By Karen Yang (少女凱倫)
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When I first entered the workforce, I thought that was it for my life. I figured I wouldn't progress much or change significantly—just do the same type of work until retirement, hustle to make a living, pay off loans, with no other options, and muddle through a long life to end my unremarkable existence.
I originally thought I was a workaholic, but once I entered the workplace, that wasn't the case at all. Instead, I couldn't muster enthusiasm for anything and even felt disappointed with the world. At first, I was bitter enough to fantasize about burning down the company, escaping the system, avoiding management—I thought about how to gain recognition, how to do what I wanted, how to develop the ability to manage others. But in the end, these were just daydreams.
Later, I discovered that all those fleeting thoughts and lingering anxieties ultimately stemmed from one core issue: other people. All my troubles originated from "how I'm perceived in others' eyes," "how I should adapt to and comply with rules set by others," "how I should complete what others assign me"—yet none of this was what I actually wanted.
At that time, although I didn't want to compromise, I also lacked the ability to create what I desired. I had no power over circumstances, no ability to read situations, no wisdom to understand the current state and trends, and no inner composure. This caused me to stumble for several years before I finally realized: life isn't something planned for you—it's something you walk out yourself.
Even if you're given a title that sounds impressive, it's still given by others. What matters most is how you view yourself, balance your own set of rules in your environment, develop them solidly and steadfastly, and don't let others lead you by the nose—and especially don't just be a good little rule-follower.
Once, after I gave a lecture on personal branding, an audience member asked me: "Is your family background privileged, which is why you can do what you want?" After two full hours of content about self-exploration, resource integration, brand building, and visibility, the person seemed indifferent to it all, only curious about the speaker's family finances rather than interested in the lecture content or how to break free from the company's safety net to do what they love.
This genuinely surprised me. I couldn't bear to see such passive thinking continue to spread, so I decided to use my own real examples to tell everyone that "doing what you love should never require giving up other options or compromising your life because of money or family background." This is why I published this book.
This book covers my professional life—how I, as an "employee" considered unstable and lacking stress resilience by worldly standards, used my off-hours to continuously improve through reading, cultivate myself, and maintain long-term article writing to document my perspectives while managing personal social media, creating a "multi-faceted slash career." From the gig economy to personal brand building, I turned interests into systems, created more possibilities for myself, and through writing, increased my value from mere 200-500 yuan per article to over twenty times that in just two years.
I'm currently a journalist with a mainstream online media program unit, producing, planning, and hosting shows. My abilities have been recognized—I help optimize organizational traffic, plan content strategies, and report exclusive news that influences national policy. Beyond this, I've worked as a social media editor for online media and as a frontline television reporter. I changed six jobs in over four years.
In a society that easily only looks at primary employment history, many people thought I lacked stability, direction, and resilience. But through creating a fan page and managing my personal WordPress blog, sharing life and workplace observations, within just half a year I began receiving campus lecture invitations. Over the next two uninterrupted years, I became a media columnist, took on livestream hosting collaborations, became a brand marketing director for an internet NGO, served as a corporate media consultant, and took on various external projects, ensuring my career options weren't limited. In my primary job, I also proactively created more opportunities.
However, just as everything seemed to be progressing smoothly, in July 2019, I made an impulsive resignation from my fifth job and flew to the Philippines to study business English. Before turning 30, I wanted to reposition myself. The courage to pay the price for my choices wasn't glamorous—it simply came from constant dissatisfaction with myself, fear of being surpassed by younger colleagues, fear of falling behind and being eliminated by the times. Above all, I yearned to become better. Throughout my life so far, "being myself" has been my value and ideal life. My life continues to practice this principle. "What are your goals for the next ten years?"
During one interview, the company CEO asked me this. In the hour I talked with them, only this question made me pause and ask for time to think. Later, I said: "I believe that being able to do what I want to do is my goal, regardless of age or what that thing might be." Individual thinking changes with age and environment, and thoughts evolve accordingly. In this era of rapid change, only by maintaining flexible thinking can we avoid obsolescence. Afterward, I was deeply grateful that his question gave me the chance to reflect on my life philosophy. Though I ultimately didn't work for that company, it became the key moment that made me confront my own insufficient abilities and embark on a journey abroad to explore life and self.
Whenever I told friends around me that I'd given up a job everyone jokingly considered ideal—"high pay, light work, close to home"—and temporarily stopped the cases, lectures, and book clubs I'd been handling, and instead flew all the way to the Philippines to study, leaving myself in a gap period, they all praised me for being brave, decisive, and decisive. Some even asked if they could borrow some of my courage.
While encouraged, this also made me deeply understand that in this world, so many people genuinely want to do what they love, pursue their passions, and "be themselves," yet are limited and suppressed by internal and external factors like social values.
My original family background deeply influenced my thinking and behavior. Therefore, in this book, I'll connect my real-life experiences and explain how to inventory resources to find your own unique calling. I hope that through an ordinary person's story, I can share how every insignificant aspect of life is an accumulation of resources. With conscious reflection and organization, you'll understand "who I am" and "why I exist." This will strengthen the psychological resilience of "being yourself" so you're not easily influenced by the outside world. Only when a person possesses the ability and qualities to "create" can they occupy their own place in this rapidly changing era and forge a path of their own making!
