Portfolio

 

Stand out.
人目に付こう。

 

There are only two ways to stand out in a crowd:

1. Do different things; or
2. Do things differently.

Standing out, or being a standout, doesn’t always mean you are successful. Or you will be successful. But it’s a prerequisite for any kind of success in a business world—if you don’t get noticed in a market, you’re pretty much non-existent.

Being laughed at is much better than being ignored, especially if you want to put a dent in the universe. Go out, be different, and never settle for the average. We’re all here to stand out.

 

 

Let our brain work.
アタマを働かせよう。

 

In a bad workplace, people are often judgmental.

They judge things as right or wrong with inadequate information. Most of the time, that’s simply because it’s easy to do so. They also love stereotyping. That’s how people avoid any kind of trouble in such an environment—cutting corners is often the best way for them to keep them safe.

Similarly, our brain loves oversimplifying things. That’s how our brain saves energy, but we often have to interrupt it—because labeling and oversimplification can make us dull.

Let our brain work keep working with sufficient information. That’s the only way to avoid a real trouble—stupidity.

 

 

Stop waiting for luck.
幸運を待つのは止めよう。

 

Luck is not an event; it’s context. Lucky people are those who believe they’re lucky.

For example, some people feel lucky to have a decent job, but some people think they are not lucky if they don’t have the position of CEO.

Luck is something we make our own. And it’s not something to be measured by other’s criteria. Stop waiting for the ‘luck’ that someone else has defined; create your own yourself.

 

 

Turn the tide.
流れを変えよう。

 

In our life, there is no turning back. Literally. We are getting older minute by minute, and there is no way to reverse time. We only have two options—use time or lose time.

But even if you think you’ve been poorly using your time, there is no need to regret. It’s just another waste of your time.

We can always start anew. Adopt a new belief, and do what we want to do from scratch. There is no turning back, but we can always turn things around.

 

 

Be sure you know enough.
十分に知ろう。

 

Over the weekend, I learned how to use Adobe Photoshop at Lynda.com—quite intensively.

I sometimes used Photoshop in the past, and I thought I knew what the application is for. But I was completely wrong; what I knew about the application was just the tip of the iceberg.

As Goethe once put it, knowing is not enough; we must apply. But before that, we have to be sure whether we know enough about something we need to know. Otherwise, our creative capability would be quite limited than what it can be.