Joseph's "Just My Thoughts"

Fact Check: Humans cannot honestly know the future. It only partially predicts the future within limited scenarios and conditions. The weather forecast is an example. When you look back at the past from the present, you can understand the situation relatively accurately, but you did not fully grasp what the event was like at that time. Later, we only justify the past. One instance of preparing for a probabilistically unstable future is to consider the statistic that lowering the speed limit on highways can reduce the accident rate. However, the most reliable prediction method is to assume the future is unknown and to act only after confirming the current situation. Fact-checking is crucial in business management and investing. Avoid hasty forecasts; instead, wait until you have verified the information before acting. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Cognitive Structure: Humans naturally avoid complicated or confusing interfaces. If all headlines in a newspaper are the same size as the body text, they won’t seem inviting to read. The human brain is built to operate efficiently. However, human cognitive abilities often don’t reach their full potential. Any interface that goes against this instinct is likely to fail. No one enjoys taking tests every day, right? To increase sales in an online shopping mall, it’s important to provide an interface that requires minimal mental effort from consumers. To protect the environment, instead of setting “spoons or forks” as the default delivery option in a food delivery app, offering a choice to select separately can help reduce waste. To promote positive consumer behavior, create a comfortable environment; to discourage negative behavior, make the process complex and frustrating. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Contradictions and Possibilities: As long as ‘spear’ and ‘shield’ exist simultaneously in this world, contradictions will inevitably occur. Contradictions are not problems to be eliminated entirely but rather things to be utilized and adapted. A contradiction is merely a logical confusion, not a flaw. The key feature of contradiction is that it exposes possibilities and opportunities, as long as it is not limited by logic. In other words, a contradiction is simply a state, not a final conclusion or decision. During a contradiction, the direction in which it progresses presents an opportunity to discover new possibilities or opportunities. When facing a contradiction, it’s important to carefully analyze why this state has been reached. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Core Values and Efficiency: Talented people often face financial struggles. If you live alone, being talented can be a significant advantage in terms of survival. However, in the real world, you usually live with others; therefore, it’s more effective to focus on your core values. In other words, investing time in things outside your core values is a waste. Even if you’re better at something than others, you’re more likely to succeed by ignoring it and focusing on your main strengths because time is limited. For example, being skilled at investing and introducing investors to other companies are two different tasks. To prioritize your core values, you need to clearly define your identity and confidently reject offers that do not align with them. There’s an apparent reason why we often hesitate to act, even when we are skilled at what we do. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Writing: Communicate verbally and express thoughts clearly. Among these, writing that records language is undoubtedly the most powerful way to harness the power of words. This is why teaching essay writing in private high schools and universities across the United States, and emphasizing writing throughout the school year, is equally important. Being skilled at writing doesn’t necessarily mean making good money, but if you can craft compelling stories, it can significantly help you become wealthy. Keeping an investment diary with storytelling elements in stock investing allows you to develop your core principles and minimize errors in your decisions. Writing is the most effective tool to enter the world of wealth. In the future, a significant gap is expected to exist between those who train to write and those who don’t. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Optimization: Adjusting something to reach its best state for a specific purpose. We often think that the fastest and strongest options are the best. The fastest way down a slope isn’t a straight line, but a parabola that naturally connects high and low points. A sniper can cause more lethal wounds at 400 meters than at 200 meters. Although the bullet travels faster at 200 meters, the wound size isn’t as large, and at 400 meters, the slower-moving bullet over a longer distance causes more friction as it passes through the wound, resulting in more severe injuries. In every situation, there is an optimal choice suited to the goal. Trial and error are useful for finding this optimization. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Credit Rating and Required Rate of Return: Suppose you and Warren Buffett borrow money from a bank. The bank will assess your credit ratings differently. Maybe the bank could offer Warren Buffett a loan without interest since it can be advertised as a bank used by the renowned investor. However, it will likely charge you interest because you have a lower credit rating and less fame than Warren Buffett. The interest rate each borrower faces, based on their creditworthiness, is called the required rate of return for creditors. Under the same conditions, the cost of poverty is much higher for the poor than for the rich. Poverty inherently involves costs. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Longing: A lonely heart can be filled by someone, but a longing heart is a heart that cannot be filled by ‘the particular person.’ When the mind feels strange, it is important to first determine whether the feeling stems from a lack of self-generated needs or from not being filled by the object of longing. Loneliness can progress easily, but longing carries a high risk of self-destruction if not handled carefully. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Metropolis and Transportation: For mankind, a ‘city’ was a ‘place’ where people were born, grew up, and eventually died. It was initially difficult for humans to choose a ‘place’ to live. Humans had to follow the fate they were given. However, with the development of transportation and the widespread adoption of online networks, humans have been able to select their own places of residence. Throughout history, humans have only been able to voluntarily choose where they want to live for a short time. Achieving freedom of movement marks a fundamental change in the form and character of cities. The development of transportation has completely transformed our lives. The emergence and evolution of transportation means, such as electric vehicles and high-speed trains, indicate that we are in the middle of a revolution that humanity is experiencing for the first time. If you do not respond to these changes, you will face difficulties. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Influence of Time: Time has the power to change the values of this world and people’s minds. The passage of time—past, present, and future—is only significant to humans, and if there is an all-powerful God, it likely holds no meaning for Him. Time accomplishes many things, and God rules the world through it. As time progresses, people change, and the world changes as well. When time flows, the world transforms, and it is natural for humans to adapt to these changes. My attitude toward time influences my values, which in turn shape my actions and perspectives. My values do not influence time; rather, time influences me. Observation is not just seeing the world but also seeing myself. It is a wise attitude to judge both myself, who is affected by changing times, and the world, which is already in flux. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Leader: In the book ‘Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win,’ written by Jocko Willink, there is a training story where seven Navy SEAL trainees form a team and carry a rubber boat weighing over 100 kg on their heads. Usually, one team would finish first and another last, but the team members stayed the same, and only the leaders were swapped. As a result, the team that finished last moved to first place, and the team that was first became second. What changed was that only the leaders were replaced; the rest of the team remained the same. It’s important to note that, although a leader’s ability greatly influences success, the key point is that the team that was initially first was moved to second place, not last, even though the leader from the last team took over the first team. This is because, under the previous leader, team members developed a winning habit, which persisted even when the leader changed. The most crucial element in an organization is the leader itself....

Choice Costs: Every decision has a cost. Giving up is also a choice, and therefore, it carries a cost as well. The purpose of spending money is to gain the efficiency or benefit of a chosen option. Organizations can be at risk if leaders fail to correlate costs and benefits when making decisions or relinquishing opportunities. For example, if a CEO decides to hire an employee, there is a cost associated with wages, and if the employee cannot perform their role corresponding to the wage, the organization suffers a loss. Ultimately, if the CEO fires that employee, the organization must find a replacement, incurring additional costs in the process. A CEO who spends excessively on emotional indulgences is a harmful leader. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Partnership: We can’t operate alone. Transactions involve counterparties. Ultimately, business is about establishing and managing relationships with others. Without mutual benefit, trade falters and conducting business becomes difficult. When starting a business, keep a partnership in mind. The key to a partnership is “how to share,” not “how much to earn.” If the distribution isn’t rational, distortions will occur within the organization, which can harm the bottom line. Failing to distribute fairly or according to the situation increases the risk of business failure. Breaking up with a partner might seem better sometimes, but the core conflict remains; only it shifts from internal to external. To succeed in business, focus on distributing profits effectively rather than solely increasing them. Learning to distribute well is essential. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Metaphysics and Concrete Science: A CEO needs both qualities. When a CEO leans more toward metaphysics, they focus on philosophical values to improve the business, which helps for future growth. However, there’s a high risk the business could fail because profits aren’t guaranteed immediately. Conversely, if a CEO emphasizes concrete science more, they can secure profits immediately, but this approach might harm long-term growth. It may seem contradictory at first, but a good CEO must have both. To succeed, you need a noble philosophy and immediate profits simultaneously. Embracing contradictions enables survival. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Opportunity Cost: Making a choice means sacrificing something else at the same time because we can’t have everything. If the value of what is given up is significant, then the choice incurs a relative loss, and it is up to the CEO to recognize this as a cost. In reality, whether I am aware of the opportunity cost or not, it still impacts my current financial situation. However, to calculate profit or loss as an opportunity cost, there must be a future opportunity to forgo the current choice and select an alternative. No one should keep repeating the cycle of giving up and choosing without knowing whether the next decision will be beneficial or not. Giving up is worthwhile only when the next option is good. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Universality: Exclusivity alone does not create value because value is not automatically generated by monopolizing something that isn’t worthwhile. For a monopoly to effectively build value, the monopoly object must be scarce and in limited supply. Conversely, universality also creates value. Scarcity relates to the concept of universality as a correspondence, and the value of universality is also affected by the limitations imposed by scarcity. Nothing has absolute value; all values are merely relative. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Implement: The act of turning thoughts, plans, or wills into reality. There is a significant difference between ‘knowing’ and ‘being able to do.’ Knowing a lot doesn’t mean you’re skilled at it, and just because you’re skilled doesn’t mean you know a lot. It’s limited to ‘knowing,’ and that reality doesn’t change unless you act. It’s crucial to practice “what I can do” first. Even if you have extensive knowledge of stock investing, it’s useless unless you actually invest. Even if you’re poor, you should invest a small amount of money; your knowledge is then put to the test. It’s foolish to study only until you have money and then invest in tangible assets after accumulating substantial wealth. It’s wiser to start with a small investment and gradually increase it as your knowledge is proven. Beginning with what you can do NOW is the ONLY way to truly demonstrate your knowledge. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Iteration and Optimization: It would be great to do something well on the first try, but humans are not perfect. To do it well, you need to go through repeated failures and successes, and during that process, you have to identify the pattern that works best for you. This process is called optimization. Optimization requires iteration. Efficiency and profits are guaranteed by repeating a process until a particular singularity is achieved, thereby maintaining that level of excellence. The general rule for success in society is to iterate and keep optimizing. Being consistent is the fastest way to improve. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”

Technology Advancement and Ethics: One reason humans differ from other animals is because of ‘ethics.’ Due to this difference, we believe that human beings are unique and that ethics are relatively stable. However, the factor that alters human ethics is the development of science and technology. In 2006, Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka discovered that mixing four chemicals with human skin cells could create undifferentiated stem cells. These cells are pluripotent, meaning they can develop into any type of body organ. Before this discovery, it was thought that such cells could only be produced through the combination of sperm and egg, but it was later found that they could also be synthesized artificially. Human philosophies, values, and ethics are trapped within technological advances. As science and technology advance, existing ethical frameworks are increasingly challenged. Now, traditional values that have been defended by gender distinction will experience severe conflict. - Jos...

Human Networking: Although human networking doesn’t guarantee success, it is undeniable that it has a significant impact. According to a 2018 study published by Prof. Paul Ingram and Prof. Mitali Banerjee of Columbia Business School in the USA, friends and networking are more important than creativity for increasing social success and recognition among artists. It is also said that an artist’s friendships influence their creativity. The most notable example is Wassily Kandinsky. Kandinsky believed that multinational connections had a significant influence. That’s not to say that ability isn’t necessary. Ultimately, art also highlights the value of community identity. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”