"You can't do it? We just haven't found a way yet!"
A new essay by blind Wall Street analyst Shin Soon-kyu

The book "Think You Can Do It and Find a Way" by Shin Soon-kyu, the world's first blind Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) who studied at Harvard and MIT and worked as an analyst on Wall Street for 31 years, has been published by Panmidong.
This new essay, published four years after the bestsellers "Things You See When You Close Your Eyes" (2015) and "Things Glowing in the Dark" (2021), honestly and cheerfully contains insights gained from working on the front lines of global finance and a positive philosophy that overcomes obstacles.
In particular, the author's speech, which resonated worldwide at the 'International Festival of Music for the Blind' held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on September 16, 2025, and the vivid behind-the-scenes story of how the event was made possible are included at the end of the book, delivering a powerful resonance to readers.

Visual impairment is an unchangeable reality for me.
Does that mean we should just stand by helplessly as the world rapidly deteriorates due to this disability? I believe otherwise.
There must be something I can do.
Spreading hope to my neighbors, near and far, living in the 2020s is something I can do even without a miracle of regaining my sight.
Understanding and embracing one another can begin in the small community we belong to, such as our family, church, or workplace.

--- p.12

I believe I can do anything and I try to find a way.
But as the Bible says, we must leave our parents.
Whether it's in your neighborhood or hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Economically and psychologically, we eventually live our lives leaving our parents and sending our children away.
There seems to be no clear solution to this fateful and sad thing.
However, we can only do our best for each other in our current situation and live with each other in our hearts and actions until we can do so.
--- p.21

Although these opinions may seem contradictory on the surface, I have long believed that both sides can be valid.
Concerns about the residents of an area that suddenly became a battlefield.
Young people who go into battle to protect their country or according to the decisions of political leaders.
People who become orphans or refugees due to war.
Grief for those who have lost their lives, health, property, and even their very reason for living.
The feeling of helplessness that there is little I can do, and yet the responsibility to do something.
Even amidst these mixed emotions, the time comes when I must sit at my analyst's desk and faithfully perform my assigned duties.
--- p.31

I asked myself for several days.
What am I making and living by?
Ultimately, what I 'create' is more valuable than the business analysis data or articles I write, and that's relationships.
I felt that my relationship with my wife, my relationship with my children, my relationship with my family, friends, and colleagues should be given more priority.
Because I believe that caring for, being considerate of, and caring for people is an art that only humans can do, requiring hard work and sacrifice.
--- p.37

My favorite poet, Robert Frost, said that "doing well" is more important than "doing good."
This wisdom will serve as a guide for me to help my friends.

--- p.123

One day, a few weeks before the wedding, my mother-in-law asked me:
When will I be able to get my eyesight back?
Having lost the sight in both eyes to glaucoma and retinal detachment, I couldn't bring myself to tell the truth.
So I said the number that came to mind spontaneously: 10 years.
I blurted out those words, thinking, 'Surely you won't believe me,' but my mother-in-law seemed relieved by them.
Since then, my mother-in-law has been telling many people that in 10 years, medical technology will have advanced so that my son-in-law will regain his sight.
--- pp.124-125

It may be human nature to want to hear only what we want to hear and ignore ideas that are offensive.
But when it comes to making investment decisions that affect your family's financial well-being, you need to be willing to listen to someone who tells you that your thinking is fatally flawed.
Especially when it comes to investing, it's a lot like falling in love, so you have to be constantly on the lookout for WIIW signals, or "what if I'm wrong?"
As Warren Buffett says, there are two rules to investing.
Rule 1: Don't lose money.
Rule 2: Don't forget Rule 1.
--- p.161

Living life by leaving only a few important things and treating everything else as trivial and not taking it too seriously.
If only I could do that, the cries of politicians, religious leaders, and influencers would have little influence on my feelings or choices.
I really thought that if I could live like that, I could live a peaceful and satisfying life.
--- p.278

Within seconds, I realized I was being critical of other people's choices.
In English, there is an expression, “holier than thou.”
It refers to the attitude of thinking that I am a better person than you.
I donate money to those in need, and there is nothing more arrogant than thinking that someone else spends/wastes 15 times that amount on themselves.
I felt the need to resist the urge to praise myself for doing good deeds with good intentions or to put others down.
--- p.291

What we're doing here today isn't simply showcasing the music of a few exceptional artists who see the world through different eyes.
Of course, their music is beautiful and moving, but our larger goal is to show the world that when humanity works together, what was once thought impossible can become possible, feasible, and even commonplace.

--- p.313