In an era of information explosion and rapidly evolving tools, deep experts in a single field are more likely to find themselves in trouble. The truly sought-after individuals are those who can cross multiple domains and observe the world from different perspectives—generalists.

Why? Because innovation often occurs at the intersection of fields.

**Three Pillars: Self-Education, Self-Interest, Self-Sufficiency**

First, you need the ability for continuous self-education—not just fragmented, superficial learning, but consciously accumulating diverse interests that collide to form unique viewpoints. These viewpoints themselves become your competitive barriers.

Second is self-interest—stop trying to please everyone all the time. Record your ideas, experiments, and failures—not to flatter others, but to clarify your own thinking. This process is called open learning. It naturally attracts like-minded people and helps you gather attention.

Third is self-sufficiency—once you have attention, monetize it through products, content, and services. Do not rely on any single platform or institution; build your own business closed loop.

**Brand is not a logo, it’s change**

Many people misunderstand what a brand is. A brand is not visual recognition but the "environment" you create for others. This environment can induce transformation, foster growth, and help find answers.

To create such an environment, content must meet two criteria: high density and shareability. High density means every sentence is nutritious, without fluff. Shareability means others will actively forward, discuss, and cite it.

How to do it? Build an inspiration library. Not just collecting information, but recording the viewpoints, cases, and data you see, then regularly review and combine them. Experiment with multiple expression structures for the same idea—tell it as a story, with data, with contrast. This not only improves signal-to-noise ratio but also expands influence.

**Treat yourself as a business**

This is crucial. Many creators treat themselves as artists, waiting for inspiration or opportunities. In reality, you should manage yourself like a business:

Choose a core platform. It could be a weekly newsletter, a podcast, a short video series—find a format you can sustain long-term. This platform is your "product."

Build a creation and distribution system around it. From inspiration collection → content curation → creative expression → multi-channel distribution → data feedback → iterative optimization, form a complete chain. Once the system is running, it becomes your unique advantage—others may not see exactly what you do, but they can feel that you are different.

**A long-term path starting from interests**

The starting point is genuine interest. Not following trends, not for monetization, but truly wanting to delve into a specific field. This passion is what sustains you.

Next is curation—filter the most valuable content from vast information, adding your own thoughts and perspectives.

Then is creation—present your ideas in the way you are best at.

Finally, iteration—constantly adjust based on feedback and data, making your content better and better.

Repeating this cycle enough times, cross-domain perspectives will gradually accumulate into an irreplaceable ability. Use this ability to develop products, create content, offer consulting, or other services, transforming it into a long-term career—and more importantly, achieving true freedom.

Not a freedom from responsibility or constraints, but the freedom that comes from mastering a system.