Triggers and Non-triggers
Applicable: Consultations and tasks related to the book's capability domains (see the intent column of the routing table below). Not applicable：
- Analysis of specific investment targets, stock picking, and wealth management product advice
- Scenarios requiring professional treatment such as clinical depression or acute episodes of mental illness (seek medical care first)
- Acute suicide risk (seek emergency help first)
- Negotiation strategies requiring diplomatic language and specific salary figures
Core principles (always-on quick reference; overview-type questions can be answered after reading this far)
- Wealth = assets that keep making money while you sleep; built through "responsibility → property rights → leverage," and you cannot get rich by renting out your time.
- Productize yourself with specific knowledge (which feels like play to you but looks like work to others) and become irreplaceable.
- Judgment matters more than effort; if you cannot decide, say no; when two paths are equal, choose the one that is more painful in the short term.
- Wealth, knowledge, reputation, and relationships all follow compounding; only play long-term positive-sum games and walk with people you can work with for a lifetime.
- Happiness is a trainable skill: reduce desires and live in the present; in any situation there are only three options — change/accept/leave.
- Reading is the ultimate meta-skill: read what you love, prioritize original works, and 1-2 hours a day puts you in the ranks of the very few.
Capability routing (read this table first, then load 1 capability card according to intent)
| User intent | Read first | Supplementary reading/notes |
|---|---|---|
| How to make money/how to get rich; whether to ask for options/equity; evaluate the structure of a business or side hustle | references/capabilities/wealth-structure.md | Has been promoted to an independent Skill wealth-structure(use it directly first when installed; this card only supplements the original text and background) |
| Torn about career/side hustle/freelance direction; what should I do to make money and not be replaceable; finding unique advantages | references/capabilities/productize-yourself.md | Has been promoted to an independent Skill productize-yourself(use it directly first when installed; this card only supplements the original text and background) |
| Torn about major choices such as changing jobs/buying a house/moving cities/partnership/marriage; still cannot decide after making a pros and cons list | references/capabilities/decision-heuristics.md | Has been promoted to an independent Skill decision-heuristics(use it directly first when installed; this card only supplements the original text and background) |
| Whether trivial matters/outsourcing are worth it; time allocation and scheduling; what is still missing before financial freedom | references/capabilities/hourly-rate-time.md | Has been promoted to an independent Skill hourly-rate-time(use it directly first when installed; this card only supplements the original text and background) |
| Want to build a reading habit; what books to read/how to read; how to learn a new field/get started in a discipline | references/capabilities/reading-metaskill.md | Has been promoted to an independent Skill reading-metaskill(use it directly first when installed; this card only supplements the original text and background) |
| Addicted to scrolling on the phone/short videos/social media; want to quit dopamine snacks | references/capabilities/screen-detox.md | Has been promoted to an independent Skill screen-detox(If already installed, prefer using it directly; this card only supplements the original text and background) |
| Need a directional judgment / is this reliable; want to improve decision-making / learn mental models | references/capabilities/judgment-training.md | references/capabilities/reading-metaskill.md、references/capabilities/decision-heuristics.md |
| Whether to invest long-term in a certain relationship / a certain project; how to build reputation and trust | references/capabilities/long-term-compounding.md | references/capabilities/peer-selection.md、references/capabilities/wealth-structure.md |
| Why big companies slack off / small companies work desperately; employment or entrepreneurship / should I go it alone | references/capabilities/principal-agent.md | references/capabilities/judgment-training.md |
| How can I be happier; why am I still unsatisfied after getting it; how to reduce anxiety | references/capabilities/happiness-skill.md | references/capabilities/acceptance.md、references/capabilities/monkey-mind-meditation.md |
| Why do some people attack me / everyone keeps competing; how not to care about others' opinions; why envy | references/capabilities/game-selection.md | references/capabilities/happiness-skill.md、references/capabilities/long-term-compounding.md |
| Trapped in a situation that cannot be changed, repeatedly consumed by internal friction; should I endure it or leave | references/capabilities/acceptance.md | references/capabilities/life-meaning.md、references/capabilities/happiness-skill.md |
| Crushed by others' expectations; prone to anger / how not to get angry; feeling trapped by work / how to say no | references/capabilities/self-liberation.md | references/capabilities/happiness-skill.md、references/capabilities/honesty-communication.md |
| Mind won't stop / anxious rumination; want to learn meditation / improve focus | references/capabilities/monkey-mind-meditation.md | references/capabilities/happiness-skill.md、references/capabilities/rational-buddhism.md |
| Making friends / choosing a partner / changing circles, torn; feeling dragged down by people around me / should I distance myself from someone | references/capabilities/peer-selection.md | references/capabilities/long-term-compounding.md、references/capabilities/honesty-communication.md |
| Discovering I am defending a position / cannot see reality clearly; repeatedly resolving but unable to change myself | references/capabilities/identity-work.md | references/capabilities/acceptance.md、references/capabilities/honesty-communication.md |
| How to communicate sincerely / refuse others / give feedback; don't want to say polite platitudes / discovering I am hiding something | references/capabilities/honesty-communication.md | references/capabilities/identity-work.md |
| Whether a certain claim / mysticism / spiritual practice should be believed; want to establish my own verification standards | references/capabilities/rational-buddhism.md | references/capabilities/life-meaning.md、references/capabilities/monkey-mind-meditation.md |
| What is the meaning of living / sense of emptiness; cannot find direction / what should I strive for | references/capabilities/life-meaning.md | references/capabilities/rational-buddhism.md、references/capabilities/acceptance.md |
Non-capability queries：
- Book title / author / chapter / whole-book overview → references/overview.md
- Term explanations → references/glossary.md
- Quick reference for decision rules (when original-text evidence is not needed) → references/cheatsheet.md
- Complete intent and keyword index (for intents not covered by this table, check here first) → references/capability-index.md
Loading rules
- For each task, read this file first, then load according to the routing table 1 capability cards; when the task clearly spans domains, load at most 2.
- For overview / book-title questions, do not load capability cards; answer using "Core Principles" and overview.md.
- For intents that neither the routing table nor capability-index.md can match, clearly state that it is beyond the scope of this book; do not force-fit.
Boundaries and stopping criteria
- If an intent cannot be matched in either the routing table or the capability index → clearly state that it is beyond the scope of this book; do not force-fit the book's frameworks.
- If it involves medical / legal / personal safety → stop applying the methodology and recommend seeking professional help.
- Pure factual queries (book title / author / publication year / chapter) → answer using the core principles and overview, then stop; do not expand into life advice.