In the crypto and investment circles, I have seen too many stories of people making quick money and losing it just as fast. Some double their money in a year, only to lose everything in two. The issue is not about making money itself, but about three completely different dimensions.

The first is earning, the second is making money, and the third is earning passively. This is not just a difference in income methods, but also a matter of depth in thinking.

Those who can achieve a 20% annualized return continuously for 70 years, with Warren Buffett being a representative. In the Chinese community, Duan Yongping also managed to keep earning hundreds of billions of dollars while lying back. What do they have in common? It’s not about pursuing the maximum return, but prioritizing safe, free, and sustainable income.

Here is a cognitive turning point: many people understand financial freedom as the freedom to earn more money. But true financial freedom should be thought of differently — how to avoid failure, rather than blindly pursuing greater success.

Many people start businesses and see their capital double in a year. What’s difficult? Making the method replicable and sustainable. The most feared scenario is earning money with the right method, but then making heavy bets to copy it and ending up losing everything. That’s why a rational long-term, healthy, and sustainable growth logic is ultimately the guarantee that wealth belongs to oneself.