Author: Satoru Hirose

 

Try until it resonates.
共感を生むまで試してみよう。

 

I see many people giving up on their idea without executing it. They often say, “Well, I think people wouldn’t like it.” I also see some people who make a huge bet on their idea without validating it. They would say, “Well, I think people will definitely like it.”

What both of them misunderstand is that, there are certainties even before they start something new — they think they have something right or wrong.

We are unable to know what people really like until we deliver our work to them. Or share our work with them. If someone says we always can, probably that person is trying to sell dubious marketing tactics to you. Even when we follow an effective marketing strategy, we need to observe how people react to what we deliver, and have to make adjustments to the strategy so as to make it work.

If you start or create something new, don’t even try to find the “right” answer from the beginning. Unlike school exams, there is no right answer when we start or create something new. It is we who will create the answer through careful observation and countless adjustments.

Keep trying until your idea starts changing people — and this world.

 

 

Your action tells us everything.
あなたの行動が全てを物語る。

 

I don’t know the recipe for big success, but I know the recipe for disaster: not taking action.

We often see people who complain about others or their situation. In fact, I did the same until several years ago. These people are also good at creating plausible reasons why they are so miserable. And at the bottom of their heart, they think they are right — they believe others or their situation need to change. The fact is, they are just trying to justify for their inaction.

When we truly believe we need to change, we neither complain nor talk; we just take action. Then take another action based upon the result of the previous action. We keep taking action until we think we become what we want to be. Or until we believe we change our situation as we wanted.

We’ll never be ready for the next step if we don’t take action. Other people or our situation won’t make us ready either. Only our action will make us ready and take us to the next opportunity.

Complaining is a sign of being passive. Stop complaining what happens to you — just make things happen by taking action.

 

 

Outshine your former self.
以前の自分より強く輝こう。

 

When your brain tells you that you’ve reached your limits, you actually have NOT — you still have a room for doing a bit more.

You can use that tiny room for anything. You can just complain how hard it is, think about quitting, or actually quit and do another thing. Or you can have your brain shut up and keep focusing on what you are doing.

Improvement often comes from doing a bit more. From going an extra mile. From challenging your former self. The outcome may not always be successful, but you will almost always get something meaningful from the experience. At least, you become a bit stronger than yesterday.

 

 

Thank you very much for your likes in 2016!

As many Instagrammers do, I’ve also created my 2016 best nine on Instagram. (Check yours here -> https://2016bestnine.com )

I had no idea about number of likes in 2016 until I created the best nine. I didn’t even care about getting likes on social media when I started using Instagram again in last May — with less than 50 followers. Most of them were dormant accounts of my old “friends” on Facebook, which I didn’t even remember who the heck they are. They never liked my photos.

But now, I have many followers who are kind and supportive. You are the driving force behind my daily creative practice. Thank you very much for being my followers. I really appreciate it.

I’ll continue my daily creative practice. I’ll keep trying a new thing even though it doesn’t end up with success. If something lets you down, come and see me struggling every day. I want you to know that there is someone who never gives up no matter what happens. If something makes you happy, come and share your positive vibes with us. That makes us happy as well.

Thanks again! 🙂

 

Here are the links to the 2016 best nine:

Doodle Card #76 – Real Leaders Lead

Doodle Card #225 – Practice Is The Real Work

Sketchnote #50 – 5 Rituals To Make You Motivated

Doodle Card #232 – Recharge Your Heart

Doodle Card #231 – Happy Holidays

Sketchnote #51 – 4 Easy Tricks That Will Make You Productive

Doodle Card #192 – Your Brain Makes You Happy

Sketchnote #52 – The James Altucher Show: Overcoming Your Worst Weakness

Doodle Card #228 – Be Reborn Every Day