Why I Combine Lecturing with Delivery Driving

When I give lectures at all-male high schools, there's a question they always ask: 'Writer, so what's your annual salary?' I've heard that people who earn a lot of money have a standard response: 'Enough to order without checking the price at a restaurant.' That's not me. Some people get angry at such rude questions, but I take the time to answer them sincerely. I tell them how much I earned from this job, how much I lost from that one, and how much I'm making now. I make a living through various jobs: writing books, giving lectures, running a bookstore and a publishing company, serving as the chairman of a nonprofit organization, and occasionally doing delivery driving. Not all of these pay well. It's fair to say that the only job that actually earns me money is lecturing. The lowest lecture fee I've received was mostly for reading clubs. Inside the thick envelope were letters (book reports) they had written. I knew there was no honorarium, so I went anyway. The highest fee was from a major corporation: 2 million Korean won for one hour. Of course, such opportunities don't come often—only occasionally, or sometimes. Once, a broadcasting station staff member told me about the lecture fee for a world-renowned scholar. He lives in the U.S. and charges over 100 million Korean won for a holographic lecture in Korea. When students hear about my salary from 10 years ago, they look disappointed, thinking, 'Being a writer isn't the way to go.' But when they hear about the high lecture fee from the corporation, their expressions change to determination: 'I'll become a writer too.' I tell them that my current success is just a brief stroke of luck. If people stop reading my writing tomorrow, no one will call me. But I also say that two attitudes can help sustain this luck: gratitude and humility. First, gratitude. No good thing that comes my way is because I'm great. One must always remember that nothing in the world is guaranteed. Second, humility. If you consistently maintain gratitude for your good fortune, it becomes humility. That's why I still do delivery driving. Sometimes, after giving a high-paying lecture, I feel gratitude and humility slipping away. But when I drive for delivery that day, I'm reminded, 'Money is really hard to earn.' I'm a weak human being who often mistake fleeting luck for my own ability and effort. I'm trying not to do that. I hope for the success of every student who questions me at schools. No matter what they ask, I'll answer sincerely with gratitude and humility. A teacher once said, 'Everything we do in school is for the students' growth.' Disappointed by a writer who got angry at a student's question about salary, he added, 'That's what he said.' I believe the same.