Why Ambitious People Are in Debt in 2025

The Reality of Ambitious People in Debt

There's a saying that these days, anyone with a bit of ambition is in debt. This is a harsh reality. It's not easy to start a business in 2025. Many people use the hard - earned savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars to open a store by joining a chain brand.

There are all kinds of restaurants, like milk tea shops, coffee shops, and regular restaurants.

Most of the money is spent on rent and decoration. It seems impossible to get the money back anytime soon. Usually, the business can't last more than half a year. When the cash flow stops and the money runs out, they have to go back to work and save money again.

Why Do They Make Such Choices?

People can't stay idle. If they have some money on hand and don't have an immediate plan to spend it, they probably won't spend much on entertainment. And those who can save a large sum of money may not like or accept spending a lot on such things.

These so - called “ambitious” people often start thinking about how to make more money. There are mainly two ways: one is to invest in stocks, and the other is to start a business by opening a store.

If you look at your relatives and friends, you'll find that their money usually goes in these directions. In the past, buying a house was also an option. But now, unless it's a must - have purchase, there's no need to buy. Moreover, most people can't afford the properties in the core areas of first - tier cities, so this path is blocked.

With a few hundred thousand dollars, the feasible options are mainly stock trading and starting a physical business. Other things either seem unworthy or require more capital.

Why Choose Physical Business Instead of Online Ventures?

The following are just my personal speculations without any solid evidence.

1. Path Dependency

There are many people they know around them who have opened stores.

2. Lack of Familiarity with Online Money - Making

They feel distant from online money - making methods like self - media and the Internet. There are no successful examples around them, and they don't have relevant channels.

3. Disdain or Inability to Learn

They look down on these methods or think they can't learn them. For example, they can't write articles or shoot videos and don't want to learn.

4. Resistance to Being on Camera

They don't want to show their faces. They're afraid of being recognized by people around them and feeling embarrassed.

5. Lack of Internet and Computer Skills

They don't understand the Internet or computers. They think it's too difficult to learn and can't figure these things out.

Once they hear that they have to write a lot of articles and learn many things, they don't want to use their brains and think they can't do it from the start.

For these reasons, they often choose to start a business by opening a store.

The “Pseudo - Ambition” Phenomenon

Some people's so - called ambition is actually just a desire to look busy. They need to find something to do and come up with a reason or excuse for their actions.

This is similar to many people following the trend of taking postgraduate entrance exams or civil service exams. In essence, it's a way to avoid work or at least to make themselves look occupied.

Many people have some spare money. When their relatives or friends say something like “You have money, you can start a business,” they're easily convinced. In fact, they don't really want to do it, but they feel embarrassed not to because others are encouraging them. Otherwise, they seem to lack ambition.

To look ambitious, capable, and like someone doing big things, they engage in investment and entrepreneurship activities. This has a strong sense of performance.

Of course, these are just my personal speculations. I'm not sure if this is really the case, nor do I know how many people are in this situation.

The Influence of Others' Opinions

Humans are social animals, and it's hard to completely ignore others' opinions.

Many of our choices are actually influenced by the people around us, such as what they're doing, their views on a thing, and their views on what we do.

This influence gradually forms, either consciously or unconsciously.

It's hard to say whether this is a good or bad thing. It depends on the specific situation.

But for some important and far - reaching decisions, don't be easily swayed by others' opinions. For example, don't rush to buy a house, get married, have children, or make investment or entrepreneurial decisions.

When we look back, we'll find that many important decisions in our lives were made casually. We didn't realize their significance at that time, but later we found that these decisions had a huge impact on the following decades.

True change happens quietly and takes a long time. Rarely does a big change happen suddenly. It's like boiling a frog in warm water, with changes so small that we can't even notice them.

Daily Reading & Writing by Xiaolu 2025.04.15 [Day 589]