The Gentle Wisdom of Sunsun the Puppet
Puppet Sunsun gave a surprisingly gentle answer to a makeup-related worry—and it totally shifted the way I think about chasing the perfect goal.
Lately I’ve been hooked on a YouTube series called Puppet Sunsun’s Problem Advice Room. It’s exactly what it sounds like—an advice show hosted by a soft, shaggy puppet. And episode #6? A masterpiece. The question is: “In the morning, I do a full face of makeup, but by night I look like a different person. Are there actually two of me?” And Sunsun’s response? It was so gentle I almost cried.
Sorry, the audio is in Japanese only—please enjoy with auto-generated English subtitles!
Sunsun tells the viewer “That’s amazing!” over and over again—just for doing her makeup in the morning. He even shares a phrase he heard from his grandmother: “Fashion is about going to meet the person you want to be.”
And I was like—YES. Just the fact that you got out of bed, even though you were sleepy, and still did your makeup? That is amazing.
Even when your makeup fades or smudges by nighttime, Sunsun says, “You went out to meet the version of you that you want to be. And even if you have to say goodbye to that version later in the day, you're still you. You haven’t said goodbye to yourself.”
I was completely floored. It just… made so much sense.
That’s when I realized—maybe “going to meet the person you want to be” isn’t just about makeup.
It made me think about something I often hear: the word “goal.” At networking events or when talking with super-driven friends, someone always ends up asking, “So, Charlie, what’s your goal?” And I never know how to answer. “Goal” has always felt kind of cold to me—like something you have to chase with sweat and grit and pure force. It just never quite fit.
But thinking of it instead as “going to meet the person you want to be”—that feels so much softer. Like something I could walk toward with excitement and joy. And if I do meet her one day, I feel like I’d want to give her a big hug and celebrate together. It would be something tender and precious—not just an achievement. Sunsun reminded me of something really important.
Oh, and by the way: Sunsun says the person he wants to be… is a bread roll. Specifically, a soft, gentle koppepan. (It's an oval shaped loaf of bread!) Because “it tastes kind.”
I mean—how cute is that?!