The Power to Create Something from Nothing
There was a boy who lived in a small village. His family was very poor, and he only had six colors of paint. However, by mixing and experimenting with those limited colors, he created an infinite spectrum. The paintings he created with those colors eventually captured the hearts of many people, leading the boy to become a world-renowned painter.
Hearing this story reminds me of my own youth. I, too, did not grow up in a very privileged environment. My father changed three times, and the family business went bankrupt. During high school and college, I spent all my time working part-time jobs, and I cannot recall a single 'memory of youth.' Even so, when someone at my workplace would treat me to a 50-yen coffee, it truly warmed my heart.
To be honest, there were times when I envied those who were supported by their parents and living happily. But even while harboring such feelings, I learned to accept my situation at the time and find ways to discover my own joy and pleasure. It is like the feeling of having only a few paints but experimenting with them to create new colors.
Finding your own way within limited conditions—that accumulation of experiences is what has shaped who I am today. If everything had been exactly as I wanted back then, I surely would not have developed this perspective.
Just as the boy used his six colors of paint to create infinite hues, I believe we always have the chance to test how wonderful a future we can paint with what we have.
It is okay if you cannot look back and say, 'My youth was great.' I believe that from here and now, you can paint whatever picture you like on the canvas of your own life. The power to dream can be born from any situation. Precisely because it is a painting made with limited paints, it is sure to move the hearts of those who see it.
This also overlaps with the story of Ichizo Kobayashi, a man once called a 'good-for-nothing salaryman.' He jumped into the business world at the age of 38, and instead of thinking, 'I cannot do anything because I have no money,' he used ingenuity and passion to build the Hankyu-Toho Group and Takarazuka (Hankyu Hanshin Holdings). Kobayashi's words carry power.
'Those who say they cannot do business because they have no money will not succeed even if they have money.'
I believe this statement is a message that even in the most difficult situations, we have the power to carve out a new future through our own wisdom and actions.
Like this boy and Ichizo Kobayashi, we too possess the power to use what we have to innovate and make our dreams come true. What is important is not to lament your current conditions, but to think about how to create from them. Age and circumstances do not matter. I believe it is never too late to have a dream and to take action.
If each person uses the six colors of paint they have now and paints the canvas of their life with their own unique colors, I am sure they will be able to create something.