By / Lady Karen
I'm the type of person who executes decisions quickly once I've made them. I don't fear mistakes or regret my choices, because I believe every decision has its necessity. But before making quick decisions, what's essential is to "absorb vast amounts of information." I see this process like casting a fishing net into the ocean—casting and spreading it repeatedly at different depths and different waters. When you pull the net back up, you discover what "unknowns" lie beneath the surface that you've never seen before. And remember: what you've never encountered may simply be someone else's daily reality.
This reflection actually stems from my hazy early life before age 23. "Hazy" might be too dramatic, but I was the kind of obedient child who never actively sought to experience more things, believing that what I learned in the classroom was already sufficient. For example, in third grade history class, when the teacher asked "What kind of personality did Cao Cao have?", the entire class gave surprisingly consistent answers—something like strict and intelligent. Me? I looked around confused and asked my classmates "How do you all know this?" They casually replied that they'd read extracurricular books as children.
At the time, I didn't really understand where the difference lay, but I remember going home and asking my mom "Why didn't I read extracurricular books as a child?" "What are extracurricular books?" I didn't even know what they were (thinking back now, it's quite endearing). But this didn't change anything for me—I didn't have the time or ability to "cast nets." As time went on and I grew up, the distance between my classmates and me kept widening.
For instance, in middle school, I asked a classmate in geography class "Where is Western Asia? Is it Africa?" The classmate looked confused and paused for a few seconds... then hesitantly said "Isn't it just the western part of Asia?" I still wasn't sure. If I had to translate this to my current situation, it would be something like asking "What's a social media platform? Is it Wretch?"
It wasn't until after entering the workforce that I deeply learned from these past experiences how my knowledge gaps might lead to misinformation. Because of this, before making important decisions, I collect information extensively and from multiple sources. Fortunately, my work as a journalist gave me the opportunity to visit companies and interview people from various fields, learning about regulations, policies, and implementation levels.
After turning 30, life presented new major choices: marriage, buying a house, buying a car—these gradually became life options. Friends began learning about properties, and conversations shifted to discussing locations, square footage, and price-to-value ratios. Some think browsing websites provides sufficient information, but by actually visiting properties—pre-sale, used, new construction, condominiums, communities, apartments, and various other types—considering surrounding locations, safety, transportation, and lifestyle amenities, and having professionals guide you, you break free from the narrow understanding that comes from only looking at website data.
I think this applies to everything. Approach the world without any preconceived notions, actively collect vast amounts of information, and extract the most useful knowledge. Through this process of "picking and choosing," you increasingly understand yourself. This is why you can face any decision with the ability to "execute quickly, not fear mistakes, and not worry about regret"—it's all because you've already prepared and are willing to take responsibility.
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