These writings may be a portrayal of what I want to tell myself—a blueprint for a “successful life” or perhaps a life that does not fail. By reflecting on myself, the world, and how I interact with it, I understand that repeating this process is what life is all about.
Although a bit late, I am making efforts to train and implement the things I have been lacking, all in preparation for a life that does not fail. I started deliberately memorizing trivial things approaching me. These are things I had been neglecting. Now, I pay more attention to movie directors, producers, and even supporting actors, which I would have previously overlooked. I show interest in the names of trees, grass, and flowers I encounter in nature and the routes of passing buses. I also make an effort not to just let movie or drama lines slip by. While I know I may not remember most of it, I believe they will collectively generate new knowledge and ideas.
Even if I don’t go out of my way to seek them, I try to make everything I encounter into meaningful words or stories to remember. I assign stories to words in Chinese characters, and among those, I store the information or knowledge I find necessary for later in an organized and compressed manner. Having a relatively well-organized “memory palace” is a significant help. While I will take notes on-site and think in a 2×2 matrix, in my spare time, I will leisurely ponder specific topics.
I understand that everything in the world is becoming more complex in a networked form, but I will simplify this complexity into a pyramid shape. Of course, I must remember that the simplicity gained in this way is far from perfect and not entirely true. While I will strive to capture the most important features from the complex reality, I will also infer the causes that create those features. I will look at things from different perspectives and listen to others’ opinions to find connections between seemingly unrelated things. In meetings or conversations, rather than asserting what I think is the answer, I will always present a new perspective after seeking consent from others, believing that novelty will make the conversation interesting and allow for the sharing of creative ideas. When faced with decision-making or choices, I will carefully consider the cost and what to give up.
I will remember that there is no need to rush ahead. While I know everyone is valuable, if I judge that I don’t fit well with someone, I will give up meeting them early, even if they might be helpful. While it is enjoyable to be with people, I will always keep in mind that some people may carry genes of stupidity. Instead, I will invest my time and effort in those who need help.
Although it is highly subjective, comparing marginal benefits and costs has led me to these conclusions. I want to contribute, even in small ways, to a better future and society, hoping that our children can live in such a world. I will emphasize rational and analytical thinking to assist in the decision-making of family and friends and give advice, but I will praise and share positive energy even if the decision made is not the correct one. However, I must not forget that humility comes first. Rather than words, I should perhaps show through actions, even if it is as small as washing a single cup left in the sink. The joy of labor is there, but I also hope that my family will feel a small sense of gratitude and learn to be considerate of others.
If creating a better daily life is wisdom, then there seems to be nothing special about such wisdom. They are not the kind of things that make you exclaim, “That’s it!” but rather things that make you nod and agree, “That makes sense.”
The conclusion of this book is, after all, about that extent. Nevertheless, it is true that I had to chew over the writings and words of many people, which were of great help. Without their writings and words, I wouldn’t have been able to express my thoughts so meaningfully at length. Many writings posted on the internet were also very helpful. Although the references from the internet are mostly anonymous or very short, so I couldn’t list them all as references, I owe them a debt of gratitude.
Referenced Books
Author: James Allen
Title: As a Man Thinketh
Published: 1902
Author: Robert Collier
Title: The Secret of the Ages
Published: 1926
Author: Napoleon Hill
Title: Think and Grow Rich
Published: 1937
Author: Claude M. Bristol
Title: The Magic of Believing
Published: 1948
Author: Abraham Maslow
Title: Toward a Psychology of Being
Published: 1962
Author: Zig Ziglar
Title: See You at the Top
Published: 1975
Author: Richard Dawkins
Title: The Selfish Gene
Published: 1976
Author: Edward Wilson
Title: On Human Nature
Published: 1978
Author: Jonathan D. Spence
Title: The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci
Published: 1983
Author: David M. Buss
Title: The Evolution of Desire: Strategies Of Human Mating
Published: 1994
Author: Daniel Goleman
Title: Emotional Intelligence
Published: 1995
Author: Shigeo Haruyama
Title: The Revolution in the Brain
Published: 1996
Author: Matt Ridley
Title: The Origins of Virtue
Published: 1996
Author: Osho Rajneesh
Title: Zarathustra: A God That Can Dance
Published: 1997
Author: Micheal Gelb
Title: How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci
Published: 1998
Authors: Ethan Rasiel, Paul Friga
Title: The McKinsey Way
Published: 1999
Authors: Robert and Michele Root-Bernstein
Title: Spark of Genius
Published: 1999
Authors: Steve Rivkin, Jack Trout
Title: The Power of Simplicity
Published: 2000
Author: Rita Emmett
Title: The Procrastinator’s Handbook: Mastering the Art of Doing It Now
Published: 2000
Authors: Teruya Hanako, Okada Keiko
Title: Logical Communication Skill Training
Published: 2002
Authors: Ethan Rasiel, Paul Friga
Title: The McKinsey Mind
Published: 2002
Author: Timothy Wilson
Title: Strangers to Ourselves: Discovering the Adaptive Unconscious
Published: 2002
Author: Jack D. Hodge
Title: The Power of Habit
Published: 2003
Authors: Alex Lowy, Phil Hood
Title: 2×2 Matrix
Published: 2004
Author: Jeong Gyu
Title: The Emergence of Altruistic Humans
Published: 2004
Author: Kawase Makoto
Title: The Complete Book of Strategic Thinking
Published: 2005
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Title: Blink
Published: 2005
Author: Joel Osteen
Title: Your Best Life Now
Published: 2005
Author: Gregory Berns
Title: Satisfaction
Published: 2005
Author: Steven K. Scott
Title: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived
Published: 2006
Author: John Maeda
Title: The Laws of Simplicity
Published: 2006
Author: Takumi Eiichi
Title: Pleasantly Knowledgeable Psychology
Published: 2006
Author: Daniel Tammet
Title: Born on a Blue Day
Published: 2007
Author: Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
Title: Top 10 Ways to Make Better Decisions
Published: 2007
Author: Dong-sik Ha
Title: Think Big
Published: 2007
Author: Roger Martin
Title: The Opposable Mind
Published: 2007
Author: Nong-moon Hwang
Title: Immersion
Published: 2007
Author: Adam Smith
Title: The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Published: 1759
Author: Charles Darwin
Title: The Origin of Species
Published: 1859
Author: Reinhold Niebuhr
Title: Moral Man and Immoral Society
Published: 1932
Author: C. S. Lewis
Title: Mere Christianity
Published: 1952
Author: Joseph Needham
Title: Science and Civilisation in China
Published: 1954
Author: Norwood Russell Hanson
Title: Patterns of Discovery
Published: 1958
Author: Richard P. Feynman
Title: The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Published: 1963
Author: Edward Wilson
Title: Sociobiology: The New Synthesis
Published: 1975
Author: Evelyn Fox Keller
Title: A Feeling for the Organism
Published: 1983
Author: Ilya Pregogine
Title: Order Out of Chaos
Published: 1984
Author: Stephen Hawking
Title: A Brief History of Time
Published: 1987
Author: Steven Weinberg
Title: Dreams of a Final Theory
Published: 1993
Author: Bruce Mazlish
Title: The Fourth Discontinuity
Published: 1995
Author: Richard Koch
Title: The 80/20 Principle
Published: 1998
Author: Andre Gunder Frank
Title: ReOrient
Published: 1998
Author: Martin Rees
Title: Just Six Numbers
Published: 1999
Author: Edward Wilson
Title: Consilience
Published: 1999
Author: Mark Buchanan
Title: Ubiquity
Published: 2000
Author: Bill Bryson
Title: A Short History of Nearly Everything
Published: 2003
Author: Jae-sung Jeong
Title: The Science Concert
Published: 2003
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Title: The Tipping Point
Published: 2004
Author: I. Bernard Cohen
Title: The Triumph of Numbers
Published: 2005
Author: Adam Smith
Title: Wealth of Nations
Published: 1776
Author: Dale Carnegie
Title: How To Win Friends and Influence People
Published: 1937
Author: Les Giblin
Title: How to Have Power and Confidence In Dealing With People
Published: 1956
Author: Stephen R. Covey
Title: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Published: 1989
Author: Todd G. Buchholz
Title: New Ideas from Dead Economists
Published: 1989
Author: George Leonard
Title: Mastery
Published: 1992
Author: Shlomo Maital
Title: Executive Economics
Published: 1994
Author: Hyrum Smith
Title: 10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management
Published: 1994
Author: Michael E. Porter
Title: On Competition
Published: 1996
Author: Karl Popper
Title: All Life is Problem Solving
Published: 1999
Author: Rolf Jensen
Title: Dream Society
Published: 1999
Author: Ernie Zelinski
Title: Don’t Hurry, Be Happy
Published: 1999
Authors: John S. Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, Howard Raiffa
Title: Smart Choice
Published: 1999
Author: Annette Simmons
Title: The Story Factor
Published: 2001
Author: Ken Blanchard
Title: Whale Done!
Published: 2002
Author: A.L. Barabasi
Title: Linked
Published: 2002
Authors: Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan
Title: Execution
Published: 2004
Author: Stephen R. Covey
Title: The 8th Habit
Published: 2004
Author: Hyo-joon Kim
Title: TRIZ: The Creative Thinking
Published: 2004
Author: Tom Peters
Title: Re-image
Published: 2004
Authors: W. Chan Kim, Renee Mauborgne
Title: Blue Ocean Strategy
Published: 2005
Authors: David R. Henderson, Charles L. Hooper
Title: Making Great Decisions in Business and Life
Published: 2005
Author: Stephanie Winston
Title: Organized for Success
Published: 2005
Author: Hiroshi Kanno
Title: The McKinsey Mind
Published: 2006
Author: Sang-bok Han
Title: Consideration
Published: 2006
Author: Eric D. Beinhocker
Title: The Origin of Wealth
Published: 2006
Authors: Kate Douglas, Dan Jones
Title: Top 10 Ways to Make Better Decisions
Published: 2007
Author: Myun Hei Lee
Title: Premium Management Studies for CEOs 3.0
Published: 2007
답글 남기기