It is vital to market oneself. Some individuals possess a wealth of talent, yet remain unknown, unable to promote themselves, thus failing to realize their potential value. Any item left unsold in storage, though valuable, cannot be converted into tangible worth. If you can market yourself effectively, you could be worth two thousand, four thousand, or even more. Therefore, we must consider how to market ourselves.

First Point: Skills are Crucial in Self-Promotion

Do not assume that because you are a believer, you need not promote yourself, thinking "good wine needs no bush." The current era is far from that; even the finest wine is useless without promotion. If you do not promote yourself, others will. Observe closely in the workplace, and you will find that some individuals occupy positions not because they are significantly smarter or more capable, but because they are adept at self-promotion, securing jobs that others miss out on due to a lack of such skills.

This is not mere superstition. Even as a Christian blessed by God, you still need to learn to market yourself. What skills do you possess? What value can you create for others? What unique qualities or talents do you have? Some might argue that Apple iPhones do not require promotion, but that is untrue. Their marketing is exceptionally effective.

Today, we see Apple stores selling out new phone models, even experiencing shortages, due to promotion. Virtually no one can enter the workforce without some degree of self-promotion.

Self-promotion is a critical skill. Some say, "I believe in the Lord, and I trust God will bless me with a job." Yet, even then, self-promotion is necessary. Why do I say this? Because self-promotion is essentially presenting yourself to the leaders of prospective employers, showcasing who you are and what qualities you possess.

Packaging oneself is one thing; possessing genuine substance is another. Some have genuine substance but lack external packaging, which is also not ideal.

For example, would you buy unpackaged food in a store? If it could sell for $50 with packaging, it might only fetch $10 without it, or even remain unsold. People often prefer to spend $50 rather than $10 on an unpackaged item.

Whether packaging and promotion are equivalent is debatable, but I believe self-promotion requires both inner substance and attractive packaging—genuine quality combined with appealing presentation.

Can you imagine an iPhone wrapped in rags? It is incongruous. Notice how exquisite the packaging box is, and how well the contents are arranged. Therefore, a talented individual must possess both the ability to promote themselves and genuine skills. These two are indispensable.

Second Point: Character is Key to Education

Whether a person has character or not makes a world of difference, even with the same skills. Character adds charisma. We must change our educational philosophy. As times evolve, we constantly discuss educational philosophies. Although it is not yet widespread, this gives us foresight. We can foresee that in ten or twenty years, our current educational philosophies may no longer be novel.

The Core of Character is Confidence

What is our educational philosophy? Character development is the most crucial aspect of education. The core of character is confidence. Therefore, we build people's confidence, instilling in them a sense of optimism about the future, which then manifests as a particular character—the key to education. With this character, you will find that they still need to be developed in skills.

Experience Yields Skills

Educational practice shapes character and skills, not just knowledge. We were once taught that "knowledge is power," but we later realized that much knowledge is unusable and does not generate power. We often say someone is experienced, implying they are knowledgeable, but knowledge does not necessarily equate to experience.

An experienced person certainly possesses skills in that area, and with those skills comes knowledge. Conversely, having knowledge in an area does not guarantee skills, and having skills does not necessarily mean one has experience.

What is experience? It is what one accumulates by using their skills to solve problems, or by using their skills and knowledge to resolve an issue. The educational philosophy should be to shape a child's character and skills. What about experience? Experience should be tested in the market, or perhaps accumulated to some extent in school.

Experience is Gained from Real-World Practice

Real-world practice is real-world practice. School is not yet a real battlefield, but it would be ideal to bring students into a controlled real-world environment where they can be trained to become experienced individuals.

Therefore, the key to self-promotion is to showcase the charisma of your character. The kind of character you display to others is crucial; character is a form of charisma.

Third Point: Character is an Internal Quality

What is character? It is not merely an external trait but an internal quality. For example, a child with resilience will exhibit that resilience in their words and actions. Similarly, a confident character will be evident in their manner of expression.

Therefore, character is a vital component. A person without character is unlikely to succeed in self-promotion.

Thus, how to cultivate character in school or in one's personal life is extremely important. Promoting oneself is promoting one's character.

When someone goes for an interview and promotes themselves, it is fascinating to observe the character they display. A person's poor exam scores can indicate many things. In fact, a person with character should generally have decent exam scores.

Why do many people struggle with exams? Because their character lacks something, leading to a distorted state that results in poor exam scores and a less-than-ideal character. Then, during the interview, they might say, "Although my grades are not good, it does not mean I cannot learn. I am resourceful because I have focused on developing my expertise in a particular area, which has been overlooked."

If the interviewer finds these explanations and stories acceptable, then it is fine. Some stories can even be quite far-fetched. For instance, a young man facing difficulties in an interview said, "I fell in with bad company for the past three years and learned to play computer games, but now I want to change completely. I am not stupid; I can still study well if I put my mind to it." Yet, he still got the job.

Do not think that poor academic performance means everything is ruined. Academic performance only represents the past; what is needed now is to display a certain character to others.

For example, if someone is asked why they only have a junior high school diploma, they might say, "My family was poor, and I needed to work." Many families are not so poor these days, but you can still demonstrate your abilities. For instance, despite coming from a poor background, you have been self-studying and may even be stronger than someone with a college diploma because you have honed your skills in the workplace. This is also a form of character.

Therefore, in the process of promoting yourself, cultivate the habit of promoting your character. Character is very charismatic. For example, being persevering, resilient, focused, or decisive, able to make accurate decisions and judgments. A person who is resourceful, flexible, and skilled in interpersonal relationships, whose character easily fosters a sense of warmth, all these are parts of character.

Fourth Point: The Core Competency of Self-Promotion

A famous person once said that many young people today know a lot of things, but their knowledge is shallow, about an inch deep and a mile wide, which is useless. Because the market needs core competencies, making the entire society more specialized and collaborative.

If you can excel at one thing, you are very impressive. But many people become frustrated when they lack this core competency. Without a core competency, you are promoting an empty shell. You cannot just sell a box without a phone inside, because that is useless.

Therefore, today, we must know what our core competency is. A brother once told me he was going to pursue a master's degree, and I told him that packaging himself would be good. But the question is, if we use the time spent on a master's degree to build our core competency, which would be better? I believe having a core competency is extremely important.

Our Chinese society is shifting from an era dominated by diplomas to one dominated by core competencies. You must have skills. Without real abilities and relying only on bluffing, you will not last long in any job. Therefore, you must present your core competencies. To build your core competency, you must understand the market. If you do not know the market needs and build your core competency haphazardly, you will easily be eliminated by the market.

Fifth Point: Know Yourself, Know the Market Needs

We must understand that everything is driven by the market. A society driven primarily by the market is a market economy. The difference between a market economy and a planned economy is that a market economy is driven by market demand. Without market demand, there is no business. Therefore, recognizing market demand is a crucial component.

Know yourself, recognize market demand, and you will know where to develop and what core competencies to equip yourself with. Then, promote your core competencies, knowing how to clearly describe them. This is promotion. Regarding the market demand for core competencies, I believe it is a good habit to conduct market research, read more, learn more, and understand more.

For example, if you read the book "Industry 4.0," you will know that many industries will gradually disappear in the coming years. If this is true, then we must be careful not to jump into the ranks of those being eliminated by the market. This is called structural unemployment.

Know yourself, recognize market demand, and constantly adjust. Therefore, sometimes I feel that people must have a long-term vision. A famous person once said, "To see the next few years, I must first look at 30 to 50 years. Only by seeing the market situation 30 to 50 years from now can you plan for the next three to five years."

Then, based on the three- to five-year plan, adjust your one- to two-month, or even three-month plan. Know what kind of material you are, what you can do, and what you cannot do. Know what level you have accumulated, what your strengths are, and what your weaknesses are. Then, recognize market demand. This is very important.

I once ministered to a girl who was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight but had basically accomplished nothing. She studied theology for half a year under the teachings of a traditional church, but she did not achieve anything. Then, I pinpointed her most painful spot. Although she knew I was right, she could not accept it.

Later, she went to a first-tier city to sell insurance. Did she really understand what the insurance industry is? Did she really know herself? Did she really understand the market needs? She did not understand. She knew neither herself nor the market needs.

For example, regarding the insurance industry, let me tell you what a veteran does. If you do not have certain savings that can support you for one to two years, do not sell insurance. But many people borrow money to sell insurance. Is that not courting death? Today, unless I say, "Believe that you have received it, and you will receive it," may miracles happen to such children. But the problem is faith is important, but faith does not mean we should deny ourselves.

## Point 6: Learn the Language of Salesmanship

If the business is not on the right track, the returns will barely keep it afloat. Therefore, **knowing oneself and understanding market demands are key to selling oneself**. How you respond to questions asked is essentially addressing the needs of the market and what you possess, what can satisfy the market. Even if you fabricate a story, it must be credible; you cannot spin an unreliable tale.

Learn to speak, to use the language of salesmanship. Every industry has its own way of speaking. Diplomats have diplomatic parlance; salespeople have their sales pitches; selling oneself has its own linguistic patterns. **Cultivate the habit of speaking** in this way. So today, brothers and sisters, let us begin to understand how to speak, what kind of words to use. It is not about asking if one has eaten or had a drink; that is not the language of self-promotion.

The language of self-promotion **must be precise**. It has a **unique characteristic**: it always revolves around the same core. What skills do you have, what problems can you solve, what value can you create, and what market needs can you meet?

I once taught people how to handle job interviews. If the interviewer asks an irrelevant question, such as what book you are currently reading, and you answer with "Water Margin" or "Legend of the White Snake," when they have no interest in such things, you must learn to speak correctly. How should you respond? You should say, "I am currently **researching**..." If you are applying for a job in online marketing, you should be researching online marketing. "I have even written a short article summarizing the key aspects of online marketing." Then, you take out a printed copy of your summary from your pocket.

If you have written a book, even if it is only twenty or thirty pages long, titled "How to Do Online Marketing," and you print it out, that is **the language of salesmanship**. Recruiters do not have time to hear about your reading of "Water Margin." You need to write **your own story**, to explain what you can do for them. So, what seems like an irrelevant question is actually very relevant. Why? Because you must learn to speak pertinently.

Whether I am serving as a pastor or working as an entrepreneur, I cannot claim to be truly skilled at self-promotion, but I believe I do a decent job. If I were to seek a pastoral position in an English-speaking country, I think it would not be too difficult.

For example, during my recent conversation with my pastor in Singapore, I promoted myself quite effectively. I promoted my books, mentioning that I had written over thirty. I took out one book, presented it to him, and highlighted a few key elements: church building, my research findings, and insights from the Bible. These few words impressed him.

Although I was scheduled to leave the country the next day, he insisted that I meet with one of his subordinates that same day to provide training. Why? Because I had successfully promoted myself. He believed I had genuine talent and knowledge. Whether one is truly capable is one thing, but even a capable person who cannot articulate their abilities will fail to promote themselves. Therefore, **one must learn to speak, to get to the point**.

If you are facing an investor, speak the language of investment. This involves your industry, whether it is currently trending, your business model, your profit model, and your team. This is the language to use when speaking with investors. You need to understand the language of each industry. You do not need to understand what is irrelevant to you, but you must understand what is relevant. You truly need to align yourself and learn to speak appropriately.

For example, if an investor asks me what I am currently reading, I would say "The Game of Capital." Why? Because you are speaking with an investor. If you are speaking with a novelist, what are you doing? "I am currently reading about how to write novels." What if you have not read anything? Then read something!

But if you have not read anything, what can you talk about? "I have heard that this book is excellent, but I have not had the time to read it." That is also acceptable. I hope everyone will cultivate this habit, equipping themselves to be useful members of society, to be good citizens.

### We Must Equip Ourselves to Become Talents in This Society

I believe we should do what we can and avoid what we cannot. As for systemic or institutional issues, those are for others to manage. **Let us be good citizens, equipping ourselves well, learning to speak effectively, and promoting ourselves properly**. You might say that the overall social environment is a problem. I think the environment in China is quite good. Is there a problem? There are problems everywhere. Do not be misled by these things.

Look at the chaos and disorder in foreign countries! Many people are pessimistic about China, but I am confident that the next twenty years will be a period of China becoming a strong and developed nation. China will become one of the leading powers in the world. You must **focus on the big picture**. Are there problems? Yes.

Your task is to equip yourself to become a **talent** in this society. This society needs many stabilizing factors. **We must become stabilizing factors in this society**. As Christians, we pray, but we do not cause trouble. We focus our energy and abilities on positive endeavors, learning to speak, learning the language of self-promotion, and learning to equip ourselves.

## Point 7: Rapidly Equip Yourself, Enhancing Your Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

I watched a video of an old farmer sitting on a bench in a park. He was not a mayor, a Party secretary, a county head, or a county Party secretary. He was just sitting there, and the video was quite long. He was pontificating about how things should be done. I tell you, that is pure nonsense. He has not taken the time to equip himself properly.

England has a place called Hyde Park, where people can say whatever they want. Singapore has also created such a corner where you can freely speak nonsense.

I believe that if you have time, you should **rapidly equip yourself, enhancing your knowledge, skills, and experience**. What is experience? It is what you gain after using your knowledge and skills to solve problems. It is the result of solving problems.

What is a skill? It is the ability to do something after acquiring certain knowledge. It is being able to operate something. What is knowledge? Knowledge is something from books that you store in your mind after reading. You do not know if it is practical or not. So, rapidly equip yourself. **If you have the opportunity, equip yourself with experience; if not, equip yourself with skills**.

But knowledge is, at best, just an understanding! If you do not have experience in that area, if you do not have the skills, if you have not been in the market, if you have not done that work, you cannot do it. Even if you only have knowledge, you can still promote yourself.

There was a young man who studied computers and engineering. Later, he wanted to find a job in marketing. I told him to read Philip Kotler's "Marketing Management," which has about twenty chapters, including one on direct sales and online marketing. He read the first two chapters and gained some knowledge of marketing.

Then he went for an interview and got the job. Why? Because he knew how to speak. How do people evaluate? Some interviewers are not good at interviewing, and some cannot tell the difference. It sounds reasonable, but is there anything unreasonable in a book?

So, **rapidly equipping yourself allows you to continuously enhance your knowledge, skills, and experience**. Perhaps you can seize one or two **opportunities**. I hope that today, brothers and sisters, we will begin to learn how to learn. Once you understand the market demands and your own situation, you can start equipping yourself with knowledge, setting up research topics, and enhancing your skills.

If you have the opportunity, you can gain some practical experience. Today, with computers and the internet, this era has truly changed. For example, circuit design can be done on a computer, and it looks almost the same as a soldered circuit. So today, there is too much knowledge and too many skills available. There is also NetEase Cloud Classroom. Even if you have never seen something before, you can watch many videos and become quite proficient. You will know how things work.

### Successfully Promote Yourself and Find a Suitable Job

Some time ago, I took everyone to my office. We were renovating, and we had to sand and paint the wood. We watched some videos, listened to the master craftsman, and did a pretty good job. That is called painting experience. In the past, it was difficult, but today, you can quickly equip yourself with practical experience. For example, to write a program, all you need is a computer, right? To do a live broadcast, all you need is a computer and a camera, right? Many things today can be done in this era of rapid self-equipment. If you say you have no experience, no skills, and no knowledge, then what are you selling?

So today, you need to know what skills you have, what knowledge you have, and what experience you have. When you go out to promote yourself, you can reintegrate these things and convert yourself into something valuable. That is how a person's value is realized. Without promotion, there is no value. I believe that successfully promoting yourself will lead to a very good job. To summarize, if you want to successfully promote yourself, follow the steps I have outlined. Are there limitations in this process? Yes, there are. For example, if you are a doctor and you have never performed surgery, that is difficult. I once saw a Korean movie about training people to perform surgery. How did they do it? They used many fish bladders and had the trainees cut them without damaging the surrounding tissue. If the fish bladder burst, the trainee failed the exam.

So, successfully promoting yourself means finding something that suits you. Some things require training in a very limited environment, such as being a doctor. I would not teach people to do that. So today, brothers and sisters, there are many things we can do and many things we can choose. Making a living is almost not a problem. If you are willing to work hard, learn, and figure things out, and if you learn to promote yourself, you will be very successful. I believe that the path to self-promotion also requires continuously accumulating experience. If you have the opportunity, promote yourself. Even if you are already employed, occasionally send out a resume and go for an interview to see what the market is like. So today, I want to share this with you. Now, let us see how God blesses you.

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