Author: Satoru Hirose

 

No pains without gains.
得るものがない苦労はない。

 

Quite often in our life, it is not easy to believe that “things will work out”.

Things usually won’t work out as we intended. We often get frustrated because we don’t see any result or progress as we originally planned.

Problem is, we don’t know WHEN and HOW things will work out. Oftentimes, things will work out much later than we expected, and in a different way from what we supposed.

You worked really hard, but your project miserably failed. You lost money and reputation. But you also got the experience that can save your fortune in the future.

You studied very hard, but you didn’t pass the exam. You disappointed people around you and with yourself. But you also got the self-discipline that can help you for the rest of your life.

Play the long game in your life and business. Your effort will eventually pay off — in the way that you can’t even imagine now.

 

 

Constraints boost creativity.
制約が独創性を高める。

 

“If there is no money, use our brain. And always assume we have no money.”

This was my motto when I was employed. To cut expenses and increase profits, I came up with many ideas. Even when the company gave me enough budget (which was rare), I tried not to spend money — until I found the best way to maximize our return. Of course I was not always successful, but having such limitations forced me to think deeply and creatively. And as a small business owner, now I have the huge benefit from the experience.

Our creativity weakens when we have many resources. It sounds odd, but is true in most cases. Because the ultimate source of our creativity is merely our brain, not resources around us. Once we depend on outside resources — consciously or unconsciously — the ultimate source starts losing its power.

Put some constraints on your work. Create them if you have none. Enjoy them.

Even when you have enough resources, leverage them by your own ideas. Don’t fully count on the resources. Because our great work only comes from within.

 

 

Saying NO is now new normal.
断ることは、いまや新たな常識。

 

When I was employed, I almost always said YES to everything I was asked to do. I thought that was the best way to prove myself. Until I noticed that it just helped others put me at their disposal.

Now that I am self-employed, I have to say NO to many requests from others. Otherwise my businesses can easily fall apart and I am going to be mentally ill. I need to focus on what matters most.

I’ve learned it from my old friend. What she does is against social norms in Japan. She is still employed but refuses to work after 6 PM. In the workplace, she is laser-focused and gets everything done by that time. She also refuses to accept friend requests from her boss on social media. She doesn’t drink at all on weekdays to stay focused. She is very good at saying NO to what bothers her.

We have so many distractions in life and at work. Without saying NO, we are always exposed to countless demands and requests from others. If we keep saying YES in a reactive way, we just put ourselves under the control of someone else. We have to say NO to say YES to what is vital to our life and business.

If you are quite uncomfortable to say NO, do small experiments. Start saying NO to small things with a big smile on your face. Or write a refusal e-mail in a cheerful way. And see how others react. You will notice that it doesn’t destroy a relationship immediately. Unless the opponent thinks of you as dispensable. How come we should continue the relationship like that?

Remember we always have a choice to say NO.

 

 

Start from giving.
与えることから始めよう。

 

“Always be giving” — we have to be careful about this concept.

Especially when a businessperson says this. Is that businessperson also ALWAYS giving? Of course NOT. If he doesn’t take any money from his customers or clients, his business will go bust.

So saying “always be giving” can be a brainwashing — to make people around him impressed, to make them supportive and to have them do something for him. For free or at insanely lower price. Because it’s all about “always be giving”.

However — it is always good to START from giving. Help others voluntarily or give something they want. And let reciprocity work for you — this is the social psychology we need to utilize.

There are people who always take something from others. But more than those, there are many people who appreciate what you do for them and will do something for you in return.

If we start from giving, we will eventually take back enough. But don’t expect it to happen. Just focus on figuring out what people around you really want.