A Life with a Story

Today I had the chance to meet good people for the first time in three months, and I got so absorbed in our conversation that I lost track of time. I wanted to record it, so I’m leaving this here.

My close hyung, M, said he had suddenly decided to go to the U.S. He had always faithfully carried out his role as vice CEO of the company he co-founded with such a strong sense of responsibility, so I was curious what had led him to make such a decision.

“I imagined what I would regret most about myself 10 years from now. … Even if things at the company didn’t go well, I didn’t think I’d regret it much. But with the U.S., I felt like I’d end up thinking, ‘Hey, you still haven’t gone?’ and regretting it. So I just made the decision. … Once I made the decision, it was actually great because what I needed to do became clear.” That was the answer M gave me.

It was something that made me deeply reflect on how I myself want to live. What kind of life would I regret less, 10 years from now?

As I thought about it, I realized that I want a life with a story. Not a monotonous one, but a colorful life, one where big and small stories pile up and accumulate. Not a common, run-of-the-mill story, but a life where my own unique colors show through.

If I were to compare it to traveling, I wouldn’t want to spend a 4-day, 3-night trip following the same colorless route everyone else takes. Even if I had to struggle through three tedious days, I’d want to spend at least one day visiting the place I truly want to go, to create my own story.

What about work, then? What about everyday life going forward?