Are you satisfied with your life? Do you think that you live the life you want? Perhaps most people will answer ‘No’ or ‘Maybe’ to these questions. According to the National Statistical Office (NSO), the percentage of people who are satisfied with their lives stood at 33.3 percent in 2015, and only one out of three said they were satisfied with their lives. This rate is very low considering the level of South Korea’s economic development.

Even so, you don’t have to make the mistake of a hasty generalization that most people live unsatisfactory life. These days, like the YOLO (you only live once), more and more people follow their faith and live their lives. Of course, the number is relatively small compared to those who did not, but it is larger than in the past.

So why should we pursue ‘our own life’? I want to ask people who easily say easily the words, “Have a normal life like others.” It is foolish to present ‘only one way’ to people who attempt to do various things because they each have their own hidden stories, their own lives and personalities. Here is the story of two men who threw away their lives drastically and carved out their own lives.

    Charlie, he makes the dying family business a success.

Charlie has been constantly told by his father, who runs a shoe factory, that he should inherit the family business that he inherited for the third generation. But Charlie wants to get out of his hometown in rural Northampton, UK, and live a glamorous and wonderful life in the big city of London. However, due to his father's sudden death, he takes over the plant and runs it. Charlie suffers from business difficulties due to the continuing recession and price competitiveness with his competitors and laments that he lives a life he doesn't want from day to day. And then one day, he receives an unexpected offer from Lola, a *drag queen who sings in a club. The offer is to make a high heel for men. He is convinced that he can pioneer a new market by targeting a niche market through this. So, he reconstructs his crumbling factory when he makes 'Kinky boots' for men.

*a drag queen: a male who dresses as a woman and impersonates female characteristics for public entertainment.

    Charlie’s STEP ONE: The Kinky boots

What we need to know is that Charlie once suffered a setback in his unwanted life and this has actively led him in his own direction. The following is a song Charlie sings as he begins to create a new way of life.

"This is time for a shake-up, look at me wake up, taking control!

This is a new beginning, my gears are spinning, lets rock’n roll!

I may be facing the impossible, I may be chasing after miracles.

And there may be the steepest mountain to overcome.

But this is my step one."

    Lola, he bravely fights prejudice in the world.

Lola has known his gender identity and tastes since childhood, but under pressure from his father, who is a boxer, he becomes a boxer. However, Lola wants a stage where he can sing while wearing pretty clothes and high heels, rather than a field full of rough verbal abuse and fighting. In order to find his own life, he creates friction with his father and leaves the family and acts as a singer, the drag queen, in a club. Then one day, he fights with street gangs, and Charlie and he quickly become close as they help him. That's how Lola gives Charlie a huge business item called ‘King Kinky boots’ and acts as a reliable helper. Charlie's factory workers, however, hate Lola and make fun of him. Lola does not care about the social inconvenience of looking at Drack-driven.

    The Secret of Happiness Lola gives: JUST BE!

Lola continues to solidify his inner self without being frustrated by conflicts with his father and the humiliation from people around him. Lola, who has such a strong ego, tells the wandering people how to be happy.

"Pursue the truth. Learn something new. Accept yourself and you’ll accept others too!

Let love shine. Let pride be your guide. Change the world when you change your mind!

Just be! Who you wanna be. Never let them tell you who you ought to be.

Just be! With dignity. Celebrate your life triumphantly.

JUST BE!"

What is a truly happy life? Just live the life you want!

Charlie, who inherited a handmade shoes factory from his father, and Lola, who almost became a boxer after his father. Why would they want to live their lives by breaking away from the comfort offered by their family and exploring new, high-risk paths? The answer starts with the search for ultimate happiness. Charlie targets the niche market and finally becomes a successful businessman who lives the glamorous life he wanted at first, even though everyone tried to dissuade him. Lola also keeps his creed against the prejudice of the world and lives a truly happy life doing work he wants to do. Wouldn’t it be a truly happy life to find your ultimate dream and not give up your life even if you are frustrated by many trials?

We encounter lots of beings, existences, and countless others in life. And they suggest various advice and directions for our life. However, we should realize that we are all “alone” at the end of all life’s decisions in the long run. To improve the quality of life and happiness, let’s find what you want and plan your own life based on it!