Hello, everyone. Today, I want to share a story with you about ‘fear‘.
Have you ever tossed and turned in the deep of night, plagued by anxieties like these? “Will the skills I’m diligently learning now still be useful in five years?” Or, “If AI, smarter and tireless than me, takes my place, how will I survive?”
Over the past 20 years, as a translator, a psychological counselor, and now an AI business consultant, I too have constantly transformed and faced the same fears as you. Especially in early 2023, when the massive wave of ChatGPT arrived, I watched the translation industry, to which I had dedicated my life, be reshaped in just a few months, and I despaired. But at the end of that wave, I discovered a ‘law of navigation’ that goes beyond mere survival. Now, I want to share that secret with you.
1. Escaping the ‘Prison of Averages’ We Were Trapped In
The world we’ve lived in has long been caught in the ‘trap of averages.’ The education system of the industrial era raised us like cogs in a giant machine. Schools and society constantly sought out our weaknesses and urged us to compensate for them. If we were bad at math, we had to go to a math academy; if our English was weak, we had to stay up all night to improve our scores.
As a result, we were all forced to become ‘standardized humans‘ with average abilities, scoring around 80 points. We had to be smooth, rounded stones without sharp edges to roll safely within the system of an organization.
However, that ‘averageness‘ has now become the first thing to be replaced. An era has dawned where anyone can use AI to instantly elevate their weaknesses to an 80-point level. Machines are optimized to collect all ‘universal and valid correct answers‘ in the world and produce average results. The tasks you ‘do reasonably well‘ are now handled by AI most cheaply and quickly. Paradoxically, our ‘imbalanced edges‘ and ‘human clumsiness,’ which we tried so hard to smooth out, have now become the sole boundary distinguishing machines from humans, and your own powerful brand.
2. Three Keys to Discovering Your Own ‘Edges’
So, where is your unique ‘sharpness‘ that AI can never imitate? It’s not in acquired skills like certifications or TOEIC scores. It’s hidden in your ‘unique way of thinking‘ – how you perceive and interpret the world. To find this treasure, ask yourself the following three questions:
Question 1: “What, specifically, bothers and inconveniences you?”
Another name for talent is ‘sensitivity.’ Are there points that others might casually dismiss with “Oh, that happens,” but you, uniquely, just can’t let go? That discomfort is precisely where your mission begins. In my case, I felt an unbearable sense of responsibility when I saw conversations superficial or people’s true intentions misunderstood. That ‘annoyance‘ led me to become a language expert and a counselor who reads the inner workings of others. The point that angers or discomforts you is the soil where your expertise will blossom.
Question 2: “If you strongly criticize or envy someone, why is that?”
In psychology, there’s a concept called ‘projection.’ When we particularly dislike or criticize someone, that person often mirrors our own suppressed potential. Behind a criticism like, “Why are they so brazenly boasting about themselves?” there might actually be a hidden desire: ‘I also want to proudly reveal my worth to the world.’ Find the ‘unpolished diamond‘ that lies dormant beneath your negative emotions.
Question 3: “When doing what kind of work do you forget ‘the existence of time‘?”
Effort that squeezes out your energy is not sustainable. Conversely, there are moments when you naturally get absorbed without much effort. I feel that analyzing people’s tendencies and reading data reports is like the card games I enjoyed as a child (Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!). What is painful analytical work for others becomes an exciting strategy game for me. When you find this ‘area where you excel without effort,’ you can finally achieve immersive results that AI cannot replicate.
3. Outsource Your Weaknesses to AI, and Push Your Strengths to the ‘Extreme’
Once you’ve found your sharpness, a strategy is needed. The most important principle here is ‘breaking free from the illusion of perfectionism.’
In the past, while I was recognized for my expertise in language and psychology, I always struggled with marketing myself or systematizing complex tasks. Previously, I would push myself by taking countless courses to fill these gaps, but the result was always burnout.
But now I’ve changed my strategy. I completely entrust logical structuring, repetitive data analysis, and precise schedule management – areas where I am weak – to AI, my ‘tireless assistant‘ (Outsourcing). I pour all my capital and energy into what I do best: ‘reading people’s hearts and conveying essential insights.’
Once I started outsourcing what I couldn’t do to AI and focusing only on what I did well, the giant rock of life, as if by magic, began to move.
Furthermore, I recommend becoming a ‘Boundary Crosser.’ Don’t just dig one well. Unique value is born when you connect a field you know well with an entirely different one. It was only when I connected the three worlds of conscious language (translation), unconscious language (counseling), and machine language (AI) that I was able to complete ‘my own fortress‘ that no one else could replicate.
Conclusion: It’s Time to Build Your Own Fortress
I emphasize this once again. The AI era does not ask you for ‘the correct answer.’ The machines already know the answers. Instead, the world desires your unique, sharp ‘questions‘ and uncompromising ‘sharpness.’
Now, those who hide their weaknesses and blend into the average will be left behind. But those who willingly reveal their flaws and use those deficiencies as fuel to sharpen their uniqueness will become irreplaceable.
Right now, try to connect what you do best, what you love, and the opportunities the world needs. Don’t try to be like everyone else. Your ‘sharp edges‘ will be the ‘spearhead‘ that breaks through the world.
I sincerely support your new voyage.