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

First Point: Skills are Crucial for Self-Promotion

Do not assume that because you are a believer, you need not promote yourself, thinking that "good wine needs no bush." The current era is entirely different; even the finest wine is useless without promotion. If you do not promote yourself, others will. Observe closely in the workplace, and you will notice that some individuals occupy positions not because they are significantly smarter or more capable, but because they are adept at self-promotion. Those who lack this skill may struggle to find employment.

This statement should not be dismissed as 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 require no promotion, but this is not the case. Their marketing is exceptionally effective.

Consequently, in Apple stores today, each new phone model sells out rapidly, often leading to shortages. This is due to promotion. Virtually no one can enter the workforce without promoting themselves.

Self-promotion is a vital skill. Some may say, "I am a believer, and I trust God will bless me with a job." However, even then, self-promotion is necessary. Why do I say this? Because self-promotion essentially presents you to the leaders of the hiring organization, allowing them to assess your character and qualities.

Packaging oneself is one thing; possessing genuine substance is another. Having substance without packaging is also not ideal.

For instance, would you purchase unpackaged food in a store? If it could sell for fifty dollars with packaging, it might only fetch ten dollars without it, or even remain unsold. People often prefer to spend fifty dollars on a packaged item rather than ten dollars on an unpackaged one.

Whether packaging and promotion are equivalent is debatable, but I believe that effective 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 boxes are 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, even with the same skills, the image they project is completely different. When character is expressed, it is very charming. We must change our educational philosophy. With the development of the times, we talk about educational philosophy every day. Although it is not a very popular state, it is precisely because it is not a popular state that we have foresight. We can see that in the future, our educational philosophy may no longer be new in ten or twenty years.

The Core of Character is Confidence

What is our educational philosophy? The cultivation of character is the most critical part of the entire education. The core of character is confidence. So we build people's confidence, let them be full of confidence in the future, and then they will show a kind of character, this character is the key to education. With this character, you will find that he still needs to be built in skills.

Experience Comes from Skills

Educational practice is to shape people's character and skills, not knowledge. We used to be educated that "knowledge is power", but later we found that a lot of knowledge is useless and cannot generate power. We often say that this person is experienced, he must be a knowledgeable person, but knowledge does not mean experience.

A person with experience must have skills in this area, and if he has skills in this area, he must have knowledge in this area. Conversely, if he has knowledge in this area, he may not have skills in this area, and if he has skills in this area, he may not have experience in this area.

What is experience? It is the accumulation of using his skills to solve some problems, or using his skills plus his knowledge to solve a problem. The concept of education is to shape children's character and skills. What about experience? Experience should be pushed to the market, or it can be accumulated in school.

Experience is Accumulated from Actual Combat

Actual combat is actual combat. School is not an actual combat battlefield, but if students are brought into a controlled and managed actual combat battlefield, so that these students can be trained to become experienced people, that would be the best.

Therefore, the key to promoting yourself is to show the charm of your character. It is very important what kind of character you show in front of others, character is a kind of charm.

Third Point: Character is an Internal Thing

What is character? It is not just an external thing, but an internal thing. For example, if a child has a very tenacious resilience, you will find that his words reveal that tenacious character after being in close contact with him. Then if he has a very confident character, it can be expressed in his way of expression.

So character is a very important component. A person without character is basically not successful in his promotion.

So how to train character in school, or how to train this character in your own life, is very important. Promoting yourself is promoting your character.

Someone went to an interview, and it was very interesting if he showed a kind of character in the process of promoting himself during the interview. A person's poor test scores represent many things. In fact, a person with character should have good test scores.

Why do many people fail in exams? Because their character lacks something, which leads to a distorted state in their minds, resulting in poor test scores and a poor character. Then in the interview process, he showed: Although my grades are not good, this does not mean that I will not learn. I am very smart, because in the past, I focused on developing my expertise, and these things were ignored.

If others find these explanations and stories acceptable, then that's fine. Some stories are even quite outrageous. For example, a young man encountered some difficulties during an interview. He said: "I made some bad friends in the past three years, and then I learned to play computer games, but now I want to change completely. In fact, I am not stupid. If I study hard, I can still do it." As a result, he still got the job.

Don't think that if your academic performance is not good, everything will collapse. Academic performance only represents the past, what is needed now is to show a kind of character in front of people.

For example, if someone asks a person why he only has a junior high school diploma, he says: "My family is very poor and I need to come out to work." Many families are not too poor in this era, but you can still prove your ability. For example, although my family is very poor, I have been studying on my own all these years, and I may be stronger than someone with a college degree, because I have practiced a lot of skills in the workplace, and this is also a kind of character.

Therefore, in the process of promoting yourself, develop the habit of promoting your character. Character is very charming. For example, being very persevering, very resilient, very focused, or very courageous, being able to make decisions and judgments accurately, this person is more smart and flexible, and in terms of handling interpersonal relationships, his character makes it easy for people to feel kind, and these are all part of character.

Fourth Point: Promoting Your Core Competitiveness

A celebrity once said that many young people today know a lot of things, but they know them very superficially, about an inch deep and a mile wide, which is useless. Because the market needs core competitiveness, which makes the entire society more clear and more detailed in division of labor and cooperation.

As long as you do this one thing very well, then you are very powerful. But many people are frantic when they don't have this core competitiveness. Without core competitiveness, what you are promoting is an empty shell. You can't just sell a box without a mobile phone inside, because that's useless.

So today, we must know what our core competitiveness is. A brother told me before that he was going to study for a master's degree, and I told him that it would be good to package himself. But the question is, if we use the time to study for a master's degree to build our core competitiveness, which do you think would be better? I think having core competitiveness is very, very important.

Our Chinese society is shifting from an era dominated by diplomas to an era dominated by core competitiveness. That is, you must have skills. If you don't have real skills and only rely on fooling around, you won't be able to work for long even if you have a job. So you still have to introduce your core competitiveness. To build your core competitiveness, you must understand the market. If you don't know the market demand and build your core competitiveness casually, you will easily be eliminated by the market.

Fifth Point: Know Yourself, Know Market Demand

We must know that everything is driven by the market. A society driven 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. If there is no market demand, there is no business. So recognizing market demand is a very important key component.

Knowing yourself and recognizing market demand, you will know where you want to develop and what core competitiveness you need to equip yourself with. Then promote your core competitiveness, and you know how to describe your core competitiveness clearly, which is promotion. In terms of the market demand for core competitiveness, I think it is a good habit to do market research, read more books, know 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 next few years. If this is true, then we must be careful not to jump into the team eliminated by the market, which is called structural unemployment.

You must know yourself, recognize market demand, and constantly adjust. So sometimes I think people must have a long-term vision. A celebrity once said that if I want to see the next few years, I have to look at 30 years and 50 years first. If you see the market situation 30 years and 50 years later, you can plan these three years and five years.

Then, according to the plans for these three years and five years, adjust your plans for one month, two months, or even three months. Knowing what kind of material you are, what you can do, and what you cannot do. To what extent have you accumulated yourself, which aspect is your strength; which aspect is your weakness, and then recognizing market demand, this is very important.

I once served a girl who was already twenty-seven or eight years old, but basically she could be said to have achieved nothing. She studied theology for half a year under the teachings of the traditional church, but ended up achieving nothing. Then I pinpointed and stabbed her most painful spot. Although she knew that what I said was right, she couldn't listen to it.

Later, she ran to a first-tier city to sell insurance. Does she really understand what the insurance industry is? Does she really know herself? Does she really understand the needs of the market? She doesn't understand. She neither knows herself nor understands market demand.

For example, in the insurance industry, let me tell you how a veteran does it. If you don't have a certain amount of savings, and these savings can't support you for a year or two, don't do insurance. But many people borrow money to sell insurance, isn't that courting death? Today, unless I say "believe that you will receive and you will receive", may miracles happen to such children. But the problem is faith is very important, but faith does not mean that we have to deny ourselves.

Point 6: Learn the Language of Salesmanship

If a business is not on the right track, its returns will barely keep it afloat. Therefore, knowing oneself and understanding market demands are crucial for selling oneself. How you respond to questions asked reflects the needs of the market and what you possess to meet those needs. Even if you embellish a bit, it must be credible; you cannot fabricate an unreliable story.

Learn to speak, to use the language of salesmanship. Every industry has its own way of speaking. Diplomats have diplomatic parlance; salespeople have sales techniques; selling oneself has its own linguistic patterns. Cultivate the habit of speaking in this way. Today, we, as brothers and sisters, begin to understand how to speak and what to say. It's not about asking if someone has eaten or had a drink; that's 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 unrelated question, like what book you're currently reading, and you answer with "Water Margin" or "Legend of the White Snake," they won't be interested. You must learn to speak appropriately. You should say, "I am currently researching..." If you're applying for a job in online marketing, you should be researching online marketing. "I've even written a short article summarizing the key aspects of online marketing." Then, you take out a printed copy of your summary.

If you've written a short book, say twenty or thirty pages, on "How to Do Online Marketing," and you print it out, that's the language of salesmanship. Recruiters don't have time to hear about your reading of "Water Margin." You need to write your own legend. You need to explain what you can do for them. So, what seems like an unrelated question is actually very relevant. Why? Because you must learn to speak pertinently.

Whether I am serving as a pastor or an entrepreneur, I wouldn't say I'm exceptionally good at selling myself, but I think I do a decent job. If I were to seek a pastoral position in an English-speaking country, I believe it wouldn't 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 presented him with one, and after he glanced through it, I highlighted key elements: church building, my research findings, and insights from the Bible. A few words captivated him.

The next day, even though I was scheduled to leave the country, he insisted that I meet with one of his subordinates to provide training. Why? Because I had successfully sold 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, you must learn to speak, to get to the point.

If you are facing an investor, speak the language of investment. This involves discussing your industry, whether it is trending, your business model, your profit model, and your team. This is the language to use with investors. You need to understand the language of each industry. You don't need to know what is irrelevant to you, but you must align yourself with what is relevant. You need to learn to speak appropriately, avoiding irrelevant remarks.

For instance, if an investor asks me what I'm currently reading, I would say "The Game of Capital." Why? Because you are speaking to an investor. If you are talking to a novelist, what are you doing? "I'm currently reading about how to write novels." What if you haven't read anything? Then read something!

But if you haven't read anything, what can you talk about? "I've heard this book is excellent, but I haven't had time to read it." That's acceptable. I think everyone should cultivate this habit, equipping themselves to be useful members of society, 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 handle. Let us be good citizens, properly equipping ourselves, learning to speak well, and effectively promoting ourselves. You might say it's the broader social environment. I think China's environment is quite good. Does China's environment have problems? Problems exist everywhere. Don't be misled by these things.

Look at the chaos and negativity in foreign countries! Many are pessimistic about China, but I am confident that the next twenty years will be China's era to become a powerful, developed nation. China will become one of the world's leading powers. 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 neither a mayor, a Party secretary, a county head, nor a county Party secretary. He just sat there on the bench, and the video went on for a long time. He lectured on how this should be done and how that should be done. I tell you, such people are just talking nonsense; they don't take the time to properly equip themselves.

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 your mind.

I believe that if you have time, 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.

What are skills? Skills are the ability to create something based on knowledge, the ability to operate. What is knowledge? Knowledge is information from books that you store in your mind. After reading it, you don't know if it's 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! Without experience or skills in the market, without having done the work, you cannot succeed. Even if you only have knowledge, you can still promote yourself.

A young man who studied computer engineering wanted to find a job in marketing. I suggested he read Philip Kotler's "Marketing Management," which has over 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? Sometimes the interviewer is not skilled enough to discern the truth. It sounds reasonable, but wouldn't the book be reasonable?

So, rapidly equipping yourself allows you to continuously enhance your knowledge, skills, and experience. Perhaps you can seize one or two opportunities. Today, I want our brothers and sisters to begin learning how to learn. Once you understand market demands and your own capabilities, start equipping yourself with knowledge, setting up research topics, and enhancing your skills.

If possible, gain some practical experience. Today, with computers and the internet, the era has truly changed. For example, circuit design can be done on a computer, looking almost like a soldered circuit. So, today, there is an abundance of knowledge and skills available online through platforms like NetEase Cloud Classroom. Even if you haven't seen something in person, watching many videos can make you quite knowledgeable.

Successfully Promote Yourself and Find a Suitable Job

Some time ago, I took everyone to my office. We were renovating, and we needed to sand and paint the wood. By watching videos and listening to the master craftsman, we did a pretty good job. That's 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. Many things today can be done in this era of rapid self-equipment. If you say you have no experience, no skills, no knowledge, then what can you sell?

So, today you need to know what skills, knowledge, and experience you possess. When you go out to promote yourself, you can reintegrate these elements and convert yourself into something valuable. That's how a person's value is realized. Without promotion, there is no value. I believe that successfully promoting yourself will lead to finding a very good job. To summarize, if you want to successfully promote yourself, follow the steps I've outlined. Are there limitations in this process? Yes, there are. For example, if you're a doctor and you haven't performed surgery, that's difficult. I once saw a Korean movie about training people to perform surgery. How did they do it? They used many fish bladders, and you had to cut them without damaging the surrounding tissue or breaking the bladder. If you broke the bladder, you failed the exam.

So, when it comes to successfully promoting yourself, I think it's best to find something that suits you. Some things require training in a very limited environment, like becoming a doctor. I wouldn't teach people to do that. Today, our brothers and sisters have many choices. Making a living is almost not a problem. If you are willing to work hard, learn, and promote yourself, you will be very successful. I believe that the path to self-promotion requires continuously accumulating experience. If you have the opportunity, promote yourself. Even if you already have a job, 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 everyone. Now, let's see how God blesses you.

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