He Fan on Young People: Find Your Own Drumbeat—Advice for Founders Too

Originally published 2024-02-20Quotation attributed to He Fan (#第一財經) + Robin’s commentary

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Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above

English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2024-02-20. Translated 2026-10-30 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文

Reading guide

Speaking with Yicai, He Fan says that this generation of young people is highly educated, broad-minded, and creative. What he struggles to understand is that they often speak of self-realization without putting much effort into knowing themselves. He advises being honest with yourself and listening more closely to your inner voice, invoking Thoreau’s drumbeat metaphor: find your own beat and follow that path. Robin adds that this applies not only to young people but to every founder: take time to know yourself, be honest with yourself, and find your own rhythm rather than following someone else’s footsteps.

Key points

Be honest with yourself and spend time listening to your inner voice, He Fan advises.
Thoreau’s drumbeat metaphor: find your own beat rather than always following someone else’s.
Founders, too, need to know themselves and find their own rhythm, Robin adds.

One clear path continues into the distance among several branching routes, suggesting choice and focus. — Entrepreneurship & strategyThematic illustration · AI generated

Full text — English translation

He Fan: “People have many misconceptions about young people. This generation is highly educated, broad in outlook, and strong in aesthetic judgment and creativity. “There is just one thing about young people that I find hard to understand. They keep talking about self-realization, but I do not think they have put much effort into knowing themselves. Perhaps the internet makes them easily influenced by others. In our day, it was precisely when other people thought you were a weirdo that you felt cool. “I do not know why young people today seem to lack that spirit. The ability to go your own way is itself a kind of confidence. If I were to offer any advice, it would be to stay honest with yourself and spend more time listening to your inner voice. “The American writer Thoreau said that if a person does not walk in step with their companions, it is simply because they hear a different drumbeat. Constantly following other people’s beats is exhausting. Find your own beat, then follow that path. “You may not become enormously successful in the end, but you will certainly enjoy the journey.” #第一財經 [Yicai] ------ Robin: “Not only young people but every founder needs to spend time getting to know themselves, being honest with themselves, and listening to their inner voice. Do not simply follow someone else’s footsteps. Find your own rhythm for moving forward.”

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