One Swing Philosophy — What Golf Taught Me About Life

I think life is better when we live with people rather than completely alone. During COVID, many of my relationships naturally became distant. In some ways, that was a good experience for me. I learned that I could enjoy being alone. I learned that I could spend quiet days by myself and still be perfectly fine. But after a while, I realized something very simple. I actually like people. Maybe I have always been that way. I enjoy living alone, and I love my quiet time. But warm conversations, laughter, sharing a meal, playing golf together, or simply having a small connection with someone are still precious parts of my life. I just had to learn a different way of being with people. For a long time, I think I was a little bit of a dictator. ㅎㅎ Especially with my family. Because I was older and had experienced many things, I sometimes thought I knew more. So I would say, “Let's do this together.” “Let's go there.” “This will be fun!” And then I would organize all kinds of family e...

Some people think my study abroad journey was supported by my parents. It wasn't. After graduating from university, I worked for many years and saved my own money.  In my late twenties, I once asked my father if he could send me abroad to study. He said something I still remember. "I have six children. If I send you, your younger siblings may want the same opportunity, and I can't do that for everyone. But if you want to go to graduate school in Korea, I will support you." At the time, I simply said, "I understand." I went on with my life, worked hard, and even completed my Korean MBA supported by company while working full-time. But some dreams don't disappear. The dream of studying in the United States stayed quietly in my heart for many years. Eventually, I decided to go. I paid for my study abroad with the money I had earned myself—almost 120 million KRW in total. Because I was older than many international students, I made a promise to myself before...

For a long time, I thought I knew myself quite well. I knew my strengths. I knew that I was good at negotiating and mediating between people. Even when I was working, I often thought, “If you need someone to find a middle ground, I can probably do that well.” But as I get older, I have realized that knowing my abilities is not the same as truly understanding myself. Sometimes, life has to happen first. Only then do we understand why we behave the way we do, what truly matters to us, and what kind of person we have been trying to become all along. Recently, I discovered something about myself that I had never clearly understood before. When I was young, there was one thing I wished for. “Please let me become someone who can help other people.” Looking back, that simple wish explains a lot about me. I have never had a strong desire for expensive things or luxury. Of course, I would be grateful if someone gave me something nice. But my first feeling would often be, “I hope I don't bec...