Why I Don't Really Like the Terms "God-Life" and "All-Rounder Talent"

haebomKkocchikkochiStories that penetrate your life. Together with Kkocchikkochi, we weave scattered concerns into a single journey. What is Kkocchikkochi? The speed and direction of growth are different for everyone. But everyone has the potential to move on to the next stage. Kkocchikkochi is a 1:1 coaching service that helps juniors becoming seniors, practitioners transitioning into leaders, or anyone pondering the direction of their next career accurately understand their current position and make their own choices. Rather than theoretical or abstract advice, we work together to clarify what the core of your current problem is, what you need to let go of and what you need to choose, and what can realistically be changed over the next 3 to 6 months. In particular, for those building careers in IT, marketing, and product fields, I can offer more practical help based on hands-on experience gained from running into obstacles in the real field. Originally, these were informal mentoring sessions held at the request of acquaintances around me, but I repeatedly heard people say, "This needs to go beyond personal help and be turned into an actual service." The process of threading each person's concerns one by one to eventually create their own direction felt just like making a skewer (kkochi), which is how I came up with this name. That is why it's Kkocchikkochi. So far, over 100 people have received coaching through this program, and through brief reviews from meeting 100+ people via coaching, I myself have experienced a wide range of emotions. Who are you? Hello, I'm Kwangsup Ahn. I started my career in digital marketing and have worked as a development PM and product manager for about 10 years. Reckitt Benckiser, Nexon Koreahaebom.dev ↗

Recently, the number of people who have gone through Kkocchikkochi has surpassed 50. With applicants ranging from juniors to seniors, people from other industries, and retirees, it feels weighty at times, but I also get to see fresh perspectives I never could have before, so I'm really enjoying it. Usually, it includes meals and drinks, so if you consider this a business, it feels like millions of won have gone into it so far, but I think it has been well worth it.

Some people felt very burdened or sorry about being treated to food, but there's no need to feel burdened at all. As I always say during coaching, the goal is for them to do well later and buy me something more expensive. It's half a joke, and half setting a goal for a second coaching session, which is the key point. May these things yield a bountiful harvest one day!

I digressed for a moment, but the topic of this post is "Why I Don't Really Like the Terms "God-Life" and "All-Rounder Talent"." Ever since a bit past 2020, the term "il-jal-leo" (someone exceptionally good at their job) has really rubbed me the wrong way. What even is an "il-jal-leo," and what does it mean to "do well"? I don't mean to engage in Zen riddles, but the problem lies in the fact that the word itself is inherently abstract, flexible, and open-ended at the top. Naturally, this inevitably sets you up for burnout.

The video mentioned in that Twitter post covers a segment hosted by Professor Kim Nu-ri (on the right) on JTBC's Differing Class, and I was deeply impressed by his phrasing of "God-life" as "self-exploitation." Personally, I really resonated with that part. A few years ago, I was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder and actually took relevant medications for quite a long time. Burnout was an added bonus. For this to work properly, there needs to be a clear incentive, but that is also never easy. (Personal capability + market conditions + performance)

Honestly, there are three main reasons why expressions like "God-life," "il-jal-leo," and "all-rounder (hexagonal talent)" seem so insidious.

1. Does a real God-life / all-rounder / il-jal-leo actually exist?
   1. Even if you spend time like Hermione, making mistakes is inevitable.
   2. Doing literally everything is something only an SSS-rank regressor could pull off—could someone like that really be at our company?
   3. Just like the adage, "Just as there is a jerk to me, I am someone else's jerk," this doesn't always hold true all the time.
2. Are their methods and ways valid for me as well?
   1. Does working through a workbook titled <Top University Student's Incorrect Answer Notes> unconditionally get me into a top university?
   2. Just because I know how to make 100 million won a month using [Method X], does that mean I'll make that much too?
   3. Can that method really be applied to me? That's something you need to think about at least once.
3. Is that method the right fit for me, and did it actually pan out?
   1. People blame a lack of effort, low understanding, etc., but when it comes to being an il-jal-leo, an all-rounder, or living a God-life, people who have actually reached that realm in the first place are rare (it's not that they don't exist).
   2. It's like everyone taking up figure skating because of Yuna Kim, or comparing their soccer skills to Son Heung-min. But is this really a good approach? They, too, have to find the training methods that suit them and identify what holds meaning for themselves.

A business model where success is credited to the lecture or the program, but failure becomes your own fault, is commonly seen in the education and wellness industries. We don't complain to the TOEIC instructor just because we scored 800 after taking a 900-aimed course, right? Because we know we didn't study enough ourselves. Going further, even if your body doesn't turn out the way you wanted after months of expensive personal training, you can't complain. Why? Because you didn't stick to the strict diet and grueling workouts the PT coach prescribed.

What I've felt while running the coaching program is that everyone wanting to excel at everything, like an all-rounder or an il-jal-leo, seems to be the very form of obsession and stress they suffer from the most. This is a cycle I often show during coaching, and it goes something like this. Because depression, obsession, and anxiety feed on one another... it is extremely difficult for this to ever lead to a good outcome.

Living diligently is by no means a bad thing. But if you sprint every single time, something is bound to break. If you get a clear reward or gain something even when things break down, that would be fine, but the problem is that often isn't even the case. Furthermore, the fact that many people engage in fake effort and assume they have genuinely tried adds even more fuel to this issue. The most important thing is that we must stay vigilant against these notions. Hon-estly, among those who claim a God-life, all-rounder talent, or il-jal-leo, only an absolute minority are the real deal, and many are simply self-proclaimed. Personally, I believe that doing what you actually want to do, meeting the people you care about, and thinking positively across various perspectives is the best way for us to find joy.

Anyway, cheer up, everyone. I wrote an editorial like this in the past, and this post is an extension of that.

haebom[Editorial] What We Need Is Social Support, Not 'Self-Improvement'Over the past few years, the publishing industry has been swept up in a self-improvement craze. Pushing oneself hard, exercising diligently, following a healthy diet, working out, making friends, and becoming happy. However, no matter how many books are published and read, Koreans are still neither happy nor healthy, nor do they put anything they read in those books into practice. I, too, once read a great deal of self-help books, but I recently realized what a waste of time it was trying to improve my life by merely circling around the edges without ever touching the heart of the problem. In truth, most problems Koreans face are difficult to resolve on an individual level. In an environment where long working hours and overtime are widespread, it is not easy to find the leeway to invest in hobbies or self-development. It is a fact that structural issues such as high real estate costs, education expenses, and precarious employment conditions can hardly be resolved through individual effort alone. Nordic countries are said to be happy...? A happy and healthy life isn't achieved solely through individual effort; it is determined by the social system to which one belongs. In this context, Denmark's case offers significant implications. Denmark is ranked among the happiest nations in the world, and the secret lies in broad social support for its citizens. The Danish government implements diverse welfare policies guaranteeing the basic life of its people, including healthcare, education, childcare, parental leave, and unemployment benefits. They also put considerable effort into building public infrastructure to promote citizens' happiness. By maintaining short working hours of 34 hours a week, they emphasize work-life balance, and excessive work is actually viewed negatively. An interesting fact is that 57% of Danish citizens answered that they would not quit their current job even if they won the lottery. For them, pursuing self-actualization and happiness means work is just a part of life, not the whole thing. Furthermore, citizens' voluntary activities and sense of community are very well-developed. Of course, all of this comes at the cost of high taxes. That is always the case with Nordic countries. But to improve the quality of life, it seems more than worth paying those taxes. In South Korean society, which has long emphasized diligence and self-made success, it would be difficult to adopt the Danish-style system immediately. However, isn't it time we face up to the problems brought on by excessive individualism and shift our perception toward caring for one another as a community living together?haebom.dev ↗

There was a great column recently by Professor Moon Sung-hoon that I'd like to share.

From 'Self-Development' to 'Self-Care'... Why the Bestsellers Have ChangedFrom 'Self-Development' to 'Self-Care'... Why the Bestsellers Have ChangedMoon Sung-hoon | Professor at Seoul Women's University (Contemporary Philosophy) Looking at the recent bestseller lists, a certain shift in trend can be detected. Books with life as their central theme—such as Reading Schopenhauer at Forty, which took the top spot in online sales throughout the winter of 2023 and still maintains a high ranking—are becoming bestsellers.www.hani.co.kr ↗