If you want to strike fear into my heart, ask me this question in a professional setting: "So, what is your 5-year plan?"

My mind immediately goes blank.

For most of my career, whenever someone asked me that question at work, I would get nervous. I knew I was being judged. I knew that if I didn't have a comprehensive "master plan to conquer the world," I would be labeled as "unambitious" or lacking drive. So, I would make something up. I would string together corporate buzzwords just to make myself sound less stupid.

There was only one time I told the truth. I was working at a famous international architecture firm in Hong Kong, and a senior design director named Eddie had flown in from Canada for a project. He was an incredible mentor, and I felt safe enough with him to drop the mask. When he asked me about my 5-year plan, I just looked at him and said honestly, "I don't know."

Instead of judging me, he immediately validated it. He said, "Yes, it's very difficult to figure out."

It took me years to realize that my lack of a 5-year plan isn't a weakness. It is actually the core of my superpower.

The Accidental Rise

If you look at my life on paper, or through the eyes of my friends back home, I am a success story. I left my hometown, settled in major global cities, saw the world, and spent nearly 20 years grinding in Taipei, New York, Shanghai, and Hong Kong as a Senior Project Manager and Associate Director for renowned international design firms.

But if you could look inside my head, you would find it was incredibly chaotic. I never seriously thought about my career direction because I simply didn't know how to plan. I was clue. less. I spent a massive portion of my life trying to figure out the purpose of life, and I never really found it. So, I decided my only goal was to be happy. I spent money when I had it, I traveled when I had the time, and I had absolutely zero retirement plan—even though I am known among my friends for being good at math and planning.

So no, I didn't strategize my way to the top with a comprehensive plan; I just walked and watched. And then, walking along one day, I realized I had accidentally reached a high-level position as a senior manager. I realized I understood a lot of things, and I had become the person everyone talked about as, "If you have a problem, go ask Sophia."

That was the moment I began to understand my superpower.

The Weakest Superhero

Traditionally successful people—the visionaries with 10-year roadmaps—have a high chance of being "Cursed Experts" (suffering from the Curse of Knowledge). Because they are naturally gifted or highly strategic, they expect beginners to just do it. They cannot understand why others find it difficult.

But when junior staff came to me for help, I realized I understood exactly why they were confused. Because I used to be that clueless person. I didn't get to my position because I was a genius who was born knowing everything; I got there by stumbling, hitting walls, and figuring things out step by step. I was the kid who had to learn how the real world functions from absolute zero.

I call myself "The Weakest Superhero."

Because I had to learn things the hard way as an adult, I possess deep empathy for the beginner. Take sports, for example. I was never a sporty person and was actually very clumsy. I had to start with the most basic things—how to squat, how to stand properly—things that athletic people think are incredibly basic, I didn't know at all. So I started from scratch. From being very stiff and unable to do any poses correctly, to becoming a certified yoga instructor, it was a very long process. But because I walked that path, I will never ask you to do a full split at the beginning of class today. I know exactly why you can't do those poses, because I used to be you.

If we talk about work, I discovered that large corporations are essentially mini versions of the real world (the capitalist world). Because of this, I understood how the real world functions and learned to see things from different angles. For example, I had to learn to understand why executives ask certain questions, and how to package my own questions so people would actually bother to listen to me. By the time I became an Associate Director, I saw younger staff stepping into management roles and constantly getting yelled at. So, I designed several training courses to teach them contract and financial skills. Crucially, I designed these courses using their way of thinking, rather than looking down on them from the critical perspective of a senior executive.

Because I understand "the weak," I possess Friction Empathy. I know exactly where the average person is going to trip. I know how to design the workflow to remove the friction. I am a "Translator."

Navigating by the Compass

I don't think like traditionally successful people, and I don't operate on a 5-year timeline. I am inspired by the things happening right here, right now. I step into the chaos of "today," feel the friction, and build a bridge so others can cross safely.

Ultimately, I completely left the corporate world. I gave myself a Gap Year, using that opportunity to travel in Europe and Thailand for 4 months. I learned to completely trust my intuition, and came back to build the life I actually want. Now, I teach design students, curate community events, and am actively experimenting with AI to see if I can build a business out of it.

I navigate by my compass, which is my heart, my instinct, my gut feeling. Not a clear road map. I am not making big bucks right now, but I know my mind and heart are incredibly full.

Welcome to my blog. Let's float with the wind and see where we land.