By Karen
I'm the type of person who executes decisions quickly once I've made them. I'm not afraid of making mistakes, nor do I worry about regret after deciding, because I firmly believe every choice has its necessity. Before making decisions quickly, what you actually need to do is "absorb massive amounts of information." I believe this process is like casting a fishing net into the ocean—casting it multiple times at different depths and in different waters. When you pull the net back up, you'll discover what kinds of "unknowns" lie at the bottom that you've never seen before. And remember: what you've never seen may simply be someone else's daily reality.
This reflection actually comes from my muddled life before age 23. It's not that dramatic to call it muddled—it's just that I was the type of obedient child from an early age who wouldn't proactively explore things, thinking 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 similar answers about being strict yet intelligent. But me? Looking around at my classmates in confusion, I asked "How do you all know this?" They casually replied, "We read extracurricular books when we were younger!"
At the time, I didn't actually understand where the differences came from, but I remember going home and asking my mom "Why didn't I read extracurricular books when I was young?" and "What are extracurricular books?" I didn't even know what they were (how adorable thinking back now). But that 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 me and my classmates only widened.
For instance, in middle school, I asked a classmate during geography class "Where is West Asia? Is it Africa?" My classmate looked confused, paused for a few seconds, and slowly said uncertainly, "I guess it's the western part of Asia?" I still wasn't quite sure then. If I were to apply that to today's situation, it might sound like this: "What's a social media site? Is it Wretch?"
After entering the workforce, I finally learned from these past experiences how insufficient my knowledge was and how it could lead to misinformation. That's why, before making many decisions, I collect information widely and from multiple sources. Fortunately, as a journalist, I've had the opportunity to visit companies and interview people from various fields, which helped me start understanding regulations, policies, and implementation levels.
After turning 30, life presented different major choices: marriage, buying a house, buying a car gradually became options. Friends around me started learning to view properties, and conversations shifted to discussions about location, square footage, and housing value for money. Some believe online research provides sufficient information, but through actually visiting properties—viewing pre-sales, second-hand homes, new construction, high-rises, residential communities, and apartments—and considering surrounding geography, safety, transportation, and lifestyle amenities with professional guidance, you can break free from the narrow perspective of only understanding things based on incomplete online data.
I think this applies to anything: approaching the world without preconceived notions, actively collecting vast amounts of information, and extracting the most practical knowledge. Through this "picking and choosing" process, you'll understand yourself better. That's why you can face any decision with the ability to "execute quickly, not fear mistakes, and not worry about regret"—all because you've already prepared and are willing to take responsibility.
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