Ha-eun Y. describes himself as an ordinary father running a hiking apparel store in Gumi and raising an elementary school-aged daughter. But a few years ago, a mundane moment in a kindergarten parking lot triggered a profound existential crisis.
After a school event, he watched a line of cars slowly leaving the lot. Even though there were multiple exits available, every single car blindly followed the one directly in front of it. Determined to be different, he thought to himself, “I’m going to go the opposite way.” Yet, before he even realized it, his hands had steered the wheel to unconsciously follow the car ahead.
At that moment, a chilling realization struck him: “Am I also just following the path everyone else takes in life?”
Looking back, he realized that while his environment had changed as he aged, his core thoughts, habits, and mindset hadn’t evolved since his early twenties. He was living on autopilot. This is the story of how one man began asking deep questions about his mind, uncovered a hidden childhood trauma, and completely transformed his business and family life.
The Search for the True Mind
Ha-eun began to ask himself the heavy questions he had long avoided: How should I live as a father? As a husband? As a son? What exactly is the mind?
The very next day, he searched the word “mind” online and discovered a local meditation center. Because he had spent his entire life rarely trusting anyone, he initially approached the center with deep skepticism, almost as if he were investigating it.
But as he continued to practice, a powerful framework emerged. He realized that within himself existed both a “true mind” and a “false mind”—and he had been living entirely through the false one. This false mind was constructed of picture-like memories accumulated throughout his life, which eventually solidified into his fixed ideas, automated habits, and endless anxieties.
The Childhood Memory That Built a Wall
During one meditation session, he finally discovered the root of why he struggled so deeply to trust people.
The memory transported him back to the second grade. During morning assembly, a classmate had thrown dirt at him, and he instinctively threw dirt back. However, the teacher only caught Ha-eun’s retaliation. He was publicly scolded and ordered to kneel in the empty playground with his hands raised in the air. He desperately tried to explain the truth, but the teacher refused to listen.
Feelings of profound resentment, injustice, and anger overwhelmed the young boy as he cried endlessly. Deep inside, a rigid belief crystallized: “There is no one in this world who will help me.”
From that day forward, he had unconsciously built a massive wall between himself and the rest of the world. He lived his life constantly analyzing others’ reactions, living cautiously, and battling endless overthinking.
Letting Go of Illusions and Transforming Business
For years, Ha-eun’s days had been plagued by anxiety about the future, regret over the past, and relentless mental suffering. He once even took a job on a monitor assembly line, hoping the repetitive physical labor would quiet his mind. But once he adjusted to the routine, the endless worries simply returned.
Meditation provided the fundamental cure. By objectively viewing and discarding the “pictures” of his false mind, his heavy mental burdens gradually evaporated.
This newfound clarity revolutionized his business. In the past, if a customer walked into his store who vaguely resembled a difficult customer from years ago, he would instinctively avoid them. He constantly judged people based on his stored mental pictures, assuming, “This person will buy” or “This person won’t.”
Once he discarded those prejudiced judgments, he began treating every single customer equally and with genuine sincerity. As a direct result, his store’s sales improved significantly.
Healing the Deepest Wounds at Home
The most beautiful transformation, however, happened within his own walls. Today, his mother, wife, and daughter all practice meditation alongside him.
One day, he overheard his mother asking his young daughter, “Do your mom and dad still fight these days?”
His daughter simply replied, “After they started this meditation, they don’t fight anymore.”
Hearing those words, a wave of guilt rushed over him. He realized that in the past, he and his wife had argued constantly over trivial, everyday matters. They had repeatedly hurt each other, with Ha-eun always justifying his anger by thinking, “I’m right” or “Everyone lives like this anyway.”
Through meditation, he faced a painful truth: he had been treating the people most precious to him the worst. Today, the sounds of bickering have completely vanished from their household. Instead, their home is filled with laughter, and for the first time in his life, Ha-eun says he feels truly happy.
Ha-eun Y.’s 3 Insights on Breaking Bad Habits and Finding Peace
1. You Might Be Living on Autopilot “It is easy to assume you are growing just because you are getting older. But if you look closely, your automated reactions, anxieties, and judgments are likely the exact same as they were decades ago. You have to actively empty your mind to break the cycle.”
2. Childhood Traumas Dictate Your Present “I struggled to trust anyone in business or life because of a single, unfair moment in the second grade. We carry these ‘pictures’ with us, and they secretly dictate our reactions. When you discard those old images, the heavy walls you’ve built finally come down.”
3. We Often Treat Our Loved Ones the Worst “We justify our anger at home by thinking ‘I’m right’ or ‘all couples fight.’ But when you clear away your own stubborn ego and false mind, you realize how much unnecessary pain you cause. Letting go of being ‘right’ is the secret to a home filled with laughter.”
