The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus said: "All things flow."

Buddhism says: "All actions are impermanent."

Laozi said in "Tao Te Ching": "The Tao can be Tao, but it is not Tao. The name can be named, but it is not named."

These words express the same meaning, that is : The only constant between heaven and earth is change.

The only constant thing in the world is change. This seems to be a truth. The eternal thing in the world is that everything is in constant flux.

At the same time, an important law of physics "the law of conservation of energy" tells us:

Energy will neither be created nor disappear out of thin air, it will only change from one form to another. Converted into another form, or transferred from one object to another, while the total amount of energy remains the same.

So, when kinetic energy disappears, it may be converted into potential energy; when potential energy disappears, it may be converted into thermal energy.

The specific form of energy is ever-changing and elusive, just like all things that are constantly flowing, always "changing", but its total amount never changes and remains constant.

It turns out that all "changes" come from "unchanged", and "unchanged" is the thing behind "change". So now, let us start from the law of conservation of energy and rethink the underlying logic of life.

In the past, we were thinking about how to keep up with the "changes" of this era, from the Internet to the mobile Internet, from traditional retail to new retail, from chief marketing officer (CMO) to chief growth officer ( CGO).

But now, what we have to think about is:

In this world, what is the "constant" hidden behind the many changes? What are the "invisible hands" that control thousands of changes?

Because following the former will make us exhausted, wandering and lost in the ever-changing illusions; while finding the latter will allow us to have a determined soul, firm eyes and a long-term mentality .

This is a complete transformation of the underlying logic of life from "change" to "immutability". ?

What is "unchanged" at the macro level?

1. Cyclic changes

Cyclic changes tell us that there are many different kinds of certainties in this world.

For example: the change of seasons, the change of day and night, tidal changes, farming and harvesting, life and death, animal migration, stock prices, economic recession, construction and real estate, interest rates, and cyclical changes in politics and economy.

One of the reasons why Buffett’s investments are so successful is his insight into the changes in cycles. He was a master of cyclical changes, so he said: "Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful."

What can we know if the market shrinks? It’s just that the market will definitely expand in the future. If the market is expanding rapidly, what do we know? It's nothing more than preparing for a shrinking market.

Therefore, in fact, each of us can make speculations about cyclical changes, but we cannot predict the time when they will occur.

From 1998 to 2000, high-tech bubbles occurred. In March 2000, the Nasdaq index hit a record high. Smart investors followed Buffett's famous saying and sold out their technology stocks. Turn conservative.

By the same token, when the stock market crashed in 2008, most investors panicked and sold their stock securities, while smart investors quietly bought plunging financial stocks.

Why? Because he knows that this is a cyclical change that is bound to happen.

Therefore, when the economy develops extremely fast, slowdown is inevitable; when the economic winter appears, spring is not far away. When the stock market has been rising sharply for many days, a fall is definitely not far away; when the stock market has been depressed for a long time, a rise is inevitable.

These are "unchanged" cyclical changes, and these changes can bring us a lot of enlightenment.

How to face the fluctuations of the economic cycle? How to face the ups and downs of the stock market? When is the right time to buy? When is the right time to sell? Hidden behind this is a pair of "invisible hands" - cyclical changes.

2. Linear change

What is linear change?

Linear changes refer to those changes that are non-periodic, gradual, not cyclical, but develop in a single direction.

For example: the inevitable increase in age, the acceleration of computer computing speed, the increase in global population, the increase in data, information, knowledge, the increase in the number of patents and new inventions, and the advancement of science and technology are all certain. linear change.

Darwin's "Evolution Theory" is also a very important "linear change". It talks about a law of change in a single direction, which is "natural selection and survival of the fittest."

Therefore, when we first start learning something, we always achieve little results, and even feel ups and downs, but don’t worry, it will always change in one direction, that is, getting better and better. A little adds up to a lot.

When we stay in the "comfort zone" and don't want to grow, we will encounter the pressure of "natural selection and survival of the fittest" because it is an inevitable change. Hidden behind all this is the "invisible hand" - linear change.

Whether it is cyclical changes or linear changes, they are all unchanging laws hidden behind thousands of changes. If we are always following changes, we will ignore these unchanging laws hidden behind many changes. .

The "meso" level refers to the "business and enterprise" level, so from this level, what is constant?

At the business level, many things are changing rapidly, but at least two things will never change:

First, enterprises exist for customers, which is the starting point of business. It is the customers who benefit;

Second, human nature remains unchanged.

Regarding the first point, management guru Drucker said: "There is only one definition of a business, and that is to create customers." Liu Run, a famous business consultant, said: "The starting point of all businesses is consumers. Benefit. ”

Therefore, any choice that goes against customer value is wrong. If an enterprise cannot put its strategic starting point on customer value and cannot start from customer benefits, it will definitely be eliminated.

Focusing on this "unchanged" point, we must have a deep understanding of customers' behavioral habits and preferences. Only in this way can we know how to benefit customers and how to influence them.

Regarding the second point, we must first understand what human nature is.

Human nature is human desire, greed, jealousy, persistence, fear...

To put it simply, it is greed, anger, ignorance, pride and suspicion.

Greed, anger, ignorance, pride, and suspicion will bring us all kinds of thoughts and ideas, such as: worrying that we are not as good as others, worrying that our talents cannot match our age, and wanting to have Having a big house like your colleagues, you want to be the most beautiful one among your classmates...

When you understand human nature, you will know what kind of products you want to make, what kind of services you provide, how to position yourself, and how to promote them .

As Zhang Xiaolong, the "Father of WeChat" said:

"You have to understand people's desires and satisfy them through your products. We have to satisfy their greed and anger. , Infatuation. We need to understand this because our products must be sticky to users, which means that they can become greedy, angry, and obsessed with your products.”

“When we are doing this. When building a product, we are studying human nature, not the logic of a product."

Based on these two "unchanged" business aspects, we should think about business from the user's perspective. Problems and making judgments from the perspective of human nature, rather than being obsessed with creating various "self-enhancing" products that have no customer value and cannot impress human nature.

So for enterprises, what is "unchanged"?

James C. Collins, the author of "Built to Last" said: Any business has two sides, the "yin" side and the "yang" side. "Yin" is something that doesn't change, and "yang" is something that changes.

1) Retail industry:

Alibaba acquired Lianhua, Bailian, RT-Mart, Intime and Sanjiang Shopping; Tencent acquired Wal-Mart and Yonghui, and many practitioners in the traditional retail industry They all expressed the emotion of being "abandoned by the times".

At the same time, a number of new retail formats have emerged, such as Hema and Tmall stores.

We have seen tremendous changes in the entire retail industry.

But in fact, one thing has never changed, that is, all consumers want to buy products that are cheaper, of better quality, with more choices, easier decision-making, and faster delivery.

Therefore, whether it is online e-commerce or offline retail, this core "unchanged" has always been there.

2) Media industry:

Although traditional media has declined, one thing has not changed, and that is consumers’ demand for good content.

Consumers always want content delivered faster, more comprehensive, more interesting, more in-depth, and more understandable.

Therefore, whether it is traditional media or new media, this core "unchanged" has always been there.

3) The Internet industry:

It has been changing with each passing day and developing rapidly, such as from the Internet to the mobile Internet, from blogs to Weibo and then to WeChat. But is anything constant?

At least one thing remains unchanged: people’s core needs for the Internet will not change.

We hope to get everything we need in real life through the Internet, such as reading, socializing, entertainment, learning, consumption, financial management, and handling various life affairs through the Internet.

These are the "changes" and "unchanges" in the three industries. So for an enterprise, it is necessary to grasp the "unchanged" aspects of its industry or the entire business and make it It is best to respond to "changes" with "unchangedness".

Amazon’s Bezos did this. He found three very, very common things that will not change.

First: unlimited choices; second: lowest price; third: fast delivery.

Bezos said that even in another 10 years, no customer will jump out and say: "Hey, Bezos, I love you, I love Amazon, but I hope your price is more expensive." , I hope your delivery will be slower.”

For example: Amazon’s Marketplace business.

This was a business launched by Bezos that later became one of the cornerstones of Amazon’s business. What kind of business is this?

This business allows third-party sellers to sell goods on Amazon’s platform. When this business was first launched, neither internal employees nor Wall Street could understand it. It was a bit like JD.com allowing Taobao to sell goods on it. Therefore, this business has an impact on Amazon's original income.

However, Bezos said that introducing third-party sellers is the best way for customers.

Because if there is a product whose price or quality is better than what we sell, then I hope that users can easily buy it on Amazon. Instead of having to go to other places to find it. Even if this will temporarily affect our profits, in the long run, the interests of our customers are our interests.

Bezos is not just talking, he really implements the "unchanged" he found, even if it will hurt Amazon's earnings in the short term.

"Take some time" does the same thing. It finds "three new and one unchanged" things.

This mobile Internet-based flower delivery company has achieved rapid growth in recent years.

How is it done?

"Three new" refers to those things that are constantly changing, including: new needs, new values, and new products.

For example, "Take Time" will consider the nodes in daily life where flowers are used in addition to festivals, and whether it is possible to create new demand. The new value is to make the purchase of flowers more convenient, more accessible and more surprising.

The new product redefines the flower product from aspects such as scene and content. Therefore, "taking some time" will continue to try and create these new things.

But more importantly, it is "unchanged":

The efficiency and capability of the supply chain are the unchanging foundation and the foundation for achieving everything.

For a flower delivery company, without the efficiency and capabilities of the supply chain, no matter how good the product is, it will only rot on the road. This is the most fundamental "unchanged" of this company.

For me, when I resigned, I set a principle for myself to start a business next, which is to always focus on one "invariant" - readers (listeners) benefit.

The specific content, direction, and form can all be changed. Therefore, whether I am writing self-media articles, writing books, or doing courses, training, or one-on-one coaching (Coaching), I adhere to the same "unchanged" principle.

Whether I am writing about leaps in thinking or self-awareness, I am thinking about the same question every time I write:

Can this article Does the reader get something of real value?

How can you use this principle or practical method to help readers solve a pain point or confusion point?

How can readers master everything from understanding theory to methodological practice?

Because of this principle, the number of readers has grown rapidly from the beginning of self-media to the present, and many readers have expressed to me the specific benefits and real changes they have gained from the articles. And all this made me realize again the true value and significance of this core "invariance".

On the contrary, if you do not find your core "unchanged", you will definitely fall into anxiety.

As Chen Shengqiang, CEO of JD Finance, said:

"I look at the changing things there every day, but I can't find the constant things. Once I don't find the constant things, , especially things that will not change in the next three to five years, it is impossible to be quiet inside.

So my approach is to find out what will not change in the next three to five years, and then take it. To cope with things that are constantly changing,”

So, if you can develop these “transferable abilities”, especially strengthening your thinking ability, you will have those. The only thing that is truly "unchanged" is that there are enough and wide enough career options.

On the contrary, even if you are currently in a high position, or holding a so-called "iron rice bowl", but your "transferability" is seriously lacking, then you really need to be careful. In today's world, in just one month, things may change drastically, and changes often occur in the next second.

Of course, you may say, "Don't be afraid, I still have connections."

Unfortunately, the so-called connections are sometimes very fragile. When you leave the platform, many connections will disappear.

On the contrary, if you have a very reliable "transferable ability", it is something that is truly unchanging and can help you grow your connections at any time.

This is the most important "constant" in personal growth. Only by constantly polishing one's "transferable abilities", especially the underlying transferable ability - thinking ability, can one be able to adapt to changes. The "golden rice bowl" that "remains unchanged".

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