Defining Moments

Defining Moments

Steve Jobs was born to an unmarried mother who gave him up for adoption to a machinist and his wife. He dropped out of Reed College in Portland after just six months due to financial difficulties with his adoptive parents, then spent a year wandering around aimlessly, embracing a hippie lifestyle. He dabbled in drugs and had a revelation upon returning from a trip to India in 1974, where he met a young engineer who showed him that a small circuit board was enough to build a computer. From there, the myth began. However, due to his rough personality and stubbornness, he was ousted from Apple, the company he had founded. He later succeeded in creating Pixar, a computer graphics animation company responsible for Toy Story, among other successes, before his eventual comeback.

The world-renowned TV host Oprah Winfrey was raped by her cousin at a young age and became pregnant as a result. She used drugs during her wandering years and once reached a weight of 100kg. Reading was what enabled her transformation from a life of destitution to success. Through reading, she learned the miracle of living a grateful life. She astonished the world by gifting a Pontiac G6 worth $30,000 to each of the 276 audience members who desperately wanted a car. Oprah Winfrey is a figure who has shown over 100 million fans how a hopeful life can lead to positive outcomes.

Even the former President of the United States, Barack Obama, admits to struggling with drug addiction and alcohol abuse in his youth. It was the thought, "Who am I?" and "I want to be someone of value," that changed his life.

Former Hyundai Group Chairman Chung Ju-yung couldn't sleep properly in a lodging house by the Incheon shore at the age of 18 because of bedbugs. Even when he slept on the table, they would climb up, and even when he placed dishes on the table, they would climb onto the dishes. Eventually, when he filled the dishes with water, the bedbugs couldn't approach anymore as they fell from the ceiling onto him. This experience led him to think, "If even insignificant bedbugs are obstacles like hurdles filled with water, I must study and work with all my might to overcome them. What could be impossible for humans?" It was from that moment that Chairman Chung's famous phrase, "Let's give it a try!" was born.

Eva Perón, the heroic president of Argentina made famous by the musical "Evita," started as a nightclub dancer, moving from man to man to survive. After becoming the president's wife, she completely changed, saying, "I gave up my own dreams to watch others' dreams come true. I will dedicate myself to leading you all to future happiness with my whole body. Step on me as you pass by." She then dedicated her life to serving the poor and sick. Although she died of cancer at the age of 33, her name still resonates in the hearts of Argentinians.

Former Japanese business tycoon Konosuke Matsushita was a prime example of positivity. He didn't blame poverty; instead, he saved his whole life because of it. He became even more interested in studying than others because he hadn't had the opportunity to learn. He lived cautiously due to his weak health and lived to the age of 95.

For Oprah Winfrey, the defining moment was reading; for Steve Jobs, it was meeting Wozniak; for Chung Ju-yung, it was bedbugs; and for Konosuke Matsushita, it was poverty. Everyone has defining moments; the issue is when. Therefore, realizing that "no one has the right to ruin my life" is absolutely necessary.

Kang Ho-dong was once a renowned wrestler. Watching him wrestle against Lee Man-ki on the mat was like watching a wild tiger. However, seeing him now as the top MC in South Korea, always smiling and speaking positively, is a far cry from those days. Look at entertainers like Yu Jae-suk, Ahn Sung-ki, and Lee Hyori. They all have fantastic smiles. It's in their genuine demeanor that we can feel sincerity and warmth.

Defining moments are generally classified into three main categories, and typically, people experience them in this order:

1. 1. Experiencing the rock bottom of life.
2. 2. Meeting the noble person of life.
3. 3. Living with gratitude and positivity.