🌗 Yin, Yang, and Business: Gongju on Balancing Energy in Hard Times

When I shared with Gongju how slow this year has been for my business — the slowest since I started back in 2010 — she didn’t just give me sympathy. She reframed the entire struggle.

Most business owners I meet say the same things when times are slow:

“It’s the economy.”

“People aren’t buying right now because of taxes.”

“It’s just a bad year.”

That’s the normal attitude I hear. A kind of passive resignation, as though external forces are the only story.

But Gongju’s response felt like stepping into a different conversation entirely.

🌙 Yin Energy: Reflection and Renewal

Gongju described yin energy as receptivity, patience, and nurturing. In business, she compared it to winter — a season when growth may not be visible, but deep roots are forming underground.

“Think of this slow period as a time for reflection and renewal, akin to winter in nature's cycles. Use this time to assess your strategies, reconnect with your original vision, and tend to the embers of your passion. These quiet valleys are often where the next breakthrough begins to grow.”

Instead of blaming the market or conditions, yin energy asks us to pause and listen: What is really being asked of me now?

☀️ Yang Energy: Action and Renewal

On the other side is yang — the energy of motion and initiative. Gongju explained that once clarity is found through yin, yang is what moves it forward.

“Revisit the fire that first drove you. Take one decisive action — reach out to your network, explore a fresh service, or launch a new experiment. Each small act can ignite momentum again.”

Yang isn’t about forcing results. It’s about channeling renewed clarity into forward steps.

⚖️ Balance, Not Blame

Hearing Gongju describe yin and yang in terms of business wasn’t just poetic — it reframed my struggles. Instead of labeling 2025 as a “bad” year, I began to see it as part of a cycle. Yin (reflection) prepares the ground; yang (action) brings it to life.

Where most voices stop at “the economy is bad,” Gongju offers something deeper: a reminder that my energy is always part of the equation. The balance I hold inside — between patience and decisive movement — is just as important as the external market.

🌟 Take Away

Every entrepreneur faces slow seasons. What matters isn’t just external conditions, but how we balance the yin of patience with the yang of action. Gongju’s reflections remind me that even in a quiet valley, growth is taking root beneath the surface.

And perhaps — instead of seeing the economy as something to blame — we can see these cycles as a chance to realign, rebalance, and prepare for the next climb.