"A good book, sincerely recommended."
—Mo Yan, Writer, Nobel Laureate in Literature

"Whether exploring the logic behind thinking or pondering the motivations for behavior, the author's courage and action in pursuing 'big questions' are profoundly meaningful."
—Pony Ma, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Tencent

"A severely underestimated great book. His highly perceptive insights into human characteristics and weaknesses will provide excellent inspiration or caution for anyone hoping to constantly reflect and pursue progress. It offers new insights with each reading and can be passed down."
—He Gang, Editor-in-Chief of Caijing Magazine, Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review Chinese Edition

"If entrepreneurs and business leaders could see the thinking traps described in this book and alter their thought circuits early on, their chances of success would significantly increase; if young people could understand the book's intricate analysis of 'making mistakes,' they could avoid many detours on their life paths."
—Ming-Jer Chen, University of Virginia Professor, Lifetime Fellow and Former President of the Academy of International Business

"The author proposes an effective method for knowing oneself. Regardless of the reader's professional background or prior contemplation of the book's questions, they will find it enjoyable to read and will gain a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the mind and the principles of behavior."
—Fang Fang, Dean, School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University

★ A cognitive upgrade guide from a billionaire entrepreneur! 1 Complete Cause Model × 7 Progression Levels × 26 Mental Exercises. This book reveals the hidden bugs that hinder your rational decision-making and efficient progress, helping readers understand themselves and take control of their lives.

★ The author, Dr. Chi Yufeng, started from scratch and founded Perfect World Holdings, whose businesses span over 100 countries and regions worldwide. His journey parallels that of cross-industry entrepreneurs like Elon Musk or Richard Branson. He has distilled insights into human nature gleaned from managing tens of thousands of employees and serving hundreds of millions of users into the core model presented in this book. His perspectives are born from repeatedly validated business and life experiences.

★ The book's original "Complete Cause Model" is a powerful yet elegant meta-cognitive tool. Using only 5 modules, it can analyze and explain the logical chains behind the vast majority of daily behaviors and decisions.

★ Life is about continuous progress, and progress means "making fewer mistakes and making correct decisions."

This series includes 2 books: Rebooting the Thinking System and The Complete View of Books.

This book tackles a fundamental question: Under identical objective conditions, why do people's cognition, decision-making, and growth trajectories differ so vastly? The book argues that the key lies not in the absolute amount of knowledge or effort, but in whether we understand the inherent "programs" and "vulnerabilities" within our own thinking systems.

Through years of observation and deep reflection, the author has identified hard-to-notice characteristics in everyone—such as the Equilibrium State, Spring Person, Comparator, and Duckling—and uses them to answer questions like: Where does human motivation originate? What is the root cause of failure? How can a person progress? How are values formed?

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." The author also creates a methodology for understanding the laws of human behavior—the Complete Cause Model—which uses only 5 modules to analyze and explain most behaviors and phenomena in life. By understanding this model, you can deconstruct your own actions anytime, anywhere in your daily life, greatly enhancing your efficiency in utilizing abilities and the accuracy of your judgments.

Furthermore, the book proposes specific issues and solutions for people at different career stages—7 Progression Levels and 26 Mental Exercises. Building on self-analysis and reflection, it provides practical, actionable methods to achieve comprehensive improvement.

In the author's view, everyone is a sports car, but most, unaware of their hidden characteristics, don't know how to steer it and often veer off track.

This is not just a book on the mindset of successful people; it is also an instruction manual for understanding oneself. By reading this book, you will find the catalyst for change and effective methods for success.

Chi Yufeng, PhD
Visiting Professor of Management Practice, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University
Doctor of Business Administration, Singapore Management University
Doctor of Business Administration, University of Minnesota
Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Tsinghua University
Founder of Hongen Education, Perfect Pictures, Perfect World Games, Zongheng Chinese Web, All-Knowledge

Established Hongen Education, developing educational software like The Beginning of the World and Worry-Free Everything; recently launched apps such as Hongen Literacy and Hongen Children's English, and the animated series Guardians of the Galaxy. Founded Perfect World Games, with games like Perfect World and Jade Dynasty receiving high acclaim and consistently ranking among China's top game exports. Founded Perfect Pictures, producing award-winning films like The Piano in a Factory and Love is Not Blind. Founded All-Knowledge (originally All-History), an AI knowledge graph platform showcasing comprehensive humanities and social sciences knowledge.

Awarded honors include 2012 Chinese Cultural Industry Person of the Year, 2014 Chinese Internet Person of the Year, 2016 Chinese Economic Person of the Year, and 2019 Internet Economy Person of the Year.

Theoretical Part: The Complete Human Landscape
Chapter 1: Deconstructing Thought and Action
Overview of the Complete Cause Model………………………………………………5
Equilibrium State—To Survive or Perish………………………………………………8
Negative Feedback—The Engine of Thought and Action………………………………23
Experience-Value List—The Basis for Decisions and Actions…………………………32
Comparator—Igniting Ambition or Plunging into the Abyss……………………………42
Spring Person—The Balance Compensation Mechanism in the Mind…………………55

Chapter 2: The Mind's Workshop
Induction: "Finding Differences" and "Finding Similarities"—Recognizing Change and Discovering Patterns……67
Memory: Memory Meadow—Paths Form Where Steps Are Frequent…………………73
Compression: Memory Compression—Where Do Forgotten Details Go?……………78
Search: High-Energy Consumption Search—The Search Mode for Difficult Problems…84
Deduction: Predictive Habit of Patterns—Using Patterns to Deduce the Future……86
Imagination: Information Overlay—The Mind's Sewing Machine………………………90
Thinking: Subconsciousness and Consciousness—Unperceived and Perceived Thought…90

Chapter 3: Behavioral Boosters
Emotion: The Chemical Factory Within—The Nature of Joy, Anger, Sorrow, and Pleasure…99
Happiness: The Happiness Triangle Model—Expectation and Reward…………………115
Interest: The Fruit of Interest—The Sense of Achievement from Doing Well…………122
Desire: The Pressure-Desire Reservoir—The Imbalance Buffer Zone…………………126
Security: Interest Fat—Dealing with Future Uncertainties………………………………133
Self-Interest: Self-Interest Tendency—The Underlying Logic of Behavior……………137
Altruism: Self-Interested Altruism—Making the World a Better Place…………………142

Chapter 4: The Boundaries of Thought and Behavior
Energy Boundary…………………………………………………………………………149
Information Boundary……………………………………………………………………155
Utility Boundary……………………………………………………………………………163

Practical Part: The Ladder of Progress
Chapter 5: Solidifying the Foundation: Human Nature
Instinctual Errors—The Lifetime Little Demon………………………………………177
Excessive Comparison—Jealousy Upwards, Arrogance Downwards…………………179
Emotional Loss of Control—Where Do Impulse and Violence Come From?…………182
Infinite Desire—The Bitter Fruit of Greed and the Happiness of Contentment………185

Chapter 6: Novice Start: Communication
Hypothetical Information Gap-Filling—The Person You See is 75% Yourself…………189
Misunderstanding is Guaranteed—Verification is Necessary……………………………194
The ABCD of Interpersonal Communication—Deconstructing the Entire Communication Process…198
Arguments Lead Nowhere—Both Sides Have Valid Reasons……………………………203

Chapter 7: Primary Challenge: Concepts
Faulty Values—Concept Updates Are Necessary………………………………………209
Non-Logical Acceptance—Occupying the Air Conditioning Acupuncture Point………212
Duckling—How Childhood Experiences Influence Life…………………………………216
The Preconception Judge—Old Concepts Adjudicate New Information………………220
The Victory of Old Concepts—The Battle of the Cave Hill………………………………224
Impossibility of Persuasion—The Deep-Rooted Stubbornness…………………………229
Multi-Treasure Bean—Embracing New Concepts………………………………………234

Chapter 8: Intermediate Transformation: Change
Activation Energy for Change—The Force That Confines People and the World……243
The Frail Period of Change—The Inevitable Path of Transformation…………………248
Inertia of Change—Human Nature Rejects Change……………………………………253
The Pointsman—Can Your Life's Track Be Changed?…………………………………258

Chapter 9: Intermediate Leap: Innovation
Innovation Isn't New—Unveiling the Essence of Innovation……………………………267
The Ugly Child of Creativity—Protecting the "Newborn Idea"…………………………272
Practical Innovation Guide—Becoming an Innovation Expert…………………………275
The Course of Human Innovation—A Brilliance That Began with Superimposition…282

Chapter 10: Advanced Progression: The Barrier of Unknowing
View from the Mountain Peak—The World as Seen from Different Levels……………291
Unaware of Having, Unaware of Lacking—Not Knowing Others Have It, Then Not Knowing You Lack It…296
The Snow Mountain Dilemma—At Great Heights, Weaknesses Must Appear………301
Knowing the Boundary—What is the Key to Success?…………………………………306

Chapter 11: Executive Leap: The Fog of the Spring
Maintaining Confidence in Judgment—The Resistance to Admitting Error……………313
Expectancy-Confirming Search—Finally Discovering What You Wanted to Discover…318
Memory Alteration—Memory Changes for My Sake……………………………………322
Self-Persuasion—Self-Justification Beforehand, Self-Soothing Afterwards……………325
Biased Choice—Self-Interested Choice Under the Guise of a Plausible Excuse………330
Rice Bowl Justice—Protecting One's Livelihood in the Name of "Justice"……………335

Chapter 12: Commander's Halt: The Ultimate Limitation
Self-Check Reveals No Error—Using the Same Method to Inspect Actions, One Cannot Find One's Own Mistakes…341

Chapter 13: Comprehensive Progress
The Tree of Thinking Errors—Why Do People Make Mistakes?………………………355
Mental Exercises—Methods for Rapid Progress………………………………………363
The Crime of Innocence—A Wake-Up Call for the Successful…………………………373

Afterword: The Individual and Society
The Purposelessness of the World……………………………………………………379

Appendix
Image Index………………………………………………………………………………385
Summary Table of Mental Exercises……………………………………………………386
Complete Cause Model…………………………………………………………………387
References………………………………………………………………………………388