Trang Ha: Who are you in this life?

(Baonghean) - We all passed the university entrance exam. We all studied in the same class. We all worked in the same job. In the morning we ate pho together (if we had money!). At noon we sat in a coffee shop and dozed off. So, why are there people who later on in life very happy and successful, some who got rich early, and some who spent their whole lives just eating hand-to-mouth and complaining about being misplaced?

Division of 8 golden hours

I have been working for 17 years, changed 5-6 offices and changed jobs twice as many times. In the end, for the past 3 years, I have been a housewife in Hanoi, a freelancer who is actually more amateur than amateur. And every day, no matter how hard I try, I can only work no more than 2 hours.

How do you use your 8 golden hours at work? -Illustration photo

Yet someone told me that in those 2 hours a day, you can not only earn enough money to support your whole family, but also build your personal brand, write dozens of books a year, and create small interesting things for yourself and strangers. That is something that almost everyone who works 8 hours a day during office hours can not do. In fact, they work 8 hours just enough to earn a living. And their whole life is lost in the crowd. And they do not bring anything meaningful to anyone.

I kept thinking about that conversation. Of course, the person opposite seemed to be praising too much! I believe that I am not better than anyone else, there are countless other people who are excellent in life. But the calculation of productivity for each working hour in that compliment has a core, which is the concern that has been with me since I started receiving my first salary at Hoa Hoc Tro newspaper, the day I turned 20: What makes a person successful?

We all passed the university entrance exam. We all studied in the same class. We all worked in the same job. We all ate pho in the morning (if we had money!). We all sat in a coffee shop at noon, nodding off. So why are some people very happy and successful, some rich early, and some people just eat hand-to-mouth and complain about being misplaced all their lives?

During the break time of the day, whenever someone asks us to go somewhere, do something, ask us for a favor, or go to a foreign language class, and asks why we haven't seen each other for so long, our first answer is always: I'm very busy, I've been very busy lately!

But being busy is not the reason for all problems. Do you know, Newton, Einstein or even the artists who have just opened an exhibition, the happy mothers with their children, the successful or unsuccessful people in life, they only have 24 hours in a day to live?

Rest time during the day

Besides the golden eight hours, everyone gets a break. Did you know that your success or failure in life is determined by the rest time, from 8-10 pm every night?

Obviously, working and studying in the morning and afternoon has brought you a degree, a job, an income, a fancy title on a business card, even a great resume. And after work, we usually spend time to… eat!

Eat with parents. Have dinner with friends and hang out at restaurants for another hour. Eat with your lover, go home to your children, go to work and then eat with your boss. Sometimes I think, when men go out drinking beer and entertaining guests, they are actually extending their workday by another shift, not relaxing, having fun, or doing anything beneficial for themselves.

Even if you are busy, you should still arrange to have dinner with your family - illustration photo

Usually after eating, we do the little things! Around 8-10 pm, you will spend it in turn: Studying English for a few years, doing an additional degree for a few years, flirting for a few years, socializing for 2-3 years, for example. Then, maybe there will be a hobby, or a sports channel that will consume our evenings.

I have seen people who are addicted to TV. When they come home from work, they turn on the TV and leave it on, even though they have not looked at it, and when they ask what is on TV today before going to bed, they have completely forgotten. Their brains are completely asleep during this time!

By the time you spend your 8-10 pm personal time on trivial things, reading, falling in love, doing half-hearted hobbies, your life will be a collection of those trivial things. When will you discover your passion, your strengths, your strong passion from those trivial activities? Or do you think, just knowing a little bit of each is enough for your life?

Time management

I believe it! At least, I believe that people who are always in a state of failure in time management are the deepest failures in this life.

If you sacrifice the little things, and spend two hours every night on a passion, anything that interests you, and stick to it, in just five or ten years, you will know who you are in life. Simply because, in those two hours, you develop your greatest capacity in the field and work you are most passionate about.

Read books, literature books or skill books, even history books, those evening hours bring you priceless treasures in your soul, becoming the cultural character of a person in society.

If you translate books, it is enough to make you an experienced and dedicated translator. Do you know why Vietnam has so many people who are good at foreign languages, every year there are more than ten thousand masters and doctors who are good at foreign languages ​​from abroad, but good translators can be counted on the fingers? Good translators with brand and personality are even rarer!

Illustration: Nam Phong

If you are passionate about modeling, traveling, or photography, the hours of self-training at night, dedicated to your passion, will make you never say “I am very busy!” to your passions.

If you are into money, this is great, you know what to spend those 2 hours looking for, right?

I am scared every time I see someone say that they spend 24 hours to focus on something. Whether it is 24 hours to love, to live, to work hard. Because if you do not stop to think, spend time to dig deep into your personal interests, I am afraid that you will only have a beautiful business card, you are no one with your own identity and personality in the crowd that fades around us every day.

Because it's clear that in this world there are two very different types of people: Those who work for money, and only after having money can they do what they love! And those who earn money and have a career by doing what they are passionate about!

Trang Ha