As Early as Possible

Wang XiaoShanghai Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

Rating 3.6
Word count
117K words
Chapters
39
ISBN
9787532170180

Tags

Motivation and Growth Workplace RelationsLife PlanningUrban RomanceInspirationSuccess MindsetSelf-GrowthFemale PerspectiveIndependent Woman

Summary

In 2010, her post "Written on the Day I Turned Thirty" was shared over three million times online and drew such wide attention that it became a book. In it, Xiaosa Jie (Wang Xiao) shares, vividly and candidly, the experiences of herself and her friends: the struggles and confusions of studying, falling in love and working, with hilarious anecdotes that make you laugh out loud and bitter, tear-jerking stories that make your nose sting. Alongside these cases, she analyzes the attitude an independent woman should have, and explores how to bid farewell to indecision and difficulty during life's lost periods, and how to make the right choices. Ten years on, Xiaosa Jie and the protagonists of those stories have turned the page on their lives. Through patient cultivation and a long wait, the seeds of dreams she planted have bloomed. Those protagonists, once standing at life's crossroads, went through pain and struggle and made the choices that suited each of them best. As Xiaosa Jie says, "What you ultimately get and experience depends entirely on the seeds you planted yourself; you cannot blame others, only examine yourself." See the problems you face one step earlier, plan your life one day sooner, and you will taste the joy of harvest one day sooner. Readers who expect something of themselves and of life: understand that it is best to start early, and plan your life with Xiaosa Jie to become the best version of yourself!

Editor's review

This book's value lies not in preaching success theory but in presenting an observable method of living: testing choices, trial and error, and persistence in concrete life. Drawing on her own and others' experiences, Wang Xiao writes about the confusions and struggles of study, romance and the workplace, with humor and bitterness side by side, never ungrounded. It reads more like a notebook on life planning, reminding readers to understand "start early" as seeing problems sooner and actively owning the consequences of one's choices, not as blindly rushing ahead. The cases span ten years, showing the turning of the page and growth after choices are made, offering reference for readers in lost periods who need to re-sort their direction. Suitable for reading in segments on weekends or commutes, taking notes on one's own situation as one reads; it should not be copied as a manual but taken for its attitude and method, weighed against one's own circumstances.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read chapter by chapter, pausing after each piece to write down one question related to your own situation
  2. Treat the cases as reference, not templates, and distinguish which choices suit you and which cannot be replicated
  3. Read the same book with a friend and each share one experience of actively making a choice, centered on "starting early"

About the publisher

Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1952

Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House takes modern and contemporary Chinese literature and folk literature as important publishing directions, while also covering social novels, classic works, and prose and miscellaneous writings, and has long introduced foreign literature and philosophical works. Its books include masterpieces such as Lao She's Teahouse and Camel Xiangzi, Lu Xun's Call to Arms and Wandering and Dawn Blossoms Plucked at Dusk, and Xiao Hong's Tales of Hulan River, as well as translations such as Gilles Deleuze's Nietzsche and Philosophy, Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, and The Pillars of the Earth trilogy. Its authors include Lao She, Lu Xun, Xiao Hong, Zhou Ying, Liu Yuyu, and Jiang Yi, reflecting a publishing character that balances original literature, academic translation, and general reading.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 十周年纪念版（2019年） 自序
  3. 三周年纪念版（2013年） 自序
  4. 初版（2010年） 自序
  5. Part 1 感情篇
  6. 单身大龄又如何？
  7. 有没有真命天子这回事儿？
  8. 变心需要理由吗？
  9. 钱是千足金
  10. 大家都爱成功人士
  11. 不想转正的小三，不是好小三
  12. 洋人也是人
  13. 嫁人只在一瞬间
  14. 永远太远，只争朝夕
  15. Part 2 事业篇
  16. 弱国无外交，女人当自强
  17. 从臭跑龙套的做起
  18. 遭遇潜规则
  19. 该做的事vs.爱做的事
  20. 假如理想没有照进现实
  21. 一入江湖岁月催
  22. 当完被告当原告
  23. Part 3 生活篇
  24. 站在人生的“米”字路口上
  25. 你的心有多大？
  26. 要，还是不要继续上学
  27. 我们经历过的各种崩溃
  28. 吃喝玩乐见真知
  29. 只有经过验证的才是真神！
  30. Part 4 美容篇
  31. 谁的肉身没有硬伤？
  32. 甜美无害与冷静锐利
  33. 意志的胜利
  34. 附录一 写在三十岁到来这一天
  35. 附录二 人物近况·主人公近况
  36. 2010年后记
  37. 三周年后记
  38. 读者推荐
  39. 笔记页

FAQ

Is this book success theory or chicken soup? It is closer to a sharing of personal experience and life attitude than to success theory that promises results. Using the real confusions of the author and her friends in study, romance and work as threads, it discusses the attitude and ways of choosing that an independent woman should have. Readers can draw reference and inspiration from it, but the book offers no guaranteed effective steps and should not be copied as a manual.
Can I read this directly without having read the author's previous works? Yes. The book consists of the author's own and others' experiences, and the chapters are relatively independent, not relying on prior works. New readers can start with any chapter that interests them and need not read in order. To understand the recurring "start early" attitude, it is advisable to read the opening and closing sections first, then go back to the middle cases.
The cases span ten years; will the book feel outdated now? The book was published in 2021 and looks back on the decade before, so specific situations do differ from today. But the issues it discusses—being lost, making choices, bearing consequences—are enduring, and the value of the cases lies in showing the turning of the page after choices. Readers can focus on its attitude and method rather than copying specific practices, and weigh them against their own circumstances.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Wang Xiao Author · Chinese · 1978

Wang Xiao, born in Beijing in 1978 and known as "Xiaosa Jie," is a bestselling author and the founder of the Chenzao brand. She graduated from Communication University of China and later earned a master's degree from Renmin University of China. She previously worked as a CCTV news anchor and as editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan China. Her writing focuses mainly on women's growth and self-management. Her representative works include the Wang Xiao Women's Growth Trilogy, Chenzao, Living Life on Your Own Terms, and Everything Will Pass, Everything Will Arrive. She also writes on Eastern philosophy, including The Four Laws of the Cave and Life Wisdom from Laozi. Her prose is direct and practical, explaining time management and life choices in a clear, followable way, and has influenced readers in inspirational growth and cultural categories.