In my early 20s, there was a brief period when I aspired to be a film director. During that time, I watched three movies a day as a mandatory routine. I must have seen almost all the films released during that time, sneaking out of the house pretending to go to school and frequenting the nearly empty theaters on weekdays. Back then, I couldn’t fathom why someone would doze off in a theater. I used to think, “Why spend money and fall asleep in a movie theater when you can sleep at home?”
However, once I started my professional career, even slightly dull movies inevitably made me start dozing off. While as a student, I could focus solely on the movie with a clear mind, the weight of life began pressing down on me, making it harder to stay awake. In my 30s, the situation worsened, and I found myself dozing off more often while watching movies than staying awake. Eventually, except for movies that offer an overwhelming scale or an imaginative experience vastly different from everyday life, I no longer feel inclined to invest two or three hours watching films.
Upon reflection, I realize that I find reality more dynamic and exciting than movies. While movies are someone else’s stories, reality is my own. Dealing with the debts accrued from my previous business, the diligent efforts in my current job that enabled me to pay off the debts much earlier than anticipated, starting as a personal business in Korea remotely during the COVID border closures, and eventually establishing an office in China — these are all my stories. Being a direct experience rather than an indirect one, it inevitably feels more exhilarating.
Moving forward, I hope to have more stories not only of my personal experiences but also of our collective journey at ECOM-US. I aspire to say, “We have steered ECOM-US through various phases of growth,” “We have fostered a unique culture at ECOM-US,” and “Together, we have overcome challenging times.” To achieve this, I plan to convert all the contracts I have been handling as a sole proprietor during my visit to Korea into corporate ones. While there are instances where reality is scarier than a horror movie, I find living in reality much more thrilling.
<Photo: Pixabay>