[Voices of the MZ Generation Column] The Invitation to a New Life: The Power of Just Trying

You Can't Change If You're Bound by Others' Eyes
"Just Trying" Is One of Life's Greatest Virtues

By now, I have published about 20 books. As a result, I often hear the concerns of people who want to publish their first book during book talks or writing lectures. Many worry that their writing skills are still lacking and wonder if it’s okay to publish a book. Some ask if they should hone their skills further to produce a book that they wouldn’t be ashamed to show anyone. Others consider whether it’s better to start with a major publishing house rather than just any publisher.

While all these concerns are valid, personally, I believe there is no virtue more important in life than ‘just trying.’ If you try to prepare perfectly before starting, worry about saving face, or excessively fear failure or mistakes, I believe it becomes impossible to step ‘outside of the current situation.’ Naturally, anything at first can be embarrassing. However, if you look closely, that feeling of ‘embarrassment’ is often a false emotion.

In the book WEIRD by Harvard evolutionary biology professor Joseph Henrich, a study comparing Western societies and Korean society is introduced. The study found that Koreans tend to have an excessively high sense of ‘shame’ compared to Westerners. Shame is the feeling of worrying about how others perceive you and being overly sensitive to others’ opinions. In other words, Koreans tend to care much more about how others see them than how they see themselves.

However, this ‘others’ gaze’ is likely exaggerated within our own minds. For example, when I think about the first book I published, I feel quite embarrassed in many ways, but hardly anyone else remembers that book in detail. People are too busy to remember others’ embarrassing moments. Everyone is overly absorbed in themselves, and there is so much to see and care about in the world every day. With new movies opening today, soccer matches tomorrow, and daily updates on YouTubers or influencers getting targeted or divorcing, do people really have brain cells left to remember ‘my first book’?

When you first go to a gym, it feels like everyone is staring at you and mocking you, but in reality, most people don’t care much. If someone is looking at you intently, they’re probably just wondering when they can use that equipment. Thinking about it, I have been to the gym many times, but I don’t remember anyone there. We meet thousands of people on the street every day, but it’s hard to recall anyone we’ve seen in the past year. Living in Korean society, we are overly conscious of others, but those ‘others’ are more likely just the ‘others’ inside our own heads.

The biggest obstacle is the one inside me. Once you overcome it and ‘just try,’ life surprisingly starts to get easier. Just try, give it a shot, and if it doesn’t work out, so be it?you can always turn back. Of course, it’s best not to open doors that lead to cliffs (such as gambling, drugs, or excessive partying), but there are many doors in life that aren’t like that. After trying, you realize it’s no big deal. Sometimes, something you just tried fits your life perfectly and changes it. Among the doors you open, there will be some that invite you to the life that suits you best. I hope many people will open a few such doors this year.

Jung Ji-woo (Lawyer and Cultural Critic)

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