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 successfully market yourself, you could be worth two thousand, four thousand, or even more. Therefore, we must consider how to effectively market ourselves.

First Point: Skills are Crucial for Self-Promotion

Do not assume that as a believer, I need not promote myself, trusting that "good wine needs no bush." However, in today's world, this is no longer the case. No matter how fragrant the wine, it 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 often struggle to find employment.

This statement is not superstitious. Even if you are 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 true. Their marketing is exceptionally effective.

Consequently, in Apple stores, each new iPhone model sells out quickly, sometimes even leading to shortages. This is due to effective 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." Yet, even then, self-promotion is necessary. Why? Because it allows you to present yourself to the hiring managers, showcasing your character and qualities.

Packaging oneself is one thing; possessing genuine substance is another. However, having genuine substance without proper packaging 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 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 box is and how well the contents are arranged. Therefore, a talented individual must possess both the ability to market themselves and genuine skills. These two are indispensable.

Second Point: Character is Key to Education

Whether a person has character or not, the image they project, even with the same skills, differs greatly. Character, when expressed, is very charming. We must change our educational philosophy. As times evolve, we constantly discuss educational philosophies. Although not yet universally adopted, our foresight is valuable. 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, filling them with optimism for the future, which then manifests as a particular character—the key to education. With this character, you will find that their skills still need to be honed.

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 that an experienced person must be knowledgeable, but knowledge does not necessarily equate to experience.

An experienced person certainly possesses skills in that area, and with those skills, they undoubtedly 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 combined with their knowledge to solve a problem. The educational philosophy should be to shape a child's character and skills. What about experience? Experience should be taken to the market, or it can be accumulated 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 best if students could be brought into a controlled real-world environment, allowing them to be trained into experienced individuals.

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

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 expressions.

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 life is crucial. Self-promotion is promoting one's character.

When someone goes for an interview and promotes themselves, it is fascinating to see the character they display. A person's poor exam scores can indicate many things. In fact, a person with character should generally have good 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 lackluster character. Then, during the interview, they might say, "Although my grades are not good, it does not mean I cannot learn. I am quick-witted because I have been focusing 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 made some bad friends in the past three years and learned to play computer games, but now I want to change completely. I am not stupid; I can still do well if I study hard." 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 people.

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 prove your abilities. For example, despite being from a poor family, you have been self-studying and might 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 charming. For example, being persevering, resilient, focused, or decisive, able to make accurate decisions and judgments. A person who is quick-witted, flexible, and good at handling interpersonal relationships has a character that easily creates a sense of warmth. These are all parts of character.

Fourth Point: The Core Competitiveness 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 competitiveness, which makes the entire society more clearly and finely divided in labor and 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 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 competitiveness 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 competitiveness, which would be better? I believe having core competitiveness is very, very important.

Our Chinese society is shifting from an era dominated by diplomas to one dominated by core competitiveness. You must have skills. Without real abilities and relying only on bluffing, even if you find a job, you will not last long. Therefore, you still need to introduce your core competitiveness. To build your core competitiveness, you must understand the market. If you do not know the market demand and build your core competitiveness arbitrarily, 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 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 competitiveness to equip yourself with. Then, promote your core competitiveness. Know how to clearly describe your core competitiveness, and that is promotion. Regarding the market demand for core competitiveness, I believe market research, reading, knowing, 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 think people must have a long-term vision. A famous person once said, "If I want to see the next few years, I must first look at 30 years, 50 years. Only by seeing the market situation in 30 to 50 years can you plan for these three to five years."

Then, based on these three- to five-year plans, adjust your one-month, two-month, or even three-month plans. 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, which is very important.

I once ministered to a girl who was already twenty-seven or twenty-eight but could be said to have accomplished 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 demand? She did not understand. She knew neither herself nor the market demand.

For example, regarding the insurance industry, let me tell you the approach of a veteran. 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, which is suicidal. 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 key to 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 the language of salesmanship. Each industry has its own way of speaking. Diplomats have diplomatic language; salespeople have sales techniques; and self-promotion has its own linguistic patterns. Cultivate the habit of speaking effectively. So today, brothers and sisters, let us begin to understand how to speak, and what kind of language to use. Simply asking if someone has eaten or had a drink 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. Whatever you are discussing, it comes down to your skills, the problems you can solve, the value you create, and the 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?" it is insufficient to say, "I am reading Water Margin" or "Legend of the White Snake." The interviewer has no interest in that. You must learn to speak effectively. How should you respond? You should say, "I have been researching..." If you are applying for a job in online marketing, you should say you have been researching online marketing, and that you have written a short article summarizing key aspects of it. Then, you should take out a printed copy of that summary from your pocket.

If you have written a short book of twenty or thirty pages on "How to Do Online Marketing," and printed 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, 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 would not 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, 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 sentences were enough to impress him.

Although I was leaving 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 expertise. Whether one actually has the substance is one thing, but even a person with substance cannot sell themselves if they cannot speak effectively. Therefore, you must learn to speak, and to speak to the point.

If you are facing an investor, speak the language of investment. This involves your industry, whether it is currently in favor, 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 understand what is irrelevant to you, but you must align yourself with what is relevant. You need to learn to speak effectively and avoid irrelevant talk.

For example, if an investor asks me what I have been reading lately, I would say, "I am reading The Game of Capital." Why? Because you are speaking to an investor. If you are speaking to a novelist, and they ask what you have been reading lately, you might say, "I have been reading about how to write novels." What if you have not read anything? Then you should read something.

But if you have not read anything, what can you say? You could say, "I have heard that this book is very good, but I have not had time to read it." I think everyone should cultivate this habit, equipping themselves to be useful members of society and 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, equip ourselves well, learn to speak effectively, and promote ourselves well. You might say the 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 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 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 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: Equip Yourself Quickly, 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 went on for a long time. He was pontificating about how things should be done. I tell you, that is pure nonsense. He should be spending his time equipping himself.

In England, there is 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, you should quickly 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 create something using a certain knowledge. It is being able to operate. 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, quickly 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 lack experience or skills in the market, if you have not done the work, you cannot do it. Even if you only have knowledge, you can still promote yourself.

There was a young man who studied computer 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 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? Some interviewers are not good at it themselves and cannot see through you. It sounds reasonable, but is there anything wrong with what is in the book?

So, equipping yourself quickly allows you to continuously enhance your knowledge, skills, and experience. Perhaps you can seize one or two opportunities. I hope that today, our brothers and sisters will begin to learn how to learn. Once you understand the needs of the market 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 designs can be done on a computer and look almost like they have been soldered. Today, there is so much knowledge and so many skills available, including online courses. Even if you have never seen something, you can watch videos and learn a lot.

Successfully Promote 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. 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 have. When you go out to promote yourself, you can reintegrate these 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 do it? They used a lot of fish bladders and had people cut them. You could not cut the surrounding tissue, but you could not break the bladder. If you broke the bladder, you failed the exam.

So, to successfully promote yourself, I think you should find something that suits you. Some things require training in a very limited environment, such as becoming a doctor. I would not teach people to do that. Today, our brothers and sisters have many things they can do and many choices they 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 think the path to self-promotion also 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 want to share this with you. Now, let us see how God blesses you.

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