Everything starts with cultivating non-cognitive skills.

As my next job is more or less confirmed, I feel a sense of lightness in my heart. I’ve been thinking about how to make the most of this free time, and it dawned on me why I feel so at ease: no one is pinging me on Slack anymore. That small sense of freedom makes such a big difference.

 

the movie ticket

Today was a pretty fulfilling day. I went to see [F1: The Movie] at IMAX by myself, and I was completely blown away by its grandeur. It made me really want to watch an actual F1 race someday. I also finally got my nails done after putting it off for so long. With some time to spare, I stopped by a bookstore and browsed two books.

 

the poetry

 

One was a poetry collection titled 'I Thought It Was Love, But It Was an Arrhythmia'. The poems, capturing the joys and sorrows of Japan’s elderly, delivered both humor and emotion in just a line or two. It struck me how similar the lives of elderly people are around the world, while also offering a glimpse into Japanese culture and daily life. I don’t remember it exactly, but one poem went something like, “I grumble every day about wanting to die, yet I’m the first to evacuate when an earthquake hits.” It reminded me of Korean elders, and I realized how Japan’s island geography and frequent earthquakes shape even their poetry. (There were even funnier lines, too!)

 

I also revisited Grit after a long time. Usually, I like starting from the first page, but today I wanted to pick out only the words I needed, so I skipped Chapter 1 and opened Chapter 2. Reading it after so long felt refreshingly new. The book emphasized that while cognitive skills—like intelligence and quick learning—are important for studying or working, non-cognitive skills like perseverance and diligence matter even more.

For a long time, I’ve doubted my worth, blaming my lack of notable achievements at work on not being smart enough. But the message that perseverance is something you can build through effort was deeply comforting.

 

So here I am, close to midnight, still writing today.