He began reflecting and finally realized he had set his goals too high. He put away his diploma and applied for a job at a newspaper as an ordinary person, eventually being hired as a proofreader. Before long, the editor-in-chief noticed his talent: this humble proofreader could spot numerous errors in phrasing and grammar. He was then transferred to the advertising department as an editor.After some time, the editor-in-chief observed that he excelled effortlessly in this role too. He then transferred him to the current affairs department as an editor. Here, the editor-in-chief saw his innovative, precise, and profound insights in the layouts he designed and the manuscripts he edited—qualities unmatched by other editors. Only after receiving a newspaper award did he present his degree certificate to the editor-in-chief and recount his previous job-hunting experiences.The editor-in-chief was even more delighted and promptly promoted him to deputy editor-in-chief. Five years later, his position at this British flagship media outlet, The Times, was editor-in-chief. He was Sheng Meng. Remember the revolutionary mentor Lenin once said: "Retreat to leap forward."When facing formidable resistance and insurmountable difficulties, retreat is a form of agile thinking and mature wisdom—like pulling back your fist to deliver a more powerful strike. It transforms your weaknesses into strengths through withdrawal. When encountering obstacles on the path to success, why insist on hitting a wall? Why insist on crashing headfirst into failure? Why not take a step back and reconsider? Chinese professionals navigating the Japanese workplace might do well to ponder this too.