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

First Point: Skills are Crucial in Self-Promotion

Do not assume that as a believer, I need not promote myself, that good wine needs no bush. Today's reality 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 notice that some individuals occupy positions not because they are significantly more intelligent or capable, but because they are adept at self-promotion, securing employment where others fail.

This is not mere superstition. Even as a Christian, blessed by God, you must learn to market yourself. What skills do you possess? What value can you create for others? What unique qualities or talents do you offer? Some might argue that Apple iPhones need no promotion, but that is untrue. Their marketing is exceptionally effective.

Consequently, whenever Apple releases a new phone, it 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 critical skill. Some say, "I trust in God to bless me with a job," but even then, self-promotion is necessary. Why? Because it presents you to the leaders of prospective employers, allowing them to assess your character and qualities.

Packaging oneself is one thing; possessing genuine substance is another. However, having substance without packaging is also suboptimal.

For instance, 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 on a packaged item rather than $10 on an unpackaged one.

Whether packaging and promotion are equivalent is debatable, but I believe self-promotion requires both inner substance and attractive packaging—genuine quality presented beautifully.

Can you imagine an iPhone wrapped in rags? It is incongruous. Notice how exquisite the packaging 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, even with the same skills, the image they project differs greatly. Character, when expressed, is very compelling. We must change our educational philosophy. As times evolve, we constantly discuss educational philosophies. Although it is not yet universally adopted, this 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 belief in the future, which manifests as a particular character—the key to education. With this character, you will find that they still need to be molded in their 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 powerless. We often say that an experienced person is knowledgeable, but knowledge does not guarantee experience.

An experienced person certainly possesses skills in their field, and with those skills comes knowledge. Conversely, knowledge does not necessarily equate to skills, and skills do not always mean experience.

What is experience? It is the accumulation of using one's skills to solve problems, or using skills combined with knowledge to resolve an issue. The educational philosophy should be to shape a child's character and skills. What about experience? Experience should be brought to the market, or accumulated in school.

Experience Comes from Real-World Practice

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

Therefore, the key to self-promotion is to showcase the appeal of your character. The kind of character you project 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 demonstrate that tenacity 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 crucial. 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 results can indicate many things. In fact, a person with character should generally have decent exam results.

Why do many struggle with exams? Because their character lacks something, leading to a distorted state that results in poor grades and a lackluster character. In an interview, they might say, "Although my grades are poor, it doesn't mean I can't 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 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 I am now determined to change. I am not unintelligent; I can still study well if I apply myself." 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 project a certain character.

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." While many families are not impoverished today, you can still demonstrate your abilities. For instance, despite a poor background, you have been self-studying and may 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 compelling. For example, being persevering, resilient, focused, or decisive, making accurate decisions and judgments. A person who is resourceful, adaptable, and skilled in interpersonal relationships has a character that easily fosters a sense of connection. These are all parts of character.

Fourth Point: The Core Competency of Self-Promotion

A famous person once said that many young people today know a lot, but their knowledge is shallow—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 excel at one thing, you are very capable. However, many people become frantic when they lack this core competency. Without a core competency, you are promoting an empty shell. You cannot sell a box without a phone inside, because it 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 was 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 very, very important.

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

Fifth Point: 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 the 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 competency. Know how to clearly describe your core competency—this is promotion. Regarding the market demand for core competencies, I believe market research, reading, learning, and understanding are good habits.

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 market elimination, which 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, "If I want to look at the next few years, I must first look at 30 or 50 years. Only by seeing the market situation in 30 or 50 years can you plan for the next three or five years."

Then, based on the three-year or five-year plan, adjust your one-month, 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 accomplished virtually nothing. Under the guidance of a traditional church, she studied theology for half a year, but achieved 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 an old-timer's approach. If you do not have certain savings that can support you for one to two years, do not do 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 on the right track, its returns will be barely enough to sustain it. 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 that can satisfy those needs. Even if you fabricate a story, it must be credible; you cannot concoct something implausible.

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; self-promotion has its own linguistic patterns. Cultivate the habit of speaking in this manner. So today, we, as brothers and sisters, begin to understand how to speak, what kind of words to use. 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. No matter what you're talking about, it boils down to what skills you have, what problems you can solve, what value you can create, and what market needs you can meet.

I once taught people how to handle job interviews. If the interviewer asks an unrelated question, like, "What are you reading lately?" and you answer, "I'm reading Water Margin" or "Legend of the White Snake," they're not really interested in that. They're asking what you're studying. You must learn to speak appropriately. You should respond by saying, "I've been 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 booklet, say, "How to Do Online Marketing," twenty or thirty pages long, and printed 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 story, to explain what you can do for them. So, what seems like an unrelated question is actually very relevant. Why? Because you need to learn to speak pertinently.

Whether I'm serving as a pastor or working as 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 look for 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. What did I promote? My books. I mentioned that I've 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 some insights or revelations from the Bible. A few words moved him.

I was scheduled to leave the country the next day, but he insisted that I meet with one of his subordinates that day to provide some 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 can't articulate their value won't be able to sell themselves. Therefore, you must learn to speak, to get to the point.

If you're facing an investor, speak the language of investment. This involves your industry, whether it's on the rise, your business model, your profit-making strategy, and your team. This is the language to use when talking to investors. You need to understand the language of each industry. You don't need to know what's irrelevant to you, but you must understand what is relevant. You really need to align yourself correctly and learn to speak appropriately. Don't say irrelevant things.

For instance, if an investor asks me, "What are you reading lately?" I'd say, "I'm reading The Game of Capital." Why? Because you're talking to an investor. If you're talking to a novelist, and they ask what you're reading, you might say, "I'm 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, to equip themselves to be useful members of society, to be good citizens.

We Must Equip Ourselves to Become Talents in This Society

I think we should do what we can do and not do what we cannot. As for systemic or institutional issues, those are for others to handle. Let's be good citizens, equip ourselves well, learn to speak effectively, and promote ourselves properly. You might say it's the broader social environment. I think China's environment is quite good. Is there a problem with China's environment? There are problems everywhere. Don't be misled by these things.

Look at all the 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 strong, 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 don't cause trouble. We focus our energy and abilities on doing the right things, learning to speak, learning the language of self-promotion, and learning to equip ourselves.

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

I watched a video of an old farmer sitting on a bench in a park. He's not a mayor, a Party Secretary, a county magistrate, or a County Party Secretary. He's just sitting there, and the video goes on for a long time. He's pontificating about how this should be done and how that should be done. I tell you, that's pure nonsense. He doesn't have time to equip himself properly.

In England, there's Hyde Park, a corner where people can say whatever they want. Singapore has also created such a corner where you can say whatever you want.

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

What is a skill? It's having a certain knowledge and then creating something with it. It's being able to operate something. What is knowledge? Knowledge is something from books that you put in your mind after reading. You don't know if it works or not. So, rapidly equip yourself. If you can, equip yourself with experience; if not, equip yourself with skills.

But knowledge is, at best, just understanding. If you don't have experience in that area, if you don't have the skills, if you haven't worked in the market, you can't do it. Even if you just talk about knowledge, you can still sell 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. It has about twenty chapters, including one on direct selling 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 aren't good at it and can't really tell. It sounds reasonable, but wouldn't the book be reasonable?

So, rapidly equipping yourself allows you to constantly enhance your knowledge, skills, and experience. Perhaps you can seize one or two opportunities. I think today we, as brothers and sisters, should start learning how to learn. Once you understand market demands and know 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 soldering. So today, there's too much knowledge and too many skills. There's also NetEase Cloud Classroom. Even if you haven't seen something before, you can watch many videos and become quite proficient. You'll know how it works.

Successfully Sell Yourself and Find a Job That Suits You

Some time ago, I took everyone to my office. We were renovating, and we had to sand and paint the wood. After watching some 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, right? Many things today can be done quickly. You say you have no experience, no skills, 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 sell yourself, you can reintegrate these things and turn yourself into something valuable. That's how a person's value is realized. Without salesmanship, there is no value. I think successfully selling yourself will lead to finding a very good job. To summarize, if you want to successfully sell 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 quite difficult. I once saw a Korean movie about training people to perform surgery. How did they do it? They used a lot of fish bladders and had them cut them open. They couldn't cut the surrounding tissue, but they couldn't puncture the bladder. If they punctured the bladder, they failed the exam.

So, successfully selling yourself, I think, is about finding something that suits you. Some things must be trained in a very limited environment, like doctors. I wouldn't teach people to do that. So today, there are many things that we, as brothers and sisters, can do and choose from. Making a living is almost not a problem. If you're willing to work hard, learn, and figure things out, and then learn to sell yourself, you'll be very successful. I think the path to selling yourself also requires constantly accumulating experience. If you have the opportunity, go out and sell 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. That's not bad either. So today, I want to share this with you. Next, let's see how God blesses you.

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