Reflections on Yota Nakamura's "The Miracle Brought About by 'Writing'"
Hello. I'm Cozy, a writer currently traveling around the world.
In this post, I will share my thoughts on "The Miracle Brought About by 'Writing'" by Yota Nakamura, an entry currently submitted to the "Creative Awards 2023" being held on note.
*You can find Mr. Nakamura's note here ↓
There are three main reasons why I am writing these thoughts on note. The first is that it was a wonderful piece of work, and I wanted many people to read it.
The second is that I wanted to support the creator by sharing my thoughts on the work. Beyond supporting Mr. Nakamura, I respect and want to support all "creators" in the world.
We have become far too accustomed to receiving information for free, but information is inherently valuable. Creators who produce work that has a positive impact on the world deserve more in return. One way to do that is to share your thoughts.
As a creator myself, the moment I am happiest is when I receive feedback from readers. So, I am writing these thoughts with the hope that a culture of supporting creators will grow.
The third reason is that after reading Mr. Nakamura's work, I wanted to record what resonated with me so I wouldn't forget it. I've written a lot, but this might be the biggest reason. In other words, I'm ultimately writing this note for myself (laughs).
That was a long introduction. Now, I will share my thoughts.
The Power of Taking Action Is Tremendous
The thing I felt most strongly after reading this work is that the power of taking action is incredible. It goes without saying that Mr. Nakamura's ability to take action is amazing, but I was struck by how taking action can lead to such miracles.
In 2010, when he was a senior in college, Mr. Nakamura planned a two-month bicycle trip across Europe during his summer vacation. To raise funds for the trip, he created a proposal from scratch and repeatedly made cold calls to companies. He ended up securing corporate sponsorships from 15 companies and individual sponsorships from 300 people, successfully completing the trip.
At the time, Mr. Nakamura was "a nameless college student with no money and no connections." From there, he made up his mind to achieve his goal of a bicycle trip across Europe, considered every possibility, took action one after another, and shared the process on his blog without holding anything back.
As a result, the bicycle trip was a brilliant success. One action leads to a miracle, and that miracle leads to another. In this way, Mr. Nakamura reached a place he hadn't even imagined at the start.
It wasn't that one single action led directly to one single miracle. While experiencing failures and setbacks, Mr. Nakamura just kept taking action. A miracle was born from many actions, and from there, he took further action, which led to new miracles.
Everything starts with action. Reading Mr. Nakamura's work made me feel that once again.
Be Faithful to Your Pure Desires
"Taking action is important." I hear that everywhere, but reading Mr. Nakamura's writing made me feel like my resolution regarding the word "action" has improved.
Mr. Nakamura's actions are purely genuine. There is no sign of calculation or pandering at all. I get the impression that he is doing exactly what he wants to do, without any clouding.
Before his European trip, during the summer of his junior year in college, Mr. Nakamura attempted a bicycle trip from his hometown of Yokosuka to Kagoshima. It is said that he received a message like this from a woman who read the blog describing that journey.
"Watching your challenge, Mr. Nakamura, reminded me that I had a dream I had given up on without even realizing it. I think I'll try to take on that dream once more. Thank you very much."
Mr. Nakamura received that message in the following way.
At first, I didn't understand why I was being thanked. I hadn't intended to encourage anyone at all; I was just doing what I loved.
But I realized that, as a result, I had been pushing someone forward.
I should just take action as my curiosity leads me. And I should just push through to the very end. If I satisfy my own pure desires, it leads to contributing to others.
Doing what you love with all your might ends up being for the sake of others.
You don't need to think about encouraging someone or conveying something. Simply satisfy your own desires. That, in turn, leads to pushing someone forward or making someone happy.
I myself am currently traveling around the world, but I felt like I was overthinking things. I want to follow my own pure desires more.
Because I believe that pure actions following one's desires are what surely invite miracles.
Living a life of good 'detours' by continuing to write
Mr. Nakamura learned the benefits of 'writing' when he started a blog while traveling by bicycle during his college years. After many twists and turns from there, he is now active as a freelance writer.
For the past three years, he has also been working on a writer training business. He wrote this piece out of a desire to 'increase the number of people who live rich lives through writing.'
The 10,000-character masterpiece, "The Miracle Brought About by 'Writing'," concludes as follows.
There are many things in life that don't go as planned. There are times when you fail or face setbacks. But looking back later, perhaps it is precisely in those 'detours' that the hints for living a rich life can be found.
Experiences that seem useless at first glance can sometimes be useful somewhere. Just as the blog I started to confirm my safety to my parents led to the path of becoming a writer. Just as having no money led to the valuable experience of 'gathering sponsorships.'
(Omitted) You never know how things will connect. That is why, when there is something I am curious about, I try to have the mindset of just doing it instead of worrying about this and that. Nothing might happen. But, perhaps, something might happen. That is what I have learned through 'writing.'
As a 'writer' just like Mr. Nakamura, I decided that I would continue to write from now on. Good things, bad things. I will write about everything, successes and failures alike.
Life is difficult. Honestly, it is full of things that don't go well. Even so, if you keep taking actions as your curiosity leads you and continue 'writing,' you should surely be able to live a life of good 'detours.' It was an essay that gives you that kind of courage.
＊＊＊＊＊
I posted it at the beginning as well, but here is the link to Mr. Nakamura's work again. Please do read it.
By the way, I am also applying to the 'Essay Category' of the Creative Awards. I would be happy if you could read that as well.
いいなと思ったら応援しよう！
最後まで読んでいただき、ありがとうございます！チップをいただけたら、海外マラソン挑戦費用に充てさせていただきます。