#147 Ignoring the outside world and doing whatever I want (30/03/2025)

This past week has been quite busy with work, but it's also been a lot of reflection. At the beginning of the week, a female student from Hong Kong visited my company to talk about her entrepreneurial journey and future direction. The interview only lasted an hour or two, but afterwards, I had a lot to think about that evening, reflecting on the early days of Re Pillow. Back then, I didn't have any expectations or pressure; I could create and plan everything as I pleased. I just did what I wanted to do without much worry, because there's a saying that's very apt: "Nothing to lose."

Re Pillow was just an idea I came up with on a whim. I didn't expect it to succeed, and I certainly didn't intend to make money from it: if it sold, I sold; if it didn't, so be it. That's all.

For a long time now, I've been thinking about this for several years, and I've started to feel more concerned—what will the customers think? Will my colleagues be able to handle it? Will there be difficulties in execution? Will there be financial pressure? These kinds of concerns have gradually piled up on my shoulders—so making every decision has become more stressful, and I can no longer act on a whim. Although I'm still an ordinary young person with little money, the increased consideration and worries mean I can no longer make decisions completely freely and irresponsibly, because even if I don't pay my salary, my colleagues do.

To some extent, this pressure has indeed led to better product quality, more careful consideration of business decisions, and improved execution, reducing oversights and errors. However, at the same time, I've experienced immense personal pressure. I dream about work, and the work is incredibly demanding. Often, the pressure builds up to an explosion. I feel this phase cannot continue indefinitely because those around me have noticed that I'm starting to feel overwhelmed, both mentally and physically. I feel it too, but I don't want to be looked down upon… I believe that young people in Hong Kong shouldn't be looked down upon like others do. I need to prove to others that we can do it, and that words alone are useless; we must demonstrate it.

But perhaps in terms of mindset, this interview this week reminded me that I was under so much pressure at the beginning. I can indeed adjust my mindset, relax more, try to ignore the outside world, be more myself, and the pressure can be reduced. Maybe that way the results will be better.