Rewriting past setbacks as a 'necessary process': A new attempt at the Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant certification

As 2026 begins,
what kind of goals have you set for yourselves?

Before I share my own goals,
I would like to talk today about some 'unfinished business'
that I am determined to complete this year.

1. The 'reference book' that has always been somewhere in my heart

In the corner of my bookshelf,
there are thick reference books
that have been frozen in time for several years.

'Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant'.

There was a time when I once
studied with the goal of obtaining this certification.
However, making excuses about how busy I was with work
or the mock exam results that didn't improve as I had hoped,
I put down my pen before I knew it...

Every time I saw dust accumulating on those books
without ever reaching the goal of passing,
a small sense of defeat would prick at my heart.

It was a challenge I had covered up,
telling myself, 'It just wasn't for me.'

That was the reality for me until now.

2. With the 'me of today,' the view should be different

However, over the past few years,
as I have been entrusted with leading various teams as a leader or PM,
the situation has changed.

While being required to solve problems on-site
and act in a consulting capacity for clients,
I have increasingly felt,
'If I had the knowledge I tried to learn back then,
I could contribute more deeply.'
The other day, during a big cleanup, I opened those old texts

for the first time in a while.
The management theories that seemed so difficult years ago

strangely linked with my current work experience,
and I had the sensation of them sinking right into my mind.
'Ah, maybe that setback back then

wasn't a waste after all.'
The knowledge that my former self had viewed as mere rote memorization


now looked to me like 'a weapon to save the front lines.'
It was precisely because I took a new step
as a PM three months ago
that I felt I had found the 'true meaning'

in challenging this qualification once again.

3. Core insight: Re-challenging is about saving the 'past self'

Through this challenge,
I have gained a definitive realization.

'Going back to grab a dream you once let go of is the act of rewriting a past setback from a "failure" into a "necessary process."'

I cannot change the fact that I once gave up.

But by 'tackling it in earnest' from this moment on,
I can turn the time I spent studying in the past,
and even the days I spent struggling with failure,
into important foreshadowing for passing the exam.

People might say it's 'too late.'
But because I am the one driving projects now,
there are things I can learn.

Forgiving my past self and believing in my current self,
having the courage to face this 'incomplete task'
once more was the greatest harvest of all.

4. In 2026, won't you come with me to retrieve our 'lost items'?

This year, I will once again
tackle the Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant exam in earnest.

Balancing work and study is not easy,
but just like this note I update daily
or my muscle training,
I intend to build it up one step at a time.

If you also have something
'you gave up on long ago,
but is actually still weighing on your heart,'
why not swallow the words 'it's too late'
and try knocking on that door just one more time?