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 All You Need To Succeed in Japan ... For Free!

Published by
Richard Posner

Website
http://www.successinjapan.com 

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Thoughts From Above And Below

Nothing to Lose is a Losing Philosophy

“Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.” ~Kris Kristofferson~

Throughout our lives we hear and blindly believe many non sequiturs.  These nonsensical emphasizers' of speech can actually be destructive to our psyche at times, and often move us from a panic to a shipwrecked state in a flash.

One such phrase is "Go for broke," and its kissing cousin, "There's nothing to lose."

Think about it this way.  I want you not to think about pink elephants wearing yellow brassieres.  Your mind can't help but focus on what you are not supposed to think about: pink elephants with yellow brassieres.

In the same vein, when you say "Go for broke" or "There's nothing to lose," the dominant thought in your mind is "I'm broke" or "I'm losing or have lost."

If you say, "I don't want to be fat," your mind chews on the idea that you are fat, fat, fat! which makes you charge to the refrigerator to console yourself with a triple-layered pastrami and six cheeses sandwich, a quarter-pound of German potato salad, and Diet Coke to slosh it all down before going beddy bye.

Do not allow bubblegum, nonsensical, negative thoughts to reach the gate to your mind unopposed.  Be careful everyday of who and what you listen to.  That news report that tells you many people are being laid off can undoubtedly plant the seed which will lead to your firing.

Be aware every waking hour, and focus on what you want rather than what you don't want to come into your life.

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Japan Niche Opportunity of the Week

The Stage

A sign of an economically mature society is that old paradigms which encourage you to chase dollars/yen at the cost of family life and personal freedom loses its luster. 

In my 28 years of having taught Japanese businesspeople - mostly men - English skills, I have seen a gradual yet clear change in at least their attitude toward work. 

Of course, they may - for the sake of the almighty yen -  go through the motions of being a good worker with their nose to the grindstone. 

But in reality, they are  beginning to ask themselves the timeless question:  Is this all there is to life - the pursuit of money at the expense of all other aspects of joy?

"Karoshi” (death by overwork) used to be a topic which brought shrugs of resignation, but recently a new group of entrepreneurs such as Yoshie Komuro, trail-blazing CEO of Work Life Balance Co., Ltd., are providing counseling and coaching to burned out salaried workers.

The term “Work-Life Balance” (WLB) has become fashionable in the world’s second most vibrant economy.  No amount of money can by you extra hours in a day or a second chance at your kids’ first day of kindergarten.

The Opportunity

In my estimation, Komuro's stance is much too passive.  She wants to make sure workers rest more and get paid for unmarked overtime hours.

The real opportunity lies in teaching and coaching people to design their lives rather than work from the point of surrender and shoulder shrugs.

I believe their will be a huge paradigm shift in Japan as people begin to realize that lifetime employment and security are unattainable in a climate of international competition and increased outsourcing.

If you feel you have good life coaching techniques, this is your moment to shine in Japan.  Online coaching systems which leverage your time and the client's will work well.

Do You Want to Introduce Your Product or Service in Japan?  Looking for partners?  CLICK HERE.　

Empowering Japan Resources

Internet Security Specialists

Many of Japan's security firms do not offer English sites.  But I have decided to include some of them anyway.  Japan's biometrics market is expected to grow to 27.22 billion yen in 2010, as the technology is adopted for mobile phones, personal data assistants (PDAs) and ATMs.

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Business Treks to the Japanese Sticks

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry launched a first-of-its-kind bus tour to help a group of job seekers learn about small and medium-size companies in various parts of the country. The group of unemployed men and women, ranging in age from their 20s to their 60s, board a bus to take the tour intended to help their job-hunting activities. During the three-day trips, participants visit companies in various prefectures operating in various industries. They learn about the companies' work and tour their facilities, and also are able to submit papers to introduce themselves. METI will cover the bus fees and lodging for the trip, while the participants pay for their own meals. METI plans to hold about 100 such tours across Japan in fiscal 2009 through the end of next March, and anticipates about 3,000 participants. I see no reason why gaijins (foreigners) with proper visa couldn't participate, even if it raised a few eyebrows.

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Grave Tech

Grave stones with embedded bar codes?  Yup, leave it to the Japanese to innovate for even the dead.  When visitors visit the gravesites of their dead relatives, they can take a picture of the tag with their cell phone, etc. The code records all details of the deceased’s death, and also logs how many times the tag was scanned, so visitors know when other family members last visited the grave site.  I wonder if they CC it to the deceased in his nether world.

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Pricey Veggies Being Exported

An export company called Deko-Pon has defied the odds by exporting exotic vegetable packages to affluent Asians.  The vegetable basket gifts are priced from 10,000 yen and the sales are brisk.  I'm certain there would be many Japanese organic farmers who would like to participate in a dropshipping export program with such extravagant profit margins.

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Absolutely Magnificent Advancement in Mobility Technology

Honda is getting serious about making walking easier for the billions worldwide who suffer from mobility problems.  Get a glimpse of this amazing advancement:

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Putting a Charge into LED Lighting

Although the life time of LED itself is as long as 30,000 to 40,000 hours, the lifetime of its power supply is as short as 10,000 hours.  The newly developed power supply by Kaga Components Co., has a lifetime of more than 100,000 hours.  The 10,000 hours has been achieved by removing the electrolytic capacitor from the circuit which also helped with the power supply circuit downsizing. The product can be used with one to five series-connected LEDs with input powers of 100V and 200V and maximum output of 20V DC 300mA. It is equipped with an ON/OFF control function and an output short-circuit protection function.  The use of LED products is always music to conservationists' ears.

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Land Smarts

When investing in a business or land of a country, it is wise to investigate before buying on a whim or impulse.  The Ministry  of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has a white paper which could switch on your light.  Read it by CLICKING HERE

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This Week's Challenge

Each Day is a Gift

~Anonymous~

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room .... just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged, it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away, just for this time in my life."

She went on to explain, "Old age is like a bank account, you withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing."

And with a smile, she said, "Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less."

© Richard Posner . All rights Reserved Worldwide.