[Ssuk Nudge Leadership] 100 Days After Birth, 100-Day Challenges After Sixty

Celebrating 100 Days:
Overcoming the Psychological Slump
and Embracing New Challenges

Last Saturday, we celebrated my grandchild's 100th day since birth. Although there were some challenging moments along the way, my son-in-law, my daughter, and I have now passed the first gateway to becoming true adults. We prepared a modest party at home, and the three members of my grandchild's family, along with elders from both sides of the family, visited in turn. We took photos and wisely adhered to COVID-19 prevention guidelines throughout the celebration.

However, I found myself wondering: why do we specifically commemorate the 100th day? Why not wait a little longer and celebrate the first birthday instead? It is said that the 100-day milestone was chosen as the minimum period to gauge a baby's survival, given the risks of disease or malnutrition. Since this period also relates to the mother's recovery, as a parent of a daughter, I felt a sense of relief. It also signifies that from this point, both baby and mother can put aside the swaddling clothes and are ready to go outside.

So, why did our ancestors choose 100 days as the period for gathering sincerity and prayers? Why did they offer "baegil gido"-a 100-day prayer-at dawn with purified well water? Is it simply an arithmetic 100 days, or is there a mathematical or scientific basis?

Whenever we attempt something new, we often experience a slump in the initial three months. It becomes tedious, we lose motivation, and it can even feel exhausting. This is because it requires significant effort and drains our energy. Many people give up during this phase, which is often called the "Death Valley." According to metacognitive psychology, starting something new consumes twice as much energy as usual. You get hungry twice as fast. In the past, whether during the hunter-gatherer era or the spring famine of the agricultural age, it was difficult to satisfy this hunger. The psychological pain from not being able to eat was said to be as severe as the pain of death. This is still deeply imprinted in our brains today, which is why we tend to avoid new challenges and changes.

Father Cha Dongyeop, in his book "The Rainbow Principle," refers to the "rule of 100 repetitions" as the law of habit. He claims that even if you fall short of a certain standard, repeating something 100 times will produce a learning effect. Malcolm Gladwell, on the other hand, argues that if you continue something for 10 years, you become an "outlier" in any field.

The saying "Reading a book 100 times naturally reveals its meaning" not only means that you will understand a book's meaning after reading it 100 times, but also that diligent study will help you achieve your goals. The adaptation period for new employees is set at three months, which is why companies have a three-month probationary period, during which employees train and are evaluated before being officially hired.

In that sense, another thought came to mind. At the beginning of last year, I turned 60 and passed my hwangap (the traditional 60th birthday). I need to adapt to a new phase of life. What if I set a concrete goal and challenge myself for 100 days, announcing it to everyone around me? If I succeed, I can celebrate just like my grandchild's 100th day. This is known as the "profess effect" or "public commitment effect," where making a public declaration encourages accountability and commitment to change. Family and friends, as well as myself, would be responsible for our words and challenge ourselves to change. Examples include "100-day challenge to walk 10,000 steps every day," "100-day challenge to read for two hours a day," "100-day challenge to focus on one subject using newly learned camera skills," or "100-day challenge to watch a movie and write a review every day."

Starting March 1, I began my own challenge: "Spend at least two hours a day at my desk-scrapbooking news articles, reading, and writing." I set a timer at the start of each session and record the results in my smartphone calendar when I finish. I post my thoughts on Facebook, my SNS. The temptation to give up or slack off will surely arise from time to time.

These days, after retirement, my friends and I often argue about ideas or ideologies in our group chat. What if we each set a challenge like this, declare it, encourage each other, and celebrate together on the 100th day? Since the idea has come up, maybe I'll casually suggest it to my friends.

Recently, I came across the term "late bloomer." It was introduced in the book "Late Bloomers" by Rich Karlgaard, publisher of Forbes and a futurist. According to the book, "Tech companies founded by 50-year-olds are nearly twice as likely to hit it big compared to those started by 30-year-olds, and 30-year-old founders are more likely to succeed than those who start at 20." Research by Northwestern University, MIT, and the U.S. Census Bureau found that "the fastest-growing companies had founders with an average age of 45 at the time of launch."

Perhaps we, too, can hit it big after turning 60.

Park Changwook, CEO of Korea Knowledge Value School (Secretary General of Daewoo Global Management Institute)

◆What is 'Nudge Leadership'?

- 'Nudge Leadership' refers to leading change in organizations or individuals through small and gentle interventions or motivation, rather than through coercive or directive methods. It is also about improving human relationships and transforming oneself into someone others want to follow through small personal changes. Ultimately, it aims to inject creativity and passion into organizations or relationships, thereby creating new value and happiness.