Being Yourself

Recently athlete Su broke the Asia 100 meter record. But he is also a professor.

He wrote a paper pointing out many athletes retired too early despite advancement in modern medical technologies. For example, he broke Asia’s 100 meter dash record at the age of 32…

In my old article, I don’t think cram-school is a bad thing. I think everyone should be a lifelong learner. I just don’t think you should only cram at a certain age-range, or only cram a particular field. Most importantly, I don’t think diplomas are as important as lots of parents think.

Now it is time to use myself as an example.

I spent 15+ years at school and graduated with a diploma from a prestigious university but I quit my job 8 years after graduation. Now I am working on trading, which didn’t have much to do with what I learnt in the past.

My wife explained that I wasted so much societal resources, I should have just dropped out since middle school.

What she said was not wrong, this reflected that life was full of uncertainties. You could be spending years taking tests but what you learned was not relevant with what you do.

I understand parents hope their children can get a high-paying, non-labor intensive job. Little do they care if their children like it or not, or if their children are a good fit or not.

But there are also two problems: Does a high-paying job also imply a high quality of life?

There is a meme where rich people are working long hours to make money, while their nannies are living comfortably in their mansions…

Is this kind of lifestyle suitable for everyone? 

Not everyone is suitable to be a scholar. I have seen someone who spent 4 extra years in her masters. She tried extremely hard but the professor still thought her dissertation was trash.

If someone is so persistent on something that they is horrible at, it has to be from external influence.

I don’t mean the diploma is insignificant because it is insignificant to me. My point is, people can always be more flexible with their paths.

Lots of people want to go with the flow, especially when they haven’t made any progress on things they wanted to do.

It is very difficult to be yourself. You won’t know what you can do or can not do, what you like to do, not like to do, unless you give it your 100% and beyond.

Maybe you can become the next Su.

When Su signed up for the competition, I think he wasn’t sure if he could make it either: Everyone just thinks Asians are less advantageous in running.

How would you know if you don’t try?