A New Path
I left the Self-Defense Forces and chose the path of a professional.
I had a stable future.
But I let go of that future by my own choice.
The day after I quit, the income I had been receiving every month was gone.
It was a start from zero.
—
No one pushed me forward
It's irresponsible, especially since you have a family.
I was told that many times.
Honestly, there was almost no one who encouraged me.
But you only live once.
For my own sake.
For my family's sake.
And for the sake of my juniors.
I wanted to challenge myself more and grow as a person.
That's why I decided.
If you have a place to return to, you can't move forward.
That's the type of person I am.
That is precisely why I eliminated my own retreat.
—
Days of continuous learning
After leaving the Self-Defense Forces, my days were filled with business meetings.
Wake up in the morning and practice.
Meetings at noon.
Practice in the afternoon.
Business dinners at night.
I wouldn't get home until before midnight.
I repeated that every single day.
But that time was never wasted.
Through that repetition, the number of people who empathized with my vision and supported me gradually increased.
At the same time, my own knowledge grew.
—
What value can I provide?
Around that time,
I started thinking,
What can I do?
The only experience I had with earning money was a part-time job in high school.
Since then, my life had been all about fencing.
So, I had almost no experience in thinking for myself, creating value, and getting paid for it.
I'm sure many athletes currently competing feel the same way.
I kept thinking.
What do people find value in?
Why do they pay money?
I want to see them again.
I want to ask them again.
What is necessary to make people feel that way?
—
Thinking alone changes nothing
But just thinking doesn't change anything.
What changes things is action.
And reflection.
Consistency.
I just kept running the PDCA cycle.
When I didn't know something, I honestly said,
I don't know.
Because pride gets in the way of growth.
It's faster to ask than to pretend you know.
Now is an era where you can ask not just people, but AI, and get clear answers immediately.
That's why I believe it has become an era where it's easier to deepen your understanding.
—
The strength of relying on othersI challenged myself with everything I could do.
And during that time, I met an important partner who supports my life.
I believe he will continue to be an irreplaceable presence for me, both now and in the future.
I intend to keep relying on him without hesitation.
Athletes are not good at relying on others.
That is exactly why you should rely on them with all your might.
There is a limit to what you can do alone.
But with teammates, you can go much further.
I still don't have much to give back to him.
That's why I want to become a better person and repay him.
That is what I think.
—
Giving shape to my thoughtsThere is an important event that I have built up together with him.
It is the
Yamada Yu Cup
held in my hometown of Toba.
This tournament is filled with many of our thoughts.
Next time, I will write about why we hold this tournament.
And what kind of thoughts we put into continuing it.