这个是我的25年6月12日参Toastmasters 的演讲稿，
讲的是改变我人生的三本书：
高中时的 戴尔 •卡耐基的 成功学全书
大学毕业后的 拿破仑•希尔的 思考致富
创业后的 罗伯特•清崎的 富爸爸穷爸爸
Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Toastmasters, and accidental visitors.
Let me tell you a story about a poor boy. His mom swept city streets. His dad cleaned public toilets. They lived in a country where the GDP per capita was $700—which, back then, meant their entire family budget could be wiped out by a single McDonald’s Happy Meal.
This boy was in high school, but his home had no TV, no phone, and—worst of all—no flushing toilet. (Imagine explaining *that* to your first date.) He had no friends, was terrified of girls, and got bullied so much he considered joining the mafia—until he realized even *they* had standards.
And no, he wasn’t from the countryside. He was a *city boy*. Tragic, right?
Then one day, he saw a street vendor selling books—by *weight*, like meat in a grocery store (Ah, the golden age of pirated literature!) He bought one heavy, overpriced book: *How to Win Friends and Influence People* by Dale Carnegie. (dayl, kaa-nuh-‘gee
*(Pause, turn to audience)
**Quick show of hands—who here has read this book?** Dale Carnegie, I owe you royalties.
That book changed him. He learned to communicate, make friends, and dream bigger than “I hope the toilet doesn’t overflow today at home.”
He practiced relentlessly. In college, he joined debates and won “Best Debater”
After graduation, he sold computers. Cold calls, rejections, awkward client meetings—perfect for a guy whose self-esteem was pretty low.
. But he knew: to escape his life, he had to *embrace the cringe*. So he practiced until he forgot what shyness was—or at least until he could fake it until he make it.
His manager, a smooth-talking sales guru, gifted him another life-changing book: *Think and Grow Rich* by Napoleon Hill. * This time, it wasn’t pirated—progress!
Suddenly, he *thought big*. He wrote down exact dates he’d become a millionaire, then ten millionaire, then “I-lost-count”-mood. And guess what? He did it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here tonight, semi-retired, telling this story instead of scrubbing toilets.
Yes, that boy—once poor, awkward, and borderline mafia-reject—is *me*.
Armed with Books I launched *side jobs* so scrappy they’d make Elon Musk blush:
1. Installing illegal satellite TV dishes in Shanghai.
2. Flipping used cars in Shanghai’s expat community
3. Renting cars to expats.
No office, no employees, just pure chaos—the perfect business boot camp.
In 2007, on my honeymoon in Malaysia, I grasped a book *Rich Dad Poor Dad* in a tea shop. Two lessons stuck:
1. Go from employee to business owner and eventually investor, or as I call it, “Get rich while napping.”
2. Buy real estate and let tenants pay your bills. Genius! (Also, way less stressful than illegal satellite dishes.)
At 39, I did the math and realized: I never have to work again—except for my wife, who still gives me house works.
So here I am: a FIRE’d (Financially Independent, Retired Early) former toilet-cleaner’s son, proof that books, hustle, and a *high tolerance for embarrassment* can change your life.
And if I can do it?** *(Pause, smirk)*
**You might want to start weighing your books.**
*(Raise glass)* Cheers!