Recently, Client K, a company owner, talked to me about hiring plans. He intends to scale up recruitment significantly—not only for new positions but also to gradually replace the old employees who have been with him for years.


I was initially surprised. After all, K’s industry struggled over the past two years, and to retain these employees, he insisted on cutting salaries instead of laying people off. I had assumed those who agreed to take pay cuts during the market downturn would be more reliable and worthy of investment.

But K sighed and said: “Back then, I wanted to protect their jobs and took on enormous pressure, thinking we could all take pay cuts and get through this together. Later, I realized many people only work as hard as their salary dictates. After the pay cuts, their work became increasingly sloppy, and they kept feeling I’d wronged them—as if I owed them something. Now, they aren’t even worth the reduced salaries. I’d rather hire an entirely new team…”

This reminded me of how many multinational companies operate: during tough times, they’d rather lay off staff than cut salaries; when the market rebounds, they prefer to recruit new talent.

Because the moment a pay cut is imposed—regardless of the reason—employees feel wronged. Many anchor themselves in a “lower value zone” and lose motivation to excel.

This harms both the company and the individual. The company’s retention measures fail to foster loyalty, while resentful employees stop striving and their value depreciates over time.

Part 01: Your Frame of Reference Shapes Your Actions

I once went shopping in Hong Kong with a friend. She spent hundreds of thousands of yuan on luxury bags and cosmetics, leaving her exhausted and thirsty. When I tried to buy water, she stopped me, saying bottled water was too expensive in Hong Kong and we should hold on until we got back to the hotel for free water. In the end, to save a few yuan on water and avoid expensive taxi fares, we struggled through the subway, parched until we reached the hotel…

Later, we reflected on how foolish that was. Neither of us is particularly frugal, yet we’d mindlessly agreed to that absurd plan.

The root cause was our psychological anchor: luxury bags and cosmetics were “cheaper” to buy in Hong Kong (even costing hundreds of thousands), so the expense felt justified; water and taxis, however, were “more expensive” than in mainland China or at the hotel, so we wanted to save.

It’s like someone driving a million-yuan luxury car who refuses to pay a 10-yuan parking fee. It’s not about money—it’s about their frame of reference defining what’s “worth it” and what’s not. Bags fall into the “can splurge” category, water into “better save,” and parking into “a waste of money.” With a reference point, everything becomes a comparison of “value for money.” All prices are relative.

Our seemingly rational consumption choices are, in essence, psychological choices.

Similarly, in careers, what often shapes our destiny isn’t objective differences but psychological gaps. Someone might quit in anger over a few hundred yuan difference in year-end bonuses despite similar workloads; a single failed project might make someone label themselves “unfit for the job”; seeing a colleague get promoted might lead someone to conclude they have no future. It’s not about the amount or the event itself—it’s about their internal reference frame being disrupted.

We think we’re competing with reality, but we’re actually struggling with our own frame of reference.

Part 02: Living in a Past Frame of Reference Locks Your Future

Many people’s career stagnation stems not just from insufficient ability or a tough market, but from their reliance on a single frame of reference during good times. They hold unspoken expectations for rewards (beyond just income) relative to effort; when circumstances change and effort seems to outweigh rewards, they immediately scale back their input.

Many people quietly lock in their self-positioning at the wrong point. The moment someone reluctantly accepts a pay cut, they often lower their expectations for the future as well.

Professionally, people naturally tend to anchor themselves to the past—salary being the most critical anchor. Unfortunately, most people only fixate on their past high salaries, rarely comparing their current workload to external market changes.

Holding onto an old anchor is far harder than starting fresh in a new environment.

In recent years, as economic growth has slowed, many job seekers have come to me expressing confusion, anxiety, and powerlessness—but few succeed in changing careers.

Many doubt their industry’s prospects while questioning their own chances. But the real problem isn’t market opportunities; it’s their overly low frame of reference: they aim just to “avoid being laid off,” find comfort in “others having it worse,” and justify “coasting for now.”

Lingering on the past simply means failing to establish a new frame of reference.

When someone prioritizes minimizing risk as their core reference, their choices shrink rapidly—until they can no longer find a reason to strive.

If you measure yourself against others, others dictate your fate; if you anchor to the past, reality limits your vision; if you focus on the future, you can keep moving upward.

Part 03: Use Zero-Based Thinking to Adjust Your Frame of Reference as Life Changes

Zero-based thinking means wiping the slate clean: freeing yourself from past starting points, refusing to be held back by current circumstances, anchoring to the future, and recalculating everything.

It’s not about “what I used to be” or “what others are doing”—it’s about: If I started from scratch, what would I do? Where would I set my goals?

Asking yourself this question is the first step to upgrading your frame of reference:

Salary is no longer compared to old contracts, but to future capabilities and market competition;

Industries are evaluated not by immediate performance, but by long-term trends;

Tasks are measured not by current costs, but by future returns.

Starting from zero doesn’t mean erasing the past—it means refusing to submit to it.

In this era of constant change, we have no choice but to adapt. Whether to change jobs or accept new compensation terms is sometimes beyond our control, and frustration is inevitable. Yet facing the same situation, there are always different choices. When the market grows tougher, some only see hardship and stop; others see an opportunity to strengthen their resume and take a step forward.

Being “flexible in adversity” simply means choosing not to reduce effort when rewards decline, but to reset yourself—willing to take on new challenges and shift to a steeper growth curve. They feel anxious too, but anxiety drives them forward instead of making them stop.

Align yourself with current environmental demands, with directions you trust for the future, and with heights you believe you can reach.

What traps us isn’t reality—it’s the failure to reset our old frame of reference and find a new coordinate system.

In the past two years of market volatility, anxiety, hesitation, and wait-and-see attitudes have become default postures for many. Many capable people, despite bad luck, face so-called “unfairness”—a mindset rooted in a frustrated frame of reference: they anchor themselves to past peaks and current difficulties alike.

Having once earned a high salary, they see even a small cut as humiliation; regardless of market conditions, they dwell on the past. Worst of all, they cling to the fantasy of returning to “the good old days,” refusing to acknowledge that time marches on, new talent emerges, they grow older, and without skill growth, their past salary levels only erode their competitiveness.

Measuring everything against “what was and what is” makes it harder and harder to move forward.

But this violates a fundamental principle: frames of reference are not static—they should evolve with life. Yet the ability to update them at any time is rare.

Zero-based thinking and an empty cup mindset require treating past efforts as sunk costs, letting go of baggage, and starting anew.

Final Thoughts

We think we’re denied fairness, but we’re actually just trying to restore psychological balance. When the world changes its rules, it never issues advance notice. We believe we understand the market, but by the time we feel its shifts, we’ve already been harshly taught a lesson. The market may not determine our level, but our frame of reference quietly shapes our destiny.

If you fixate on what you’re afraid to lose, you’ll grow more desperate; if you focus on what’s worth pursuing, you’ll grow more steady.

Different frames of reference lead to different life trajectories. Someone obsessed with immediate gains and losses will struggle to sustain long-term success; someone focused on their future position will not be easily defeated by the present. The past frame of reference cannot help the future you.

The saying “circumstances are stronger than individuals” simply means aligning your self-worth with your future aspirations, not clinging to the past—so your actions can keep pace with the times.

So starting today, ask yourself:

If I began from zero, where would I aim my life? Because what you choose as your reference point determines the life you lead.

Recently, Client K, a company owner, talked to me about hiring plans. He intends to scale up recruitment significantly—not only for new positions but also to gradually replace the old employees who have been with him for years.


I was initially surprised. After all, K’s industry struggled over the past two years, and to retain these employees, he insisted on cutting salaries instead of laying people off. I had assumed those who agreed to take pay cuts during the market downturn would be more reliable and worthy of investment.

But K sighed and said: “Back then, I wanted to protect their jobs and took on enormous pressure, thinking we could all take pay cuts and get through this together. Later, I realized many people only work as hard as their salary dictates. After the pay cuts, their work became increasingly sloppy, and they kept feeling I’d wronged them—as if I owed them something. Now, they aren’t even worth the reduced salaries. I’d rather hire an entirely new team…”

This reminded me of how many multinational companies operate: during tough times, they’d rather lay off staff than cut salaries; when the market rebounds, they prefer to recruit new talent.

Because the moment a pay cut is imposed—regardless of the reason—employees feel wronged. Many anchor themselves in a “lower value zone” and lose motivation to excel.

This harms both the company and the individual. The company’s retention measures fail to foster loyalty, while resentful employees stop striving and their value depreciates over time.

Part 01: Your Frame of Reference Shapes Your Actions

I once went shopping in Hong Kong with a friend. She spent hundreds of thousands of yuan on luxury bags and cosmetics, leaving her exhausted and thirsty. When I tried to buy water, she stopped me, saying bottled water was too expensive in Hong Kong and we should hold on until we got back to the hotel for free water. In the end, to save a few yuan on water and avoid expensive taxi fares, we struggled through the subway, parched until we reached the hotel…

Later, we reflected on how foolish that was. Neither of us is particularly frugal, yet we’d mindlessly agreed to that absurd plan.

The root cause was our psychological anchor: luxury bags and cosmetics were “cheaper” to buy in Hong Kong (even costing hundreds of thousands), so the expense felt justified; water and taxis, however, were “more expensive” than in mainland China or at the hotel, so we wanted to save.

It’s like someone driving a million-yuan luxury car who refuses to pay a 10-yuan parking fee. It’s not about money—it’s about their frame of reference defining what’s “worth it” and what’s not. Bags fall into the “can splurge” category, water into “better save,” and parking into “a waste of money.” With a reference point, everything becomes a comparison of “value for money.” All prices are relative.

Our seemingly rational consumption choices are, in essence, psychological choices.

Similarly, in careers, what often shapes our destiny isn’t objective differences but psychological gaps. Someone might quit in anger over a few hundred yuan difference in year-end bonuses despite similar workloads; a single failed project might make someone label themselves “unfit for the job”; seeing a colleague get promoted might lead someone to conclude they have no future. It’s not about the amount or the event itself—it’s about their internal reference frame being disrupted.

We think we’re competing with reality, but we’re actually struggling with our own frame of reference.

Part 02: Living in a Past Frame of Reference Locks Your Future

Many people’s career stagnation stems not just from insufficient ability or a tough market, but from their reliance on a single frame of reference during good times. They hold unspoken expectations for rewards (beyond just income) relative to effort; when circumstances change and effort seems to outweigh rewards, they immediately scale back their input.

Many people quietly lock in their self-positioning at the wrong point. The moment someone reluctantly accepts a pay cut, they often lower their expectations for the future as well.

Professionally, people naturally tend to anchor themselves to the past—salary being the most critical anchor. Unfortunately, most people only fixate on their past high salaries, rarely comparing their current workload to external market changes.

Holding onto an old anchor is far harder than starting fresh in a new environment.

In recent years, as economic growth has slowed, many job seekers have come to me expressing confusion, anxiety, and powerlessness—but few succeed in changing careers.

Many doubt their industry’s prospects while questioning their own chances. But the real problem isn’t market opportunities; it’s their overly low frame of reference: they aim just to “avoid being laid off,” find comfort in “others having it worse,” and justify “coasting for now.”

Lingering on the past simply means failing to establish a new frame of reference.

When someone prioritizes minimizing risk as their core reference, their choices shrink rapidly—until they can no longer find a reason to strive.

If you measure yourself against others, others dictate your fate; if you anchor to the past, reality limits your vision; if you focus on the future, you can keep moving upward.

Part 03: Use Zero-Based Thinking to Adjust Your Frame of Reference as Life Changes

Zero-based thinking means wiping the slate clean: freeing yourself from past starting points, refusing to be held back by current circumstances, anchoring to the future, and recalculating everything.

It’s not about “what I used to be” or “what others are doing”—it’s about: If I started from scratch, what would I do? Where would I set my goals?

Asking yourself this question is the first step to upgrading your frame of reference:

Salary is no longer compared to old contracts, but to future capabilities and market competition;

Industries are evaluated not by immediate performance, but by long-term trends;

Tasks are measured not by current costs, but by future returns.

Starting from zero doesn’t mean erasing the past—it means refusing to submit to it.

In this era of constant change, we have no choice but to adapt. Whether to change jobs or accept new compensation terms is sometimes beyond our control, and frustration is inevitable. Yet facing the same situation, there are always different choices. When the market grows tougher, some only see hardship and stop; others see an opportunity to strengthen their resume and take a step forward.

Being “flexible in adversity” simply means choosing not to reduce effort when rewards decline, but to reset yourself—willing to take on new challenges and shift to a steeper growth curve. They feel anxious too, but anxiety drives them forward instead of making them stop.

Align yourself with current environmental demands, with directions you trust for the future, and with heights you believe you can reach.

What traps us isn’t reality—it’s the failure to reset our old frame of reference and find a new coordinate system.

In the past two years of market volatility, anxiety, hesitation, and wait-and-see attitudes have become default postures for many. Many capable people, despite bad luck, face so-called “unfairness”—a mindset rooted in a frustrated frame of reference: they anchor themselves to past peaks and current difficulties alike.

Having once earned a high salary, they see even a small cut as humiliation; regardless of market conditions, they dwell on the past. Worst of all, they cling to the fantasy of returning to “the good old days,” refusing to acknowledge that time marches on, new talent emerges, they grow older, and without skill growth, their past salary levels only erode their competitiveness.

Measuring everything against “what was and what is” makes it harder and harder to move forward.

But this violates a fundamental principle: frames of reference are not static—they should evolve with life. Yet the ability to update them at any time is rare.

Zero-based thinking and an empty cup mindset require treating past efforts as sunk costs, letting go of baggage, and starting anew.

Final Thoughts

We think we’re denied fairness, but we’re actually just trying to restore psychological balance. When the world changes its rules, it never issues advance notice. We believe we understand the market, but by the time we feel its shifts, we’ve already been harshly taught a lesson. The market may not determine our level, but our frame of reference quietly shapes our destiny.

If you fixate on what you’re afraid to lose, you’ll grow more desperate; if you focus on what’s worth pursuing, you’ll grow more steady.

Different frames of reference lead to different life trajectories. Someone obsessed with immediate gains and losses will struggle to sustain long-term success; someone focused on their future position will not be easily defeated by the present. The past frame of reference cannot help the future you.

The saying “circumstances are stronger than individuals” simply means aligning your self-worth with your future aspirations, not clinging to the past—so your actions can keep pace with the times.

So starting today, ask yourself:

If I began from zero, where would I aim my life? Because what you choose as your reference point determines the life you lead.