The End of the Career Journey: The Decision to 'Take the Helm' of Your Own Life

I want to talk about the end of the career journey.

When I graduated from university, I wanted to master a single field.
The keyword that resonated most with me was being one-of-a-kind.

I genuinely wanted to reach the pinnacle of a specialty, stand in an independent position, possess a refined brilliance, and be an 'only one' existence.

During my job search, I looked back at my past and desperately searched for that field.
I loved soccer and was immersed in it from kindergarten through university. In that time, I felt the limits of my physical ability and my limits as a player, but at the same time, I realized I was strangely interested in the process of working toward a goal.
The changes in people and teams, physical changes, and changes in consciousness. I realized I had a desire to know the mechanisms behind them.

At university, I studied organizational behavior and psychology. It is a field that attempts to scientifically unravel the changes in people and organizations.
I loved this field immensely. I wanted to know the untapped potential of humans and how people change.

Choosing to turn 'interest' into a 'profession'

Job hunting is the process of forcibly connecting those interests with what society calls professions.
When I tried to adapt my interest—the changes in people and organizations (teams)—to the world, the conclusion from my narrow perspective at the time was the single option of 'Human Resources'.

As if guided, I took a job in HR, and more than 15 years have passed before I knew it.
As an in-house HR professional and as an HR consultant, I have walked the path of HR while changing its form.

Reuniting with my true self: Re-questioning myself

I look back now.

Regretting why I didn't ask myself such a simple question for so long, I am thinking about what I should dedicate the rest of my life to.

Career design calculated backward from the end point

Work that involves witnessing human change, unraveling those mechanisms, giving shape to my own desires, and contributing to the world in that field.

I had become too accustomed to adapting myself to the mechanisms of the world and had neglected to look at my true heart.

It is okay to be freer. I am aware that this comes with responsibility for my own decisions.
I will be 40 soon.
Unless I decide to go all-in and bet the rest of my life on this, I will continue to have the same regrets.

A decision only takes shape when you put it into words and convey it to yourself or someone else.
There is, of course, the fear of losing what I have built up.

But when I imagine the scenery at the end of my life, I can see what I need to do.

With what emotions do I want to end my life? What kind of scenery do I want to see?
A career is a track; it is the path I have walked and the path I should walk in the future.

I decide the turning points myself. That is what it means to take the helm of your life.

Now that I have noticed the discomfort in the path I have taken so far, there is no doubt that this is a turning point.
It takes a lot of courage to say this definitively.
It is scary to change the future, which is an extension of the past, at this very moment.
I think that feeling that fear is what makes us human.

However, if you want to end your life with a beautiful view, you must change course.

Today as a Turning Point: Independence Day

I decide now.

The work of witnessing human transformation is often described in the world as coaching.
However, the name seen from the outside does not matter.
I will not remain within the framework of the job called coaching.
I will face human change with sincerity, earnestly support those who seek to create change, and dedicate all my past experience and abilities, as well as my future time and effort, to improving the lives of those people and the people who are important to them.

I record today, the day I decided this, as my Independence Day.

I am putting an end to the version of myself that was vaguely aware of this but too afraid to take the first step.
Now that I have declared it, there is no choice but to move forward.
Once you have declared it, most of the fear dissipates.

Into a New View: Conclusion

All that is left is to move forward.
It will get busy from here on out, and there may be confusion.
Even so, I am looking forward to it immensely.
When I wake up tomorrow morning, I should see a new view.

If you are currently:

・Achieving results but feeling somewhat exhausted
・Anxious about whether you should continue working this way
・Actually wanting to work with more margin in your life

If you feel this way, please stop for a moment and visualize your current state.

I have prepared a 3-minute 'Executive Wellness Diagnosis'.

In this diagnosis, you can check not just your health status, but also:

・Your Executive Wellness type
・Factors currently lowering your performance
・Priorities for improvement
・What to organize first
・Habits you should avoid

You can confirm these on the spot.

What is needed to continue producing results is not to try harder, but to set up a system that prevents exhaustion.

▼ Take the free 3-minute diagnosis

After the diagnosis, those who wish to receive a more detailed improvement plan or individual guidance can receive it via LINE.