[One Thousand Characters a Day] It's Okay to Start Now＜5＞- The Result I Chose

Editor's NoteAsia Economy provides daily 1,000-character transcription content for the 'One Day Ten Thousand Characters' newsletter readers. Today is the final introduction of the book ＜It's Okay to Start Now＞ by Jeong Hoe-il, CEO of Yeongnahan (English Training! I Do It in Korea!). CEO Jeong, who suffered from physical illness for a long time, said that only after crying out that he wanted to die did he feel more at peace and have a stronger desire to live again. Having nothing, he devoted himself to various tasks with the mindset that he could start everything over, and by reading every day for 365 days a year, he applied the questions posed by the authors to his own life, asking and seeking answers himself. He asserts, "Just as no successful batter swings and misses, there is no shortcut to success," and says, "You must overcome giving up with stubbornness, and walk the dirt road lonely and desperately to see the flower path." The text contains 933 characters.

There is a book called ＜Mr. Ponder's Great Day＞. The protagonist, Mr. Ponder, an ordinary middle-aged man, is suddenly fired from his company and his daughter is hospitalized, causing his financial situation to deteriorate rapidly. In the midst of sudden despair, he embarks on a journey to the past and meets historical figures such as former President Truman and explorer Columbus, learning life wisdom from them.

"I take full responsibility for my past. The psychological, physical, mental, and financial state I am in today is the result of decisions I have made." - Harry Truman, former U.S. President

The wisdom Mr. Ponder discovered through encounters with past figures was the message, 'I choose my life.' Realizing and accepting that 'the way I am now is the result of the choices I have made' can bring about truly significant changes in life. If I had not realized this, I would still be lying down cursing the world. At first, you may reject and deny it completely.

'No, I didn’t choose to be poor. Is it my fault that I got sick? What crime did I commit!'

That's right. Being born into poverty and illness is not your choice. However, how you respond to it is something you can choose and decide. Blaming all problems on external factors solves nothing.

'The way I am now is the result of the choices I have made.'

This thought was a turning point in my life. At first, I was only obsessed with the idea that poverty and illness were not my fault. It was painful, but once I accepted it, I could see a changed version of myself.

It’s okay if your past choices were wrong. The future can be changed through the choices you make from now on. Mr. Ponder also made a great decision to change his life, saying, "I decide. Rather than despair and give up, I choose hope and courage." Please remember the truth that the content of life changes depending on the choices you make.

- Jeong Hoe-il, ＜It's Okay to Start Now＞, Chai Garden, 16,000 KRW