“I will pursue a long-term strategy.” This statement is akin to standing at the foot of Everest, pointing at the distant summit and declaring, “I will climb that.”
- You will understand why failure is essential on the journey toward a great long-term goal.
- You will learn the importance of the ‘pivoting’ strategy through examples from Slack and YouTube.
- You will gain concrete survival skills to prevent burnout and finish strong.
1. The Call at the Starting Line: The Beginning of a Great Journey
Every great journey begins with a dream, a declaration. The moment you first set a long-term goal is filled with pure passion and potential, much like a writer dreaming of a great novel in front of a blank page or a YouTuber nervously recording their first video.
An Le, CEO of NFQ Asia, started his business with the primal cry of ‘a better life.’ Initially, there is no fear of failure or the weight of experience. Perhaps this ‘productive naivety’ is the most powerful driving force. If a climber were to fully feel all the dangers they would face before climbing Everest, how many would take their first step? The question is how to transform this pure passion into a solid will that can withstand the storms of reality.
2. The Endless Ascent and Blizzard: Trials and Tribulations of Reality
The moment you take your first step toward the summit, romance ends, and the reality of climbing begins. The path is steep, the weather unpredictable, and the equipment feels woefully inadequate.
2.1. The Pain of Creation: Burnout Among Content Creators
One of the most glamorous climbers today is the ‘creator.’ Beneath the goal of becoming a popular YouTuber lies a fierce struggle.
- Creative Exhaustion: One YouTuber stated that ‘content depletion’ is their greatest anxiety. Creativity is not just a talent for them; it is a resource directly tied to survival.
- Burnout: Research shows that 52% of influencers experience burnout. When your life itself becomes a product, the boundaries between work and life collapse, and you become a being evaluated 24/7. This is not just a matter of personal weakness but a structural issue created by constant performance pressure.
- Negative Comments: Even hundreds of compliments can be overshadowed by a single malicious comment. Psychologically, it takes at least five positive experiences to offset one negative experience.
- The Specificity of ‘Parenting’: Particularly, ‘parenting influencers’ face more complex issues such as invasion of their child’s privacy, unexpected dangers, and dilemmas of commercial activities.
2.2. The Wall of Rejection: Facing the World’s Indifference
Some face the enormous wall of the world’s indifference and apathy.
- J.K. Rowling: The ‘Harry Potter’ manuscript was rejected by 12 publishers. It was only after the 13th small publisher saw the reaction of the editor’s daughter that it was finally published, with an initial print run of just 500 copies.
- Vincent van Gogh: Today, his works are worth billions, but during his lifetime, he officially sold only one painting, ‘The Red Vineyard in Arles.’ His loneliness, unable to fully rejoice even in the small recognition that came after a lifetime of rejection, poses an important question for us: Is the world’s recognition the only measure of success?
2.3. The Ashes of Failure: The Real Resumes of Successful CEOs
In the business world, ‘hardships’ come in the form of failure. However, successful individuals view failure as a process rather than an end.
One entrepreneur described their first business failure as a “turning point.” They identified their strengths through failure and gained ideas for their next venture. Contrary to Tolstoy’s saying, in the world of organizations, “failed organizations all look alike.” This suggests that studying failure cases can be a more effective learning method than studying success cases. Failure is not a period but a comma to catch your breath and seek a new path.
3. There Is More Than One Path: The New Climbing Route of ‘Pivoting’
Sometimes, the planned route may be blocked. A wise climber boldly changes direction to find a new path. In business, this is called pivoting, which means modifying strategy and direction while maintaining the core elements of the business model.
- Slack: Originally dreamed of ‘game development,’ but faced two failures. However, the internal messenger created for team communication showed tremendous potential, leading to the birth of Slack.
- YouTube: It started as a ‘video-based dating site.’ When no one showed interest, it pivoted to ‘a sharing platform for all videos,’ resulting in what we know today.
- Instagram: It began as ‘Burbn,’ an app with complex features like location-based check-ins and planning shares. After observing that users were only excited about the ‘photo filter and sharing’ feature, they made the bold decision to keep just that feature and discard the rest.
Comparison: Great Pivot Examples
| Company (Company) | Initial Dream (Initial Dream) | The Great Pivot (The Great Pivot) |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | Developing the online game ‘Glitch’ | Commercializing the internal messenger for game development |
| YouTube | Video-based dating site | Transitioning to a platform focused on ‘video sharing’ |
| Location-based check-in app ‘Burbn’ | Keeping only the ‘photo filter and sharing’ feature in a ‘zoom-in pivot’ | |
| Podcast sharing platform ‘Odeo’ | Transitioning to a ‘microblogging’ service through internal brainstorming |
4. The Minimum Equipment to Protect Myself: Survival Skills for Long-Term Goals
In a challenging climb, what matters is not just the will to move forward but the ‘survival skills’ that protect you and ensure you finish.
4.1. My Own Base Camp: Setting SMART Goals
“Climbing Everest” is too daunting a goal. You need to break down the massive goal into specific action plans, or ‘base camps.’ The SMART principle is effective here.
- Specific (Specific)
- Measurable (Measurable)
- Achievable (Achievable)
- Realistic (Realistic)
- Time-bound (Time-bound)
| Goal (Goal) | Vague Goal (Vague Goal) | SMART Goal (SMART Goal) |
|---|---|---|
| Growing a YouTube Channel | “I want to become a popular YouTuber.” | S: Create a video on ‘motivating long-term goals.’ M: Achieve 1,000 subscribers within 3 months. A: Upload high-quality videos once a week. R: Utilize existing equipment/skills. T: Achieve by December 31, 2025. |
| Health Management | “I want to lose weight.” | S: Fast after 7 PM, walk for 30 minutes daily. M: Lose 3 kg of body fat in 2 months. A: Feasible within current lifestyle. R: Form healthy habits, not extreme diets. T: Achieve by October 31, 2025. |
4.2. How to Fight Mental Altitude Sickness: Burnout Management
The journey toward ambitious goals brings mental altitude sickness in the form of ‘burnout’ and ‘slumps.’ I too have experienced pouring everything into a project and becoming completely exhausted. At that time, I realized that stopping is not failure but a necessary process for recovery.
| Symptom (Symptom) | Mental Signal (Signal) | Emergency Prescription (Prescription) |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic Exhaustion | “I have no energy left.” | Sleep 7-8 hours a day, start a new hobby unrelated to work |
| Cynicism | “What does this work mean?” | Share feelings with a trusted friend or mentor |
| Decreased Efficacy | “I feel like I can’t do anything right.” | Celebrate small goals (e.g., making the bed) daily |
| Boundary Collapse | “I forgot how to rest.” | Set a clear end time for work, turn off notifications, separate work and rest spaces |
4.3. Find the Best Guide, Sherpa: The Importance of Supporters
No one climbs Everest alone. Every climbing team has a ‘Sherpa’ to guide the way and ensure safety. We also need such Sherpas (mentors, peers, experts) on our journey. Great achievements are almost always the result of collaboration. The declaration, “I will climb that mountain” should soon evolve into a commitment of “We will climb that mountain together.”
Conclusion
The true meaning of ’looking far’ is not just moving straight toward one goal but carrying the compass of a great goal, flexibly adapting to the rugged terrain, and walking steadily while protecting yourself and your companions. **
- Key Point 1: Failure is not the end but a milestone. Failure signals the path we truly need to take.
- Key Point 2: Paths can change. Like Slack and YouTube, sometimes bold ‘pivoting’ can lead to greater summits.
- Key Point 3: Protecting myself comes first. SMART goal setting and burnout management are essential survival equipment for finishing strong.
What is your long-term goal? When you face failure on that journey, I encourage you to pause without hesitation and take a new step forward.