Author | Liu Chunxiong Source | Teacher Liu's Forum (ID: liuchunxiong1964)

People always seek a sense of belonging. Apart from the organization they work for, the rest is their circle. A person's achievements are essentially the limit of their circle. Success is often not just one person's success but a circle's success; Falling behind is never just one person but a group; When trouble strikes, it's not just one person but a group. Whatever circle you're in, your behavior will converge, and so will your results.

01 Three types of people determine a person's achievements. First, your family. Family is also a small circle. Parents, siblings, husband, wife—all influence you. Second, the organization you belong to. Your achievements cannot surpass the organization's. Ma Yun said that those who joined Alibaba early were people who couldn't find jobs elsewhere. Because Alibaba succeeded, they succeeded too. Third, your circle. Outside of work and family, you spend time in circles. Eating with people, chatting, traveling, playing cards or gambling—all are ways of being in circles.

02 In a certain city, all taxi drivers come from the same county. In a certain city, all owners of tobacco, alcohol, and convenience stores come from the same place. By a certain river, all owners of riverside restaurants come from the same township. Birds of a feather flock together; people group by "kind." Whether or not it's an internet society, it has always been so.

03 When you enter a circle, you either get assimilated or rejected. In a drinking circle, you either get rejected and stay away, or you get assimilated and become a member. If you enter a tea-drinking chat circle and aren't accepted, you might never come back. Wang Gang is an actor; since entering the antique circle, he's drifted away from the entertainment circle.

04 Circles make members converge, which is both good and bad. If it's passive, it's bad; if it's active, it's good. If you're at the top of the circle, it's time to find a new circle. Otherwise, you'll be pulled down by the convergence of the bottom. If you're at the bottom of the circle, congratulations! It's time to improve. If you've been at the bottom for years, you're done for.

05 Circle convergence means that when others progress, you progress too. Being in circles, in essence, is reading people. Reading books, reading people, reading events—the key is reading people. By reading people, you also read books and events. Circle convergence is also "environmental nurturing."

06 A person should have many circles, popularly called "cross-boundary." In some circles, you are an outputter, at the top, leading others to progress. In some circles, you are an inputter, at the bottom, being led to progress. Circles that cross boundaries get brainwashed by different information, giving birth to new things.

07 Some people's circles are formed passively; they unknowingly enter a circle and get assimilated without realizing it. Some people's circles are the result of active choice; you enter a circle based on who you want to become and what you want to achieve. Some choose to enter a circle, some choose to leave. Whether conscious or not, it determines your future.

08 If you're falling behind, it means it's time to change your circle. If everyone in your circle is having problems, it's time to change your circle too. Otherwise, you might be the next to have problems. If you don't understand the internet, it means you haven't entered the internet circle. Whatever you want to learn, enter that kind of circle.

09 Entering a new circle can be uncomfortable, especially one that can lead you to progress. Comfort makes you fall behind; discomfort makes you progress. When someone isn't welcomed in a circle, they might leave. Not being welcomed precisely shows you haven't converged, and that's exactly why you should be in that circle. If you can't understand what's said, it means you haven't heard enough; if you can't grasp things, it means you haven't been in enough circles.

10 From traditional marketing to internet marketing, I changed to a new circle. Some people learn internet marketing from me, and I say you can't learn it without changing your circle, because no one around you talks to you in internet language. If you're falling behind, you need to change your circle. The old circle is a wall hindering your progress. Rather than huddling together for warmth in the old circle, it's better to feel new knowledge in a new circle.

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