Today, after a few days of pressure, the Taiwan stock market opened with a sharp drop—limit down right from the start—like a pool of dead water.

Fear spread across the market. I made some money by shorting—it wasn’t a huge amount, but more than two years’ salary for the average office worker in Taiwan.

I didn’t feel fear, nor did I feel particularly happy. It was simply the result of applying what I’ve learned correctly. The outcome is not final; what lies ahead remains uncertain.

A friend of mine, who also practices the craft of investing, shared a quote from a well-known KOL:

"Failure is not stopping; it’s just a temporary pause on the road to success."

But this quote is missing a crucial premise: one must first have a definition of success that resonates deeply with their soul.

Without a clear definition, how can you distinguish whether “failure” is a message from the universe—or merely a test of your will?

For someone with a well-formed and expansive thought system, even these types of clichés or motivational quotes can become moments of deep insight and growth.

But for those still in the early stages of building their own system, misinterpreting these messages—which is almost inevitable when your system is incomplete—can be toxic.

The only path is to first build your foundation through suffering and deep reflection.

There are no shortcuts.