Where does a child's 'power of excitement' come from? A story about how parents who want their children to be motivated might actually be stealing their excitement
I want my child to have the 'power of excitement'.
I want them to walk through life on their own two feet.
But I don't want them to fail. Parents always carry this contradiction. What became clear from the story of Masami Nagai, who built a career as a musician in Hong Kong, is that 'excitement' is not a talent, but something that grows in the 'margins.' It is something that parents' preemptive actions erase. It is what an exit strategy should truly protect. From the 20th NEXT2035 seminar, we have organized the 'true nature of excitement' that drives life.
Hello, I'm Betty, the real Mencius's mother.
I have moved for education four times and lived abroad for 14 years.
At NEXT2035, I continue to think about a 'life that can be re-chosen' together with parents and children.
The free continuous parent-child seminar that I co-host with Chikako Dean, 'Let's talk about money and work before you decide on your school of choice.'
The 20th session was held on January 25, 2026.
'Living through music—My story played around the world'
Speaker: Masami Nagai (Principal Double Bassist, Hong Kong Sinfonietta)
I will share with you the 'power of excitement' that became visible from Ms. Nagai's story.
To be honest,
I know almost nothing about the world of 'living through music'.
But after I finished listening,
what remained in my heart was not the story of music, but
'the true nature of the moment when a person starts to move'
.
Recommended for people who:
✔ Are parents who want their children to live proactively but end up acting preemptively
✔ Are thinking about career paths while constantly feeling anxious, wondering, 'Is this choice okay?'
✔ Are families whose children's schedules are packed before they know it with English, entrance exams, lessons...
✔ Want their children to have 'autonomy' but don't know how to engage with them
✔ Are parents interested in exit-strategy-based parenting but feel, 'What should I actually do?'
✔ Feel that their child hasn't seemed very happy lately
✔ Want to leave behind a 'life that can be re-chosen' rather than a 'correct route'
Action is not born from those who have everything prepared
This was the most impressive part of Ms. Nagai's story.
There wasn't a perfect plan from the start,
nor was there a guarantee that there would be no failure.
What there was,
・I want to try something
・I don't really know what it is, but it looks interesting
・Let's just move for now
a very simple and primitive feeling.
This is extremely important.
Many parents
Once preparations are complete,
once confidence is gained,
once the correct answer is in sight
people try to act only after that.
But in reality, it is the opposite.
Only those who take action will encounter the next view.
And along the way, connections are born.
Mr. Nagai's career was exactly that.
Paving the way in life with 'excitement'
So, how is that 'I want to try' feeling born?
Mr. Nagai said that even when he failed many auditions and couldn't see the future, he played his instrument with excitement every day. He said the word 'excitement' more than ten times.
Parents, honestly, this is what we wish for, isn't it?
We want our children to have the 'power of excitement'.
We want them to tackle various things with motivation, and
not follow someone else's correct answer, but
become children who can walk through life on their own two feet.
But at the same time, we don't want them to fail.
We don't want them to take detours.
We don't want them to get hurt.
We parents always carry this contradiction.
So then, how did
someone who has 'paved their way in life using excitement as a driving force'
cultivate that power?
Let's take another look here at
Mr. Nagai's 'way of bringing out the power of excitement'.
Excitement is not an innate talent
The conditions for excitement to grow are very simple.
・Not being too busy
・Not being stuck even if you fail
・Being allowed to choose for yourself
・Being able to return even if you go off track
In other words,
Having space.
Space in time
Space in the heart
Space for choices
Space to fail
This is completely connected to what we have been saying at NEXT2035
about 'exit-strategy parenting'.
The essence of an exit strategy is
not to put children on the path to a 'correct answer'.
It is to create a state where children can freely experiment.
Because that foundation exists,
people can take that 'uncertain first step' with peace of mind.
When parents get ahead of themselves, excitement disappears
Conversely, the moment excitement disappears is also clear.
It is when:
・You prioritize choices that avoid failure too much
・You fix the route based on parental anxiety
・You crush their intuition by asking 'What's the point?'
that this happens.
When parents get ahead of themselves thinking it's for the child's own good,
the child
'feels for themselves'
'decides'
'tries going off-track'
they lose all of these.
What we have seen many times at NEXT2035 is
the reality that those who choose proactively will return even if they break.
the reality.
Excitement
does not grow in places that are too protected.
It grows in places with space.
The one thing you can do today
As mentioned in Dean's article,
I have one thing to add as well.
Something I really want you to do today.
That is,
Write down one thing that you are a little curious about right now.
It doesn't have to be big.
It doesn't have to be useful.
It doesn't have to be related to your career path.
Do not deny it.
That is
the sprout of excitement.
The role of a parent is
not to cultivate that sprout into a 'correct answer,' but to create an environment where it won't wither.
Excitement is the engine that drives life
While listening to Mr. Nagai,
I kept thinking.
This isn't just about music.
This is about life.
It doesn't have to be perfect.
It's okay to be scared.
However,
People who trust their own senses and can take small steps are strong.
Those who can keep going are the ones who eventually become someone.
And what supports that
is the parent's exit strategy
and the family's OS.
What NEXT2035 is doing
is not skill education.
It is about leaving the child in a state where they can hold the steering wheel of their own life.
The next free parent-child seminar will be
the 22nd session, Sunday, February 15, 2026, 20:00-21:00
'Be water - Improvisation? Mind, Technique, and Body - Flexibility in comprehensive strength creates the future'
Speaker: Shinobu Noda (Dancer who works freely)
The next NEXT2035 will feature someone who embodies the idea that
'careers don't have to be a straight line.'
The speaker is
Shinobu Noda.
Her title is 'Dancer who works freely.'
……But in reality, she is:
Investment firm employee
Translator/Interpreter
Belly dancer/Instructor
Charity organizer
Hong Kong minority support
And in the past, she
studied archaeology at the University of the Ryukyus, and worked in
sales → Hong Kong expatriate → local job change → secretary and interpreter for a listed company → casino industry → investment firm → independent translator.
It is the exact opposite of the 'correct route' for a career.
But that is precisely why there are things that become visible.
'Be water'
Changing shape like water, never stopping the flow.
Noda's life is exactly this.
It didn't go according to plan.
Rather, it was:
・Tried going there
・Tried doing it
・Accepted when asked
・Continued because it looked interesting
It was the accumulation of those things.
But before she knew it,
Work
Language
Physical expression
Social contribution
Everything connected like a 'line', and
the current state of 'working freely' was created.
This is what NEXT2035 has been conveying all along:
'Exit-strategy parenting'
= 'A design that allows for re-choosing'
It is one of the completed forms of that.
Event Overview
🟢 22nd NEXT2035 Free Parent-Child Online Seminar
📅 February 15, 2026 (Sun) 20:00–21:00
🎤 Theme:
Be water — Improvisation? The flexibility of mind, technique, and body, and comprehensive strength create the future
👤 Speaker: Shinobu Noda (Dancer who works freely / Interpreter/Translator / Belly dance instructor)
💻 Held via Zoom / Participation is free
🎯 Target: Junior high and high school students and their parents (Adults may also attend alone)
We want these parents and children to attend
・Those who feel anxious because their future doesn't look like a single straight track
・Junior high and high school students who are unsure how to connect their 'interests' with 'work'
・Parents who want to leave their children with 'versatile skills'
・Adults who want to know that careers can be rebuilt
・Those who want to choose a 'life that can be updated' rather than a 'correct route'