[Haruchunja] Daily Admiration Power <1>

Editor's NoteKim Gyurim, an artist who gained attention by showcasing trendy lifestyles favored by the MZ generation while working as a marketer at an IT company and as a brand director at a startup, shares her special ‘daily skill’ that became the foundation for ‘living true to oneself’ through her book ＜Daily Admiration Power＞. The author reveals honest stories never shown anywhere else?not only the bright and hip image seen on social networking services (SNS) but also confessions about difficult moments in life, regrets over mistakes, and worries about human relationships. Whenever she hit a dead end and was blocked, what saved her was the ‘U-turn spirit’?boldly changing the direction of her thoughts without giving up. Even when things didn’t go as planned, she shouted “Better this way!” turning crises into opportunities, and found usefulness in impulsively bought items, enjoying the pleasure of ‘seeing something and wanting it.’ This cheerful ‘mental victory’ brings warm laughter and gentle comfort to those of us who live diligently but often face days when things don’t go as intended. Word count: 1020 characters.

However, as I discovered that this is connected to my happiness in life, I began to think that maybe it’s not something to worry about endlessly but rather a great blessing. Meetings with friends and colleagues who often say “Wow, nice, great!” and are frequently moved reinforced this thought. I realized that the habit of being easily moved is closely linked to the ability to be persuaded by good opinions, immediately recognize others’ admirable points, and discover the extraordinary in the ordinary.

It is true that criticizing rather than admiring or praising often seems cooler. In fact, sharply evaluating something is called a ‘skill,’ and there are people with professions like critics. But sincerely admiring something and acknowledging its good points is usually not considered a skill. However, I think this way: In these days when people are obsessed with tearing each other down?like ‘nukalhyeop’ (threatening someone with a knife to blame them) or ‘narakmim’ (mocking someone who has fallen)?perhaps discovering good points and admiring them is also a skill. We might call this ‘gamtanryeok (感歎力),’ or ‘admiration power.’ And just as I was reading, I came across a sentence like sunshine.

The reason we know what others don’t and can see what others cannot is ultimately because we have our own unique story.

－＜What It Means to Work Well＞

Just because something that many people say is not good looks good to you doesn’t necessarily mean your standards are low. The reason you can see something invisible to others may be because it is caught in your unique ‘story radar.’ Someone’s deep interests or unique stories can act like a magnet that pulls the good points of something more strongly into view.

So now, rather than worrying about admiring too much, I decided to simply be thankful for that fact and to be moved and praise more often. (Though it’s not something that can be done at will by effort.) With pride in saying, “If someone has critical power, I have admiration power!”

－Kim Gyurim, ＜Daily Admiration Power＞, Whale Book, 16,800 KRW