[W Forum] Experience the Joy of Change

I had a meal with an acquaintance. I shared a story about an episode where I unexpectedly met a friend I hadn’t been in touch with for a while. They talked about the close memories they once shared and the times they each spent without contact. Reuniting with a friend after a long time made the traits that once seemed like flaws now appear endearing, and the feelings of hurt from the past were forgotten?an enjoyable story.

Not long ago, I had another chance to meet that acquaintance. The answer to the question, “Are you still getting along well with that friend?” was very different from what I expected. “No, it seems that changing as a person is a difficult thing. We kept in touch and met a few times after that, but as time went by, the traits that once seemed unpleasant remained the same. Nothing has changed at all.”

That is quite natural. How difficult it is for a person to change. “Change (變化)” refers to a transformation in both quantitative and qualitative aspects, where nature, form, and state all become different. How hard it is to alter a personality and habits formed over time. The four-character idiom “Jak-sim-sam-il” (meaning “a resolution lasting only three days”) exists for a reason. Doing something differently from the usual routine without much difficulty brings discomfort and hardship, making it feel like “it shouldn’t continue any longer” after just three days.

Dieting is a lifelong goal, yet it is a task I have never successfully completed. On stressful workdays, I find myself picking up snacks I usually don’t enjoy from convenience stores on my way home, and at dinners with good company, everything tastes heavenly. There are easily thousands of reasons to postpone dieting until tomorrow.

Fundamental change in the essence of things cannot be achieved with moderate effort. Recently, I came across an interview with someone who lived as an actor and then embarked on a second career as a photographer. The interview clearly conveyed “what it means to attempt change, the attitude one must take, and the accumulation of daily efforts required.”

Although he had been familiar with cameras and photography since childhood, once he decided to pursue a professional path, he dedicated a full eight years to related studies and practical experience. As an actor, he practiced scripts until 3 or 4 a.m. and spent two years reading and refining a script daily for a single work. That dedication was reflected in his approach to photography as well.

He said he chose to earn a formal degree because he wanted to move beyond the comfort of simply enjoying photography and instead experience some discomfort. Even though he felt he had done enough, he deliberately sought out discomfort. Once started, one must give their best with an attitude of “do or die.” As both an actor and a photographer, he never forgot that mindset. Another important realization during his photography career was that to capture “my own fleeting moment,” one must press the shutter diligently, almost to the point of being relentless, for that moment to come.

He felt that change was, in another sense, “a new completion.” If one only maintains familiarity and comfort, another side of oneself that has never been seen remains hidden inside. Before easily saying, “People don’t change, no, they don’t,” I want to start experiencing that uncomfortable feeling, which isn’t entirely unpleasant, from today. I look forward to 2021 as a year to complete a wonderful version of myself that I have yet to reveal to myself or anyone else.

Yoon Bo-won, Sales Executive, Hana Financial Investment Club1 WM Center