๐ Introduction
Many students and young adults struggle silently with anxiety, procrastination, laziness, lack of motivation, academic pressure, regret, and uncertainty about life. Even highly talented individuals can become trapped in cycles of overthinking, emotional exhaustion, self-doubt, and repeated failure patterns.
This meditation testimonial shares the story of Mark K., a research professor in the Department of Physics at Korea University, who once struggled deeply during his years at KAIST.
Although he entered one of Koreaโs top science universities after graduating from a science high school, the sudden freedom of university life led him into years of wandering, gaming addiction, procrastination, academic decline, and emotional emptiness.
He repeatedly experienced the painful cycle of anxiety, regret, and self-criticism:
Wanting to change, but continuously falling back into the same habits.
Through meditation and deep self-reflection, however, he gradually learned how to let go of anxiety, regret, laziness, overthinking, and the restless mind itself.
As his mindset fundamentally changed, studying became enjoyable again, his motivation naturally returned, and his life direction became completely clear.
This meditation testimonial beautifully illustrates how inner change can transform academic performance, self-discipline, emotional stability, confidence, motivation, and oneโs entire outlook on life.
๐ฌ Meditation Testimonial: โThe Secret to Living Without Regret? The Answer Is Inside the Mindโ
By Mark K. | Research Professor, Department of Physics, Korea University
๐ง๏ธ I Wanted to End the Endless Cycle of Anxiety, Regret, and Wandering
After graduating from a science high school, I entered KAIST.
And almost immediately, my life began falling apart.
Until then, I had spent my entire life following tightly structured schedules and simply doing what I was told.
But university life felt completely unfamiliar.
At first, the freedom felt exciting.
But as time passed, I gradually lost interest in studying altogether.
I began questioning everything:
โIf people die anyway, then why live so fiercely competing against each other?โ
Little by little, my wandering grew worse.
I overslept constantly, spent most of my time gaming, and rarely attended class regularly.
Yet whenever exam season arrived, I became overwhelmed with anxiety and pressure about grades.
Then after each semester ended, I would sink into intense regret.
โWhy did I waste my time like that?โ
I kept trying to encourage myself:
โStarting tomorrow, Iโll work hard. If I really try, I can do better than anyone.โ
But once a new semester started, I repeated the exact same cycle again.
Regret kept piling up, and my confidence slowly disappeared.
Eventually, I became so hopeless that I started thinking:
โMaybe studying just isnโt my path.โ
That was how I spent three full years.
My grades continued falling until graduation itself became difficult.
Then, during the second semester of my junior year, my father recommended this meditation to me.
And I decided firmly:
โIโm going to break this vicious cycle.โ
Because deep down, I knew that unless my mindset fundamentally changed, I would continue living exactly the same way forever.
So I took a leave of absence for an entire semester and focused completely on this meditation.
๐ฟ After Letting Go of My Mind, My True Nature Naturally Emerged
As I let go of the mind through this meditation, something inside me naturally began opening.
Even philosophical questions that had troubled me for years started resolving one by one.
And honestly, it felt as though I had gained the whole world.
Maybe it was because I finally found answers to the most fundamental questions of life.
Naturally, my years of wandering came to an end too.
When I returned to school afterward, the very first thought I had was:
โLife is actually so simple.โ
If you simply do your best where you are, results appear exactly as they should โ without error.
And for the first time, I truly believed I could live according to that truth through actual action, not just theory.
๐ I Overcame Laziness and Finished My PhD in Only Three Years
Through this meditation, I shook off the endlessly sluggish body and mind that had weighed me down for years.
It honestly felt like growing wings.
To recover my low GPA, I had to retake many courses and once took as many as 28 credits in a single semester.
But strangely, it did not feel difficult at all.
For the first time in years, studying itself became enjoyable again.
Because my mind had more freedom and stability, I could even work part-time at the same time.
And despite carrying a much heavier workload than before, my grades became far better than when I had only taken 12 credits.
Eventually, I entered graduate school at KAIST โ something I once could not even imagine for myself.
The changes in my daily life were just as dramatic.
Before, whenever I had something important to do, I would desperately search for excuses to avoid it.
I would overthink, procrastinate, and delay things until eventually regretting it later.
But at some point, I realized my body had started moving before excuses even appeared.
The word โlazinessโ no longer had anything to do with me.
And perhaps because of that transformation, I was able to complete a PhD program that normally takes four to five years in only three years.
๐ โNow I Feel Excited About the Future Instead of Afraidโ
Soon, I will leave for Stanford University as a postdoctoral researcher.
In the past, I would have been overwhelmed with fear and anxiety:
- โWhat if I fail?โ
- โWhat if I canโt do well?โ
But now I feel completely different.
Instead, I simply feel excited about the new environment ahead.
Because now I know:
No matter where in the world I go, I can live fully and without regret.
