Most people would prefer something new to something old. In fact, people generally want a new room, home, school, and so on. They also desire change in themselves. In modern society, this kind of desire is considered ‘self-development’, and today you can easily attain plenty of material in the form of self-help books, movies, and lectures. They all say the same thing: “You should fight against your desires and change yourself.”
Self-development is not the problem. It motivates people and positively influences their decisions, making the advantages bigger and the bad habits smaller. The problem with ‘self-development’ is that no one discusses how hard it is to change oneself due to the uniqueness of each individual. Everyone has a unique and different personality, likes, experiences, challenges, and struggles. Also, it is extremely difficult to change oneself on will power alone. Speaking frankly, will power cannot be trusted like our failed new year’s resolution attempts prove it. Most self-help ideas only focus on the results and the sweetness of a challenge. They forget to mention the frustration and failures one will go through getting to the desired change. Therefore, people who compare themselves to others, especially famous well-known personalities, often get discouraged and come to view themselves as being weak.
Everyone struggles to develop themselves. We all know the hardship of trying to make the impossible possible. Changing yourself is the biggest challenge one will face in life. Though you may fail, hold your head high and be proud of yourself. Stepping up to the challenge and not giving up are the most important parts on the journey. Also, you will need to ignore discouraging comments and remember that in the end everyone gets the same homework done, just from different means or at different times. You need to keep on the path patiently even if some people don’t understand what it is you are pursing or doing. Change starts and ends from within.
Chang Chun Heejin / Editor-in-Chief
smt_jha@sm.ac.kr
