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”