The Beginning of Becoming Wealthy: Doing What Others Won’t Do

A few years ago, I was still working at a magazine company.

Despite having many employees, I managed to secure the position of deputy editor at a young age.

It wasn’t because my articles were exceptionally good, but because I took on all the tasks that others were unwilling to do.

Articles that others didn’t want to write, I eagerly took on; columns that others avoided, I completed quickly and excellently.

In just a few short years, my salary multiplied several times over.

It was from that experience that I understood a fundamental truth:

While there are countless ways to make money in this world, being willing to do what others won’t do is the shortest path to wealth.

01

People’s Daily once said:

“This world is fair. If you want to be stronger than others, you must do what others don’t want to do.”

If you’re afraid of hardship and find things troublesome, only willing to do simple tasks with no barriers to entry.

You might enjoy momentary pleasure, but in the end, you can only watch helplessly as others make money.

A couple of days ago, I watched the movie “A River Runs Through It” and was particularly moved by the fate of the two brothers.

The older brother, Norman, had been ambitious since childhood.

While studying away from home, due to inconvenient transportation, he didn’t return home for five whole years.

At school, he was known for his dedication to learning.

While other students studied merely to pass exams and barely scratched the surface, he was willing to spend extra time delving deep into his studies.

Eventually, he successfully earned his doctorate and received a job offer from the University of Chicago.

His life entered a completely different social stratum.

His younger brother Paul, however, wasn’t as fortunate. He merely went through the motions with his studies and stayed in his hometown to work after graduation.

Encouraged by bad company, Paul became addicted to gambling and accumulated massive debts, turning his life into a complete mess.

Before Norman left for Chicago, he tried to persuade his brother to leave with him.

But Paul, at the thought of living in a new city, refused to leave his comfort zone no matter what.

Eventually, the two brothers’ fates diverged completely.

Cai Kangyong once said: “The more you find things troublesome in the early stages of life, the lazier you are to learn, the more likely you are to miss people and things that could move you later, and miss new scenery.”

Some people are unwilling to step out of their comfort zones, so when opportunities arise, they can’t seize them;

Some people are unwilling to swallow their pride to make money, so they can only watch helplessly as others earn.

What you’re unwilling to do, someone else will be willing to do.

The money you can’t earn, naturally someone else can earn.

02

Recently, I had dinner with several colleagues.

At the table, when we talked about performance, everyone admired Old Zhang.

Old Zhang is a veteran employee at the company who consistently exceeds his targets every month, leaving us far behind in terms of performance bonuses.

Our supervisor, listening nearby, smiled and said: “You can’t envy him - the effort Old Zhang puts in is something you might not be able to match.”

A few years ago, the company had a difficult client that several colleagues had tried to work with unsuccessfully.

Only Old Zhang didn’t mind the trouble. No matter how many times the client demanded changes to proposals, he would patiently handle them until the client was satisfied.

Not only that, but he would also proactively collect relevant market materials to ensure the proposals reached the highest standard.

In the end, this client praised him highly and would only work with Old Zhang for any project.

Meanwhile, those colleagues who couldn’t handle the client’s demanding nature either remained stuck in entry-level positions or became unemployed.

Have you noticed? Money-making opportunities are often hidden in places where others are unwilling to go.

Today, if you do what others won’t do, tomorrow you can earn money that others can’t earn.

Only by doing the difficult things well can you truly fulfill yourself.

Blogger @Uncle Qiuye has a friend who has been in the handmade sauce business.

Logically speaking, handmade sauce is just a small business with very limited profit potential.

Yet she managed to multiply her profits by hundreds of times in just a few years.

It turns out that a few years ago, she planned to try a new entrepreneurial model.

This required establishing one-on-one communication with a large number of users to directly sell to consumers at the most favorable prices.

However, this would greatly increase the workload, and the success rate was uncertain.

Friends around her advised her to abandon this idea.

But she refused to give up and single-handedly built this model.

Initially, the work she had to do was detailed and troublesome - enough to deter anyone.

From procurement and production to sales, R&D, and packaging, she had to play multiple roles.

Additionally, she would communicate with customers daily and share the handmade sauce production process on social media.

Gradually, more and more customers were attracted to this model and became her stable customer base.

Through this approach, her friend achieved financial freedom early on.

I once heard this saying:

“People who make big money can do these three things: see what others can’t see, calculate accounts others can’t figure out, and do what others won’t do.”

Many things seem time-consuming and laborious but are actually investments with extremely high returns.

If you’re afraid of hardship, trouble, or losing face, money will only get further away from you.

Only by trying, absorbing, and exploring can those experiences transform into energy for your growth.

03

American management expert Waitley proposed Waitley’s Law:

“Successful people engage in work that the vast majority of people are unwilling to do.”

I deeply agree with this.

There are two breakfast shops downstairs from our office building.

They sell identical breakfast items, but their business levels are worlds apart.

After buying from them several times, I noticed the difference.

One breakfast shop pre-peeled their tea eggs, so customers could eat them immediately without hassle.

Such a simple action that anyone could think of.

But those unwilling to do such troublesome work naturally miss out on this money.

Honestly, truly profitable paths are never easy to walk.

Only by enduring pain that others can’t bear can you earn money they can’t earn;

Only by doing what others can’t do can you achieve results others can’t achieve.

In 1932, a young man opened a rice shop.

In that era, processing technology wasn’t as advanced as today, and much rice was mixed with rice straw and gravel.

Everyone accepted this as a minor issue and was unwilling to spend time on it.

Only this young man would clean out all the impurities before selling rice each time.

Not only that, but he would also go to customers’ homes, empty the old rice from their rice containers, and clean the containers thoroughly.

This action not only consolidated his existing customers but also brought him many new ones, making his rice shop an industry leader.

Eventually, this person became a famous local entrepreneur.

In the TV series “Chicken Feathers Fly to the Sky,” there’s this dialogue:

“It’s not that there’s no work, but whether you can see the work;

It’s not that there are no opportunities, but whether you can see the opportunities;

It’s not that there’s no money, but whether you can see ways to make money.”

We often say that money is getting harder to earn nowadays.

But in reality, true wealth is hidden in the things others are unwilling to do.

▽

In a speech, Liu Zhenyun told a small story.

Once he asked his uncle: “Why do the boxes you make sell the best in the area?”

His uncle smiled and said: “Because others are only willing to spend three days making a box, while I spend six days.”

People who truly know how to make money all have one ability:

What others are unwilling to do, they do, and they can do it wholeheartedly.

Everything that causes you pain comes to fulfill you.

One must be tempered through work. Only by doing well and mastering what others are unwilling to do can you open the door to wealth.