We can get a lot of advice about life from seniors and from to-do lists offered by books like 50 Things You Have to Do as Teenagers and 49 Things You Have to Do in Your Life. These kinds of advice and books can help or stimulate us in the course of our lives. As a consequence, a lot of people who are planning to begin anew in their lives or who need to be refreshed in some way pay attention to these kinds of advice. 50 Things You Have to Do in Your Twenties is one of such books. The list was made by Nakataki Akihiro, who said that he wanted to help the wandering “twenties” people find their way through his book. ST interviewed some Soongsilians regarding their thoughts on Akihiro’s list, and their related experiences.
1. Reflect on your own rudeness every day.
Jung: I think that “rudeness” pertains to words, uttered and/or actions carried out by a person, which hurt other people, or something that makes a person regret what he/she has said or done. I therefore think that this advice is the same as “Think about your faults every day.” I think that words and actions are the two most important things in life. We should compose our thoughts before saying them aloud. Rudeness can be also manifested in people’s behavior, and people judge one another based on their behavior. This is one of the reasons that we should think before we act. If we keep in mind that “making a move before thinking is not good,” we won’t end up making many mistakes. There is a related advice in the list: Set aside time for yourself. I think that people who set a reflection time for themselves in an effort to improve themselves have better chances of succeeding.
2. Be confident in starting conversations with foreigners.
Son: A few years ago, I traveled to Europe with my sister. She’s good at English, and I’m not. I initially talked to foreigners in Korean. Of course, they could not understand me. Through that experience, I realized that learning a foreign language is difficult for everyone in the world, so I pledged that I would strive to exude confidence when I’m with foreigners. On the other hand, my sister is very shy in front of foreigners, so she always avoids communicating with them and lets me do the talking. As such, during the trip, I spoke English more than my sister did, even though her English is actually better than mine. That experience gave me confidence in communicating not only in English but also in other languages. After the trip, I became bolder in pursuing my interests. The experience became a turning point in my life.
3. Enjoy moments with heightened tension.
Ha: I think that we can learn a lot of things by enjoying tension, because tension comes from situations that we try to overcome or that involve something that we’re afraid of. For example, I feel a lot of tension when I try to achieve remarkable results from difficult tasks, such as delivering a major presentation in front of many people. At first, I found it very hard to do that, but after deciding to enjoy the moment, I was able to conquer my fear. Through that presentation, I became proud of myself due to my ability to face many people and to handle things well when they come. If you cannot enjoy tension, you will regret not having enjoyed it, and you may not get another opportunity to conquer your fears. I therefore recommend to all Soongsilians that they try to conquer their fears.
4. Find the life model that you want.
Cha: I think that setting a goal in your life is important. If you have a sense of purpose of things that you do, your behavior will be endowed with definite power coming from such a goal to achieve during your lifetime. If you don’t, it’s not. The twenties can experience a lot of things in many different fields. Through those experiences, you can realize and learn many things. Therefore, the twenties is the best time for setting a goal. One step to set a goal is to have a role model. People who have role model in their life make and archive more realistic goals. For example, my role model is Sean and Jung Hye-young couple. They are much loved for their warm hearts. Also they have peace in their mind. I want to help many people without being disturbed by other reasons like them. As a result, if you are in trouble making your life’s goal, how about finding your role model first?
Many young people in their twenties are college students or job seekers. Also, they are in the midst of a very difficult time because they have to think about their life after graduation. At this time, advice from seniors is important in deciding which paths to choose. Seniors have valuable experiences, which many juniors like us do not have, and their experiences can greatly affect our lives. What is noteworthy in these interviews is that each interviewee has a different opinion about what the most important thing in life is. This means that well-known to-do lists or advice from mentors can be “good-to-do” things in life but cannot be “have to-do” things. As there are no two persons who are exactly the same, neither can there be two lives that are exactly the same.
The last item in the to-do list featured in the book is “Come up with your own to-do list.” If you don’t know what to do in the future or are feeling some tightness in your chest, how about coming up with your own list? This may be a good chance for you to come up with concrete life goals and to rethink your life. If you encounter any problem while making your own to-do list, refer to other people’s to-do lists. This will really be good for you and your life.
