九月：与自己对话的勇气
This episode dives into Jiuyue's personal journey of self-discovery, how she found the courage to engage in self-dialogue, and the process of continually adjusting her direction to align with new life goals.
Jiuyue, a Cornell University graduate in Developmental Human Psychology, initially had a strong desire to pursue a PhD and a career in research, driven by a "noble research ideal" and the aim to make a "big impact". After spending two years as a research assistant, she experienced significant psychological growth and began to question if a PhD was truly what she wanted or if it suited her personality. This pivotal realization, that "people can change," led to extensive self-reflection and even resulted in over 20 pages of written analysis. She had to confront "interfering factors" like the feeling of sunk cost in research and professors' encouragement, which initially made her desire to explore other paths feel "smaller".
Through this process, Jiuyue embraced a more fluid identity and consciously shifted her core values. Physical and mental health became her top priority, a significant change from its previous low ranking. Her understanding of altruism evolved to emphasize two-way communication with society, focusing on truly understanding the needs of communities rather than just providing resources based on her own assumptions. She now values "setting her own rules" and living in "unity of knowledge and action" (知行合一).
Jiuyue is now drawn to work with shorter feedback loops and is applying for a master's program in social work. She is particularly interested in developing culturally sensitive approaches to therapy. A key insight from her journey is that "you are always your own safety net," meaning individuals can trust themselves to adjust their course if a path doesn't work out, and that past experiences contribute unique strengths to new endeavors6. She encourages listeners to explore their paths with joy and courage, to focus energy on what they can control, and to prioritize self-care, like sleeping more when unhappy .
