The Well or the Sky: It All Comes Down to Vision

Are you looking at the world through the narrow mouth of a well, or measuring yourself against the vastness of what is possible?

I often think back to my last year of high school. On my application to study in Japan, the interviewer asked: "What will you do after you return home?" At 18, I wrote down, almost offhand: "Found a company."

At the time it was nothing more than a casual line. Over the ten years that followed in Japan, I searched for my purpose through demanding studies and the strict discipline of a foreign country. At times I forgot those words entirely. But the subconscious never forgets.

Background is not a barrier, it is a launchpad

I do not write this as someone who grew up comfortable. My childhood was shaped by hard days, and I watched my parents work tirelessly through scarcity. What I value most is that, however difficult things were, they never used hardship to limit their children's dreams. Through sustained effort, they eventually reached a measure of success in their own careers.

Their rise is the most honest lesson I have: circumstances may bind the hands, but they cannot chain the vision. As their son, I am deeply grateful, and I want to build something significant enough that my parents' sacrifices can bloom through the vision of the next generation.

Gratitude for the teachers along the way

The world is one large school. I have met teachers and older mentors who guided me; some encounters were complete, others cut short, but each one planted a seed.

Even those who told me "it can't be done" or "that's crazy" I regard as teachers of resilience. They helped me understand that when you stop limiting yourself, believe in your mission and keep working, the right people appear to lift you higher.

Stepping outside the comfort zone

Recently, in conversations with investors from Vietnam and abroad, I have gained new perspectives. I have come to see that turning a dream into reality requires leaving the comfort zone.

Do not leave your passion as a faint flicker. Turn it into a disciplined daily habit. I am preparing for upcoming investor meetings as a founder who carries the lessons of many years spent thinking about community health, where passion has become discipline.

Closing

The line I wrote carelessly at 18 has become real. Do not limit yourself. Beyond the well lies a vast sky, waiting for those with enough vision to fly high.