[One Thousand Characters a Day] Chairman Yoon Dong-han's 'Steady Progress, Long Journey Together' <2>

Editor's NoteYoon Dong-han, Chairman of Korea Kolmar, was unable to go on a middle school field trip like everyone else due to extreme poverty and also experienced the hardships of graduating from a regional university. However, he did not blame his circumstances but rather transformed them into energy for life. He realized that while poverty is not a choice, one can choose their attitude toward their situation, and by voluntarily accepting their circumstances, it becomes as powerful a fuel for life as a dream. He says, "The difficult environment and the numerous barriers encountered because of it became a source of energy to dream new dreams." In today's world, where the doors to employment and entrepreneurship are narrower than ever, he encourages and inspires young people and junior entrepreneurs. Word count: 1018 characters.

Ipji (立志) means setting a purpose. This purpose is essentially a dream.

I often talk about setting dreams. While many agree that dreams are important, when I repeatedly emphasize dreams, some people feel as if they are solving the same workbook every day and complain of "dream fatigue." Why do so many people feel tired when talking about dreams, and even say that dreams are a luxury?

The reason is that none of us, including myself, have ever been taught how to have a dream. This is also because we do not fully understand the essence of dreams. One common misunderstanding is that once you have a dream, you must realize it immediately.

The idea that "dreams are a luxury" or "you need good parents to have dreams" is based on the assumption of immediacy?that dreams must be realized as soon as they are formed. It would be great if dreams could immediately manifest as results in reality, but in fact, this is rarely the case.

In other words, dreams do not generate money right away. So what should you do? It’s simple. First solve the problem of making a living, and then realize your dream in that order.

You may have heard of Malcolm Gladwell’s "10,000-Hour Rule." Malcolm Gladwell, a world-renowned management thinker and author of Outliers, calls those who achieve success beyond the category of ordinary people and seize opportunities as "outliers." He emphasizes that becoming an expert in a field requires investing at least about 10 years.

If you think further about this, even if it’s not about making a living, the lesson is that dreams should be held last, not first. It means you should work for 10,000 hours and then achieve your dream, right? So it’s never too late to have a dream after solving the problem of making a living.

(Omitted)

The important thing here is that the "work chosen to make a living" should actually help the "dream you will have later." That way, your "work for livelihood" and your "dream" won’t be separate things.

- Yoon Dong-han, Ubo Cheonri Donghaeng Malli, Guardian, 18,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.