[One Thousand Characters a Day] Daily Admiration Power <4>

Editor's NoteEven if you leave just a little room for your own potential and don't rigidly define who you are, you can discover another side of yourself that you have never met before. It's not strange in a world where yesterday's part-timer can become tomorrow's top star, a perennial last-place athlete can become a passionate marathoner, and an ordinary office worker or housewife can become a famous writer. Author Kim Gyurim emphasizes the importance of not confining yourself and keeping your possibilities open. "We can become anything at any time. Life is unpredictable, but if we're going to live anyway, wouldn't it be more fun and exciting to try various things and live broadly?" Word count: 1038 characters.

In a game I used to enjoy playing, I could equip my character's armor with various items like jewels or weapons, and each time, the character's abilities improved. Stamina, running speed, attack power, recovery ability, and so on. My character, who started at level 0, grew stronger over time thanks to the various ability items collected here and there. When I think about the team I work with at the company, I often think of this character. Just like my character who became stronger through item combinations, isn't the overall ability of a team ultimately completed by people with individual abilities coming together?

These days, I learn things from my team members. How to look at the distant future together even when there are immediate tasks, how to work meticulously and responsibly, how to make others laugh with pleasant jokes even in tough situations, how to say the same things beautifully, and how to sincerely approach the people you work with. I see all these as abilities I still lack a lot, and I am always amazed and try to absorb them little by little. People with their own superpowers gather together like a real-life Marvel Heroes to create a single outcome, which is truly reassuring and something I am grateful for.

This is not limited to the workplace. The same applies to human relationships. When I look at my handful of close friends, each one has abilities I do not possess, and I sincerely respect them. Some have an unparalleled bright and friendly demeanor, others have manners that captivate the eyes and ears of elders. Some come up with amazingly new ideas during solitary moments, some have excellent memories, and some have such lively reactions that make conversations enjoyable. Even the small things that might not seem like abilities are their unique superpowers. When you think about it, aren't we all superpowered?

So, we don't need to worry about lacking certain abilities. We can meet people with diverse abilities, admire them, and slowly absorb and learn from their abilities. Then I want to ask myself: What is my unique superpower? What abilities can I share? I want to observe myself slowly and discover them.

－Kim Gyurim, The Power of Daily Admiration, Whale Book, 16,800 KRW