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From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Tech 2024-10-14 13:57:28 Source: Network

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From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business VentureAt 28, Lin Chen resolutely quit his radio hosting job at the Guangdian Group in a coastal city, giving up his stable "iron rice bowl." With a future full of dreams, he changed cities and opened a shaved ice shop, hoping to one day count money from home

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

At 28, Lin Chen resolutely quit his radio hosting job at the Guangdian Group in a coastal city, giving up his stable "iron rice bowl." With a future full of dreams, he changed cities and opened a shaved ice shop, hoping to one day count money from home. However, reality was far crueler than he imagined. Two years later, the shaved ice shop closed down, and Lin Chen not only lost 1.6 million yuan but also developed severe depression and anxiety, plunging into the depths of despair. At his lowest point, he had only 52 yuan left in his account. His once-smooth life was steadily crumbling. At the age of 37, as Lin Chen tried to return to the mainstream, he realized everything had changed. He began a passive minimalist life to save money, he cut off all unnecessary spending, bought cheap clothes, shopped for discounted vegetables and steamed buns at the supermarket after 9 p.m., even eating just one meal a day, relying on food recycling to reduce expenses.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Lin Chen's experience may resonate with many. He was the earliest one among his classmates to have an "iron rice bowl," with a stable job and a decent income, achieving his goal of buying a house earlier than others. But this seemingly peaceful and secure life could not satisfy his desire for life. In 2015, the internet wave swept across the world, and "The world is so big, I want to see it" became the hottest online phrase that year. Lin Chen was also affected by this wave and decided to quit his job to embark on a new journey.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

In 2018, Lin Chen settled in a new city and tried entrepreneurship. He rented a 100-square-meter store and opened a shaved ice shop. However, the process was not smooth. He described his decision at that time as a "beautiful bubble": "Back then, there was a popular saying: Every middle-class person dreams of opening a coffee shop, showing up at the store every morning, making a cup of coffee, sitting by the sunlit window, leisurely reading a book." He longed for a life without work, where he could just sit at home and count money.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

However, reality was a cruel test. He woke up at 5:30 every morning, went to the market to purchase wholesale fruits at 6, then went to the store to defrost cakes, cut fruits, clean windows, mop the floor, wipe tables, prepare ingredients, boil red beans, freeze ice cubes, and after four hours of busy work, he was finally ready to open the door. Sometimes, he would wait for hours without a single customer, and he became anxious, constantly questioning his choices.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Before opening the shop, Lin Chen had invested hundreds of thousands of yuan in franchise fees, renovation costs, and rent. Daily water bills, electricity bills, and labor costs were also constantly increasing. The enormous pressure forced him to sell his house and gamble everything. Every day, he was thinking about how to keep the shop running, whether the price of fruit would rise, whether there were any bad reviews on the review websites, and whether there were any complaints on the takeout app. Since cut fruits had to be sold on the same day, he would have to eat them with his staff when they couldn't be sold, and eventually, he had to throw away all the remaining fruits.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

After the business failure, Lin Chen experienced tremendous mental pressure, suffering from severe depression and anxiety. At his most desperate moment, he had only 52 yuan left in his account. He started learning how to make PPTs and earned money by helping others with presentations, but his income was meager due to lack of experience, and he could only rely on his mother's pension to survive. The pressure of debt, the confusion about the future, and self-doubt constantly besieged him, and his mental state deteriorated.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

During his darkest hour, he accidentally listed his shop equipment on Xianyu and surprisingly sold it for 1,000 yuan. This money became his lifeline to survive the last days before the new year. The following year, the PPT work he had done before started to pay off, and he also saw a recruitment ad for a voice actor at an MCN company on a job-hunting app. He submitted his resume and was successfully hired. This job became his chance to re-enter the real world.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Lin Chen also tried to return to radio work. He followed the recruitment needs of radio stations across the country and submitted resumes when there were suitable openings, but most of the time, his applications went unanswered. Occasionally, he would get an interview opportunity but would receive no follow-up after the interview. Once, he made it to the final round of the interview, but when discussing salary, the other party offered only 5,000 yuan, even lower than his salary 10 years ago.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Lin Chen's experience tells us that even if you had an iron rice bowl in the past, it doesn't mean that your future life will be smooth sailing. Business failures, career changes, and aging can all have a significant impact on life.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Today, besides being a voice actor, Lin Chen also started regularly editing audio for some podcasts, earning some extra income. As his skills become more proficient, his PPT price has also increased from 50 yuan per page to 300 yuan per page. His income has become relatively stable, and his life has gradually returned to normal.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

However, some things have changed forever. He still saves food, afraid of running out, and the "muscle memory" of his body and mind will not disappear.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Lin Chen believes he is very fortunate. After being beaten by society and seeing the true nature of society, he still has the support of family and friends, and he has the chance to start over. He understands that life cannot always be smooth sailing, and the important thing is to keep learning, adapt to change, and find your own path.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Lin Chen's story tells us that when facing difficulties, we should not give up easily. We should maintain a positive attitude, keep learning, bravely face challenges, and ultimately find our own happy life.

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Afterword:

From "Iron Rice Bowl" to "Passive Minimalism" at 37: Reflections After a Failed Business Venture

Lin Chen's experience may be a reflection of many people. We are all pursuing a better life, but reality is always full of challenges and uncertainty. Whether it is a failed business, a career setback, or any other adversity, we need to learn to grow in adversity and find our own value. Lin Chen's "passive minimalist life" may not be the best choice, but it reflects his ability to maintain a positive attitude, strive to live, and constantly seek new opportunities in the face of adversity. His story also reminds us that the path of life is full of unknowns, and we must be brave enough to try, and even if we fall, we must get up and keep moving forward.

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