger. If they continue this way, that's how their lives will end. Today, we cannot live like that; we must have knowledge.

Have you seen some people getting angry for no reason? Many people can't stand this or that; they are simply not joyful. I wonder, who are you arguing with? You're not steaming buns, but you want to fight for pride, arguing all day long. What's the point? Are you a fighting rooster, a fighting dog, or a fighting fish? I think you should change your name to Little Fighter! You just love to argue. I am very surprised that there are so many argumentative people in the world.

I have seen a couple who still argue in their eighties. There was also an elderly couple whose elderly husband jumped off a building. They have been arguing every day at such an age, and arguing has become their family entertainment activity! Perhaps they feel bored if they don't argue and fight. Everyone, slowly and carefully observe; this is all called ignorance. Their most important thing is to argue and fight.

Someone said that there is an animal in the African plains called the honey badger. This honey badger looks small but is very stubborn. Later, people nicknamed it bald-headed brother. Some say that this bald-headed brother is either fighting or on the way to fighting, never giving in to anyone in their entire life. I am impressed; I am truly impressed. Some couples like to fight as soon as they are together. You look at me, I look at you, what are you looking at? Just like that. Is it fun? It's fun. But now that you have knowledge, can you still do these things? Bald-headed brother can't become a fighting rooster! If bald-headed brother becomes a fighting rooster, it would also be troublesome.

Today, we must become knowledgeable. With knowledge, how can we have time to do those rotten things all day long? I find that a lack of knowledge is a very upsetting thing. Therefore, today I want to summarize what we have learned during this period, so that everyone can rethink and not be an ignorant person.

A natural person is not born with knowledge. Look at newborn babies; they are at first plump and cute. As they grow, the distance between them widens. Why? As they grow, some people will learn, and some people will not, becoming just a fat baby. When they speak, they sound foolish, saying, I want milk. Even in their teens, they still say, Mom, I want milk. Mom, I need to poop. It sounds unbecoming. So, as they age, the distance between them widens.

When I was a child, I played with my cousins, wearing open-crotch pants. Everyone was the same in those days. Children played together making mud, making mud dolls. As we grew older, the distance widened. I wore a suit, and looking at me, you could tell I was an intellectual, which was good. My cousin worked in the fields. As the years went by, even in a suit, he still looked the same. Actually, he looks the same in everything he wears.

After a person gains knowledge through study, their appearance and cultivation will change. Therefore, through learning, a person will emerge from a state of ignorance. Observe carefully, what a person holds in their heart is reflected in their expression. Some time ago, I met a person in their fifties whose smile carried a silly energy. Why? Because they had never studied.

A person needs to learn two things in life: one related to personal growth and the other related to interacting with people. Interacting with people is more profound, so I have divided them into two categories. The first category is related to our own work; the second is related to interpersonal relationships.

A person must know how to speak. I divide living into two categories: doing and being. A person cannot shut themselves in; they must interact with others. As soon as you interact, you can tell if you are above or below others, how good a subordinate you are, which becomes very important. This all depends on what you have in your heart.

When you have more knowledge in your heart, I will give you a small prophecy. As you continue to grow within our community and learn, you will begin to change. As you begin to change, in the vast world, whether in a company or at home, you will slowly observe people's behavior patterns and realize that many people are quite foolish and ignorant, often messing around. Then you will realize that you used to be just as foolish as them!

Let's summarize. I tell you that the ancients in China pondered these things. Some pondered more, some less. Those who pondered more wrote several books. Currently, the person who has pondered psychological activities the best in China is Wang Yangming. Wang Yangming is very famous in Japan, Korea, and many other places.

If you ask someone, Do you know Wang Yangming? If they say they don't know, you will know that they are a person who does not read. You should know that Wang Yangming is very powerful. He wrote a book called The Study of Mind. The Study of Mind specifically studies people's psychological responses to things. Inamori Kazuo, Japan's most famous entrepreneur, worships Wang Yangming wholeheartedly. Why? Because Wang Yangming has pondered people's psychological activities very thoroughly. I am still saying: The effect of a lifetime comes from the heart.

Among the Seven Habits, the first three habits concern your work, and the last three habits concern your relationships with others. Relating to people requires interacting with others. The first three habits are about doing but also relate to relating to others. The activities of the heart are very important. How can you see what is in a person's heart? Some say, try it and you will know. Because when you try, you will see their reaction. Seeing their reaction, you will know what is in their heart. The distance between the stimulus a person receives and their reaction to it determines the key to their life.

Cultivating Personal Refinement: The Key

Some time ago, in Shenzhen, there was a big shot who was doing quite well for himself. He bought a fancy Maserati, a fine car indeed. He took his wife out for a drive, and they encountered a security guard. This guard, seemingly looking for trouble, happened to be alongside the Maserati at a traffic light—how exactly, I’m not sure. Let me fabricate a bit: one was riding an electric scooter, the other in a Maserati, both stopped at the same red light. This Maserati driver, being a street-smart type, felt compelled to assert himself. He started squeezing the scooter—this is my embellishment.

This well-to-do driver in his luxury car was squeezing a security guard on an electric scooter. The guard gently knocked on the car door, saying something like, Brother, please have some mercy. Upon this, the Maserati driver and his wife emerged from the car, declaring, You knocked my car; you must pay for it. I found this odd. Was there a collision? Is one not allowed to tap on the car? Apparently not, as a mere tap warrants a demand for compensation. Consider this: how could a security guard on a scooter possibly afford to compensate for damages to a Maserati?

In the end, the security guard stabbed the Maserati driver to death with a knife. The Maserati was rendered useless! Dead, confined to the graveyard. One asks, why the need to compete for space on such a vast road? The street-smart big shot was killed by a security guard, who continued to curse even after the act—a clear display of intellectual deficiency. It begs the question: how can one thrive, even prosper, with such a lack of knowledge? The span between a stimulus and a person's reaction reveals whether there is knowledge or ignorance within.

I assert, The wellspring of life flows from within, a fitting reflection on the Maserati owner's fate. He met his end due to ignorance. The security guard, now a murderer, faces dire consequences for life. Why did it come to this? Lack of knowledge! The Mercedes driver insulted the security guard, calling him a watchdog. Why the need for such derision? Today, each of you should examine yourselves. Do you harbor such reactions, whether as the big shot or the security guard? Regardless, the crucial point is to understand what we harbor within ourselves.

One day, I went to the airport to pick up a guest and took him to a famous place in Singapore for frog porridge. The frog porridge restaurant was located in Singapore's red-light district. I let them go ahead while I parked the car. As I parked, I accidentally bumped into a bicycle. It was minor, but a man with scars on his head (a sight reminiscent of a car crash) approached me, veins bulging.

He questioned, Why did you hit my bicycle? I quickly apologized, profusely saying, I'm sorry, so sorry! Why? Because my life is more valuable than his! He eventually let me go, but not without a barrage of insults, calling me blind and disrespectful. I endured the insults and quickly left, thinking, God! What kind of person is that? May I never encounter him again; he's terrifying.

Had I been the Maserati driver, who knows who would have killed whom? Regardless, it would have been devastating. Therefore, we must cultivate personal refinement; cultivate the mind and temper the character to become a person of knowledge. In any given situation, do not react impulsively; instead, carefully assess, analyze, and then respond—that is the mark of a prudent individual. Never react before engaging the mind; that is the response of a fool.

Today, whatever we encounter, we must learn to think with our minds, not react impulsively. Our reaction to events is paramount. Many, when faced with a situation, react with ignorance; again, with ignorance; and yet again, with ignorance—their entire lives marred by it. If we possess knowledge within us, our reaction to events will be wise.

Consider Zhuge Liang: his reactions were never rash. It is said that tens of thousands of Cao Cao's troops pursued Liu Bei, who had only a few thousand men. How could these few thousand withstand such an overwhelming force? Guan Yu was anxious, asking, Brother, what should we do? Zhang Fei, too, was agitated. Only Zhuge Liang had prepared an elaborate plan: the burning of Bowang Slope— a display of wisdom.

Zhuge Liang utilized the resources at his disposal; knowing his manpower was insufficient, he employed natural resources, using fire. How can one fight against fire? What can one do with a ball of fire? Many without wisdom would lose their composure, reacting with despair at the sight of tens of thousands of Cao's troops surrounding their small army, declaring, We're finished; we're doomed! And thus, they would be.

One must cultivate a normal reaction to events; normal reactions come from training, possessing the knowledge and capability to solve problems. If you are skilled, comparing yourself to Guan Zhong or Yue Yi, great talents in governing states, your reaction to events will be vastly different from that of the ignorant.

The Primacy of God's Word

In today's lecture, I am revisiting and summarizing what we have learned. I hope that you can become people of knowledge. We have learned a bit of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, but there are many more crucial things that we need to continuously equip ourselves with. You must understand that the most important knowledge is the Word of God. Even if Zhuge Liang compared himself to Guan Zhong and Yue Yi, that is merely human knowledge. Zhuge Liang later died from exhaustion in Wuzhang Plains at the age of fifty-four.

If one harbors the knowledge of God within, it surpasses that of Guan Zhong and Yue Yi. Guan Zhong and Yue Yi could not have led the people of the God of Israel out of Egypt. Guan Zhong and Yue Yi could not turn water into blood or slay the firstborn sons of the Egyptians. Although I am teaching The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, there is a foundational element. You must ponder carefully; God says, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Not ignorance of worldly matters, but ignorance of God's Word, of spiritual knowledge. Spiritual matters dictate worldly matters; when viewed with a spiritual perspective, many things change.

The Israelites, when they lacked water in the wilderness, quarreled with God, and God gave them water to drink. Later, when they lacked water again, they quarreled with God again, and God gave them water to drink again. They repeatedly quarreled with God, never learning or gaining knowledge, and so, they tragically died in the wilderness. The Israelites in the wilderness reflect many people; they complain at the first sign of trouble. If we lack water today, we should trust that God will provide for our needs.

As we were discussing The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, we arrived at this point. I fear that you may be completely absorbed in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is truly good, but it is merely worldly knowledge, elementary education. Today, when we encounter events, our reaction is a good test of whether we have knowledge within us.

I have put great effort into teaching about our inner selves, training you to be people of knowledge. For example, a person becomes a skilled programmer only through training. Programming is not about learning haphazardly; it follows a complete set of programming protocols. Once one grasps the programming protocols, their output will be structured and orderly. Without training, they will not follow the protocols, leading to haphazard and disorganized results.

When we encounter familiar things, we use our existing knowledge to address them; when we encounter unfamiliar things, we revert to our natural inclinations, revealing our ignorance in that area. If you find yourself in a state of ignorance, what should you do? You must continuously fill the void.

A businessman was once asked by his boss to host other bosses on his behalf because the boss was unable to do so. However, unsure of how to handle it, he rejected the task without attempting to learn. How should he host these bosses? Hosting often involves drinking! If you cannot drink, you should inform people that you cannot drink, explaining that you become unruly or cause trouble when drunk.

Substituting tea for alcohol is perfectly acceptable. While others drink alcohol, you can offer a toast of tea, building rapport. This is a normal social interaction. Whether the cup contains alcohol or water is less important than your words. If your words are knowledgeable and insightful, making people comfortable, can a relationship not be established? The issue with many is their reluctance to learn and grow, preferring to react based on their natural inclinations rather than engaging in planning, reflection, and summarization to create effective learning materials.

Conclusion

Today, whatever environment you find yourself in, begin to react with knowledge. We have previously learned the first three habits: be proactive, begin with the end in mind, and put first things first. The following three are think win-win, seek first to understand, then to be understood, and synergize, all related to dealing with people. For example, with win-win, you understand the other party's interests as well as your own, establishing a win-win situation. In dealing with others, transform your areas of ignorance into areas of knowledge, ultimately leading to the seventh habit: continuous improvement!

Reflect on events, summarize them, and continuously grow from them. The next time you encounter the same event, you will not react as you did before; this is our summary of the entire curriculum. Regardless of your age, I offer you this advice: re-examine and summarize the things you have done wrong in the past, identifying the areas of foolishness; you will be a wise person. When you encounter similar situations again, you will react with knowledge.

To be a person of knowledge, you must constantly reflect, constantly summarize, make good plans, plan how to do things, understand things thoroughly, and cultivate the habit of thinking, summarizing, planning, and scheduling; you will continuously grow. The effect of growth is that the wellspring of life flows from within. If you are not living well and are in a bad situation, do not look for reasons in the environment, because the reason lies within yourself.

Today, our course comes to an end; everyone is implementing it in their respective domains, and it is very good! Our course is over, but the implementation is far from over, because this is a habit. May you integrate these habits into your lives.

If you encounter a situation that seems troubling, through calculation, reflection, and summarization, transform it into a joyful thing. Whatever you encounter, remember this course and transform a good thing into a better thing and a bad thing into a good thing, ultimately living a life full of good things.

May God bless you all!