It is critical to market oneself. Some individuals possess a wealth of talent, yet remain unknown, unable to promote themselves, and thus fail to realise their potential value. Any item that cannot be marketed, remaining in storage, may possess inherent value, but this value remains unrealised. If you successfully market yourself, you could be worth two thousand dollars, or four thousand dollars, or even more. Therefore, we must consider how to market ourselves effectively.

Firstly, Skill is Crucial in Marketing Yourself

Do not assume that because I am a believer, I need not market myself, that a good product needs no advertising. The current era is entirely different; no matter how good the product, it is useless without promotion. If you do not promote yourself, others will. Upon closer inspection of the workplace, 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 employment where others fail due to a lack of such skills.

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 do not require promotion, but this is not the case. Their marketing is exceptionally effective.

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

Self-promotion is a vital skill. Some say, "I believe in the Lord, 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 organisation, allowing them to see what kind of person you are and what qualities you possess.

Packaging oneself is one thing; possessing genuine substance is another. Some individuals possess 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 fifty dollars with packaging, it might only sell for ten dollars without it, or even remain unsold. People often prefer to spend fifty dollars on the packaged item rather than ten dollars on the unpackaged one.

Are packaging and promotion equivalent? I will not delve into that now, but I believe that self-promotion requires both internal substance and external packaging—genuine quality coupled with attractive presentation.

Can you imagine an iPhone wrapped in rags? It is incongruous. Upon closer observation, you will notice that the packaging box is exquisitely crafted, and the contents are arranged perfectly. Therefore, today, a talented individual must possess both the ability to market themselves and genuine skills. These two are indispensable.

Secondly, Character is Central to All Education

Whether a person has character or not, even with the same skills, the image they project is entirely different. When character is displayed, it is very captivating. We must change our educational philosophy. As times evolve, we constantly discuss educational philosophies. Although it is not yet widespread, this very fact gives us foresight. We can foresee that in ten or twenty years, our educational philosophy 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 discovered that much knowledge is unusable and does not generate power. We often say that someone is experienced, implying they are knowledgeable, but knowledge does not necessarily equate to experience.

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

What is experience? It is what one accumulates by using their skills to solve problems, or by using their skills and knowledge to solve a problem. 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, training them to become experienced individuals.

Therefore, the key to marketing yourself is to showcase the charm of your character. The kind of character you display to others is crucial; character is a form of charisma.

Thirdly, Character is an Internal Quality

What is character? It is not merely an external attribute but an internal quality. For example, a child with resilience will exhibit that tenacity in their words and actions upon closer interaction. 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 crucial. Marketing yourself is marketing your character.

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

Why do many people struggle with exams? Because their character lacks something, leading to a distorted state that results in poor exam performance and a less-than-ideal character. In an 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 others find these explanations and stories acceptable, then it is fine. Some stories can even be quite far-fetched. For example, a young man encountered difficulties during an interview and 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." He still got the job.

Do not assume 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 today are not so poor, 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 degree because you have honed your skills in the workplace—this is also a form of character.

Therefore, in the process of marketing yourself, cultivate the habit of promoting your character. Character is very charming. 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 part of character.

Fourthly, the Core Competitiveness of Marketing Yourself

A famous person once said that many young people today know a lot, but their knowledge is shallow, about an inch deep and a mile wide, which is useless. Because the market needs core competitiveness, making the entire society more clearly and finely divided in its cooperation.

If you can do one thing exceptionally well, you are very capable. However, many people become frantic when they lack this core competitiveness. Without core competitiveness, you are marketing an empty shell. You cannot just sell a box without a phone inside because it is useless.

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

Chinese society is shifting from an era dominated by diplomas to one dominated by core competitiveness. You must have skills; without genuine abilities, relying solely on bluffing, you will not last long in any job. Therefore, you must present your core competitiveness. To build your core competitiveness, you must understand the market. If you do not know the market's needs and build your core competitiveness arbitrarily, you are likely to be eliminated by the market.

Fifthly, Know Yourself, Know the Market Demand

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, recognising market demand is a crucial component.

Knowing yourself and recognising market demand will help you understand where to develop and what core competitiveness to equip yourself with. Then, promote your core competitiveness, knowing how to clearly describe it—this is promotion. Regarding the market demand for core competitiveness, I believe it is essential to conduct market research, read extensively, and cultivate a habit of learning and understanding.

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

You must know yourself, recognise market demand, and constantly adjust. Therefore, I sometimes 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 or 50 years. Only by seeing the market situation 30 or 50 years from now can you plan for the next three or five years."

Then, based on these three- to five-year plans, adjust your plans for one, two, or even three months. Know what kind of material you are, what you can and cannot do. Know what level you have reached, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and then recognise market demand—this is very important.

I once ministered to a girl who was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight but essentially had achieved nothing. Under the traditional church's teachings, she studied theology for half a year but accomplished nothing. Then, I bluntly pointed out her most painful areas. 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's needs? She did not. She knew neither herself nor the market's needs.

For example, regarding the insurance industry, let me tell you about a veteran's approach. If you do not have certain savings, 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 that faith is important, but faith does not mean we should deny ourselves.

Point 6: Learn the Language of Salesmanship

If a business is not viable, its returns will be barely enough to sustain it. 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 little, it must be credible; you cannot fabricate an implausible story.

Learn to speak, to use the language of salesmanship. Every industry has its own way of speaking. Diplomats have diplomatic language; salespeople have sales techniques; self-promotion has its own linguistic patterns. Cultivate the habit of speaking effectively. So today, brothers and sisters, we begin to understand how to speak, what kind of language to use. Small talk 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. No matter what you are discussing, it comes down to your skills, what problems you can solve, what value you can create, and what market needs you can satisfy.

I once taught people how to handle job interviews. If asked an unrelated question, such as, "What are you reading lately?" and you answer, "I'm reading Water Margin" or "Legend of the White Snake," the interviewer has no interest in that. You must learn to speak effectively. You should respond by saying, "I have been researching..." If you are applying for a job in online marketing, you should be researching online marketing. "I even wrote a short piece summarizing the key aspects of online marketing." Then, you take out a printed copy of your summary.

If you have written a short book, say twenty or thirty pages, on "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. You need to explain what you can do for them. So, seemingly unrelated questions are 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 exceptionally good at self-promotion, but I believe I do it reasonably well. If I were to seek a pastoral position in an English-speaking country, I think it would not be too difficult.

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

Although I was leaving the next day, he insisted that I meet with one of his subordinates to provide some 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, you must learn to speak effectively and get to the point.

If you are speaking to an investor, use the language of investment. This involves discussing your industry, whether it is currently 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 do not need to know what is irrelevant to you, but you must understand what is relevant. You need to align yourself correctly and learn to speak appropriately.

For instance, if an investor asks me, "What are you reading lately?" I would answer, "I am reading The Game of Capital." Why? Because you are speaking to an investor. If you are talking to a novelist, and they ask what you are reading, you might say, "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? You could say, "I have heard that this book is excellent, but I have not had time to read it yet." I believe everyone should cultivate this habit, equipping themselves to be useful members of society and good citizens.

We Must Equip Ourselves to Become Talented Members of 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, properly equipping ourselves, learning to speak effectively, and promoting ourselves well. You might say the social environment is problematic. I think China's environment is quite good. Does China's environment have problems? Problems exist everywhere. Do not be misled by these things.

Look at the amount of chaos and negativity 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 powerful 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 talented member of society. Society needs many stabilizing factors, and we must become stabilizing factors in society. As Christians, we pray, but we do not cause trouble. We focus our energy and abilities on positive endeavors, learning to speak effectively, learning the language of self-promotion, and learning to equip ourselves.

Point 7: Rapidly Equip Yourself with 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 went on for a long time. He kept talking 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 people can freely express themselves.

I believe that if you have time, rapidly equip yourself with 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 are skills? Skills are the ability to create something using knowledge. It is being able to operate something. What is knowledge? Knowledge is information from books that you store in your mind. After reading it, you do not know if it is practical or not. So, rapidly equip yourself. If you can, equip yourself with experience; if not, equip yourself with skills.

But knowledge, at best, is just understanding. Without experience or skills, without having worked in the market, you cannot do it. You can still promote yourself by talking about knowledge.

A young man who studied computer engineering wanted to find a job in marketing. I suggested he read Philip Kotler's Marketing Management. It 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 could speak effectively. How do people assess you? Sometimes the interviewer is not skilled at interviewing. Some people are not very good at it and cannot see through things. It sounds reasonable, but is there anything wrong with what is in the book?

So, rapidly equipping yourself allows you to continuously improve your knowledge, skills, and experience. Perhaps you can seize one opportunity, or even two. I believe that today, brothers and sisters, we must begin to learn how to learn. Once you understand market demands and your own situation, you can start equipping yourself with knowledge, setting up research topics, and improving your skills.

If you have the opportunity, 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 looks almost the same as a soldered circuit. So today, there is so much knowledge and so many skills available, including online courses. Even if you have never seen something before, watching videos can be very helpful and give you a good understanding of 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 needed to sand and paint the wood. By watching videos and listening to the master craftsman, we 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. Many things today can be done quickly. If you say you have no experience, no skills, and no knowledge, 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 things and turn 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 finding a very good job. To summarize, if you want to successfully promote yourself, follow the steps I have outlined. Are there limitations to this process? Yes, there are. For example, if you are a doctor and have never performed surgery, that is difficult. I once saw a Korean movie about training people to perform surgery. How did they train? They used many fish bladders and had the trainees cut them without damaging the surrounding tissue or breaking the bladder. If the bladder broke, the trainee failed the exam.

So, successfully promoting yourself means finding something that suits you. Some things require training in a very controlled environment, such as becoming a doctor. I would not teach people to do that. Today, brothers and sisters, there are many things we can do and many choices we can make. 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 the path to self-promotion requires continuously accumulating experience. If you have the opportunity, promote yourself. Even if you already have a job, it is good to occasionally send out a resume and go for an interview to see what the market is like. So today, I will share up to this point. Now, let us see how God blesses you.

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