Coach x Stylist
So! My plans changed rather suddenly today. Mami and I are actually in the process of looking for a place of our own, and we need a guarantor. The guarantor generally needs to be a family member or relative who is currently living in Japan, which leaves it up to Mami. She happened to get a call from her uncle this morning, who agreed to help us, and also asked us to come out to Chiba for Hanami. Since we didn’t really have another good opportunity to meet him, we cancelled our existed plans (but we still get to see Junko later in the week!) and went out for Hanami day 2!
It’s quite a task to get the entire process done because in Japan, there’s a lot more involved in renting that there in the US. For one, it’s pretty standard to have to pay a 礼金 (reikin, or gratitude fee, which you don’t get back) of 2 months’ rent, 敷金 (shikikin, or deposit, which you generally don’t get back) of 2 months’ rent, a commission fee of about 1 month’s rent, and a key and lock changing fee of about 15,000-20,000 yen (why it costs so much I don’t know). All that along with the first month’s rent. In our case we found a place with reikin and shikikin of 1 month’s worth each, but it’s pretty shocking, isn’t it?
After walking in a completely different direction form the station and then backtracking, we finally arrived at the Hanami picnic. It was a much smaller group compared to the day before, but it was really warm group of people. My highlight for the picnic was a little guy who was I think around 10 years old. He need a partner to play catch, and I, apparently, was the chosen one.
I’ve never been good at anything that involves catching and throwing a ball. In fact, I used to play softball when I was tiny, but I ended up quitting because I just felt like I had no talent. I still don’t think I have what it takes to get into the Major League, but I was a lot better today than I thought. I never thought that throwing a ball back and forth could ever be so fun. I didn’t get his name, but thank you! We’ll have to play again sometime.
After the picnic, Mami, her uncle, and I sat down for coffee and chatted for an hour or so. Her uncle, Asakawa-san, works at a publishing company, which actually seems quite interesting. He always has new and interesting content to work with because there are always new and different books being published.
After hearing about what my dreams were, he actually suggested something interesting. He said that recently, there’s been a “coaching boom,” which basically means that “coaching” has recently become a hot word. Personally, I love coaching as much as I do fashion, which is how I decided to become a stylist. He said why not cash in on the boom and put some extra emphasis on the coaching part? If I could go out and get a coaching qualification (apparently there is such a thing), it might really do a lot for my career. I could basically be a coach for people on two fronts. The outside (clothing) and the inside (as a life coach of sorts). If anything, the coaching part of it all would definitely allow me to command much larger fees from clients. He said he thought that what I am trying to achieve is a very fresh idea and thinks that I will do well.
It’s really amazing how many different ideas are out there. The more I get out and talk to others about what I want to do, the more and more the possibilities expand. While in the case of being a coaching stylist I might stray a bit from my dream to reach out to as many people as I can, I’m still very grateful to Asakawa-san for his input. Besides, I’m sure there will be plenty of surprises as I go on my way, and his idea might turn out to be perfect!
During around the second week I came to Japan, I actually visited Dale Carnegie Training Japan, which is in Shibuya. The president there, Craig Kirkwood, didn’t have a job to offer me but he had some truly valuable advice. He said that it was very important to have a clear vision of my dreams. Everyone wants to help a young person who gets up on their feet and actively pursues their goals. But if that person can’t even explain those goals, there’s absolutely no way that anyone can help. And so far, every step of the way, I’ve found that to be true. Thanks Craig.
I actually have nothing planned for the next few days, which is perfect. These last few days have really tired me out, so it will give me a chance to recover. That and it’ll give me some time to finish the “Getting Things Done” book and do some styling!
Oh and Nance brought it to my attention that so many different names are appearing in this blog that I probably need a cast list. I’ll have that tomorrow!
Categorized as Storyline
Telling people what your dreams and goals are, I think, is a must. You never really know if that person you tell knows an individual that can turn out to be very helpful for your success. I used to believe that the only way to get results is if you lock yourself in the shed, and study study study. It’s a great thing to do; you’ll have a foundation that can’t be paralleled by many. However, there is still the fact that one person cannot do it all. In one of the derek sivers video, he talked about how this one guy came to be the top in the electronic scene in new york, i think? Anyway, he asked the guy if he knew why he was the most successful, when there are other artists with the same talent. He explained to Derek that while other people were putting up flyers, booking all the shows, etc. He was busy meeting people that are the best at what they do, and most important of all loved what they do. So basically, while others were busy doing everything by themselves, this guy created a network of people that would do it all for him, with an exception of making music.
Getting an apartment is pretty ridiculous. At the same time, it assures that you have a stable income. If you don’t have money to pay for all of those things, you are probably not making enough in the first place. Still ridiculous though….Good luck finding an apartment. We’re trying to look for a new house, and it’s a pain. Hopefully I’ll get my own room. Sharing is just not cutting it for me.
Regards.
@Hiroaki
Wow, that story reminds me of some of the stories I read in the book that your dad lent Mami and me. ユダイヤ大富豪の教え、 which you currently don’t have at your place because I accidentally (ok on purpose) took with me to Japan. But besides the fact that it’s easier to get things done with the help of others, it’s a lot more fulfilling to be able to share the success with others as well! It doesn’t quite pay to be successful and alone.
We actually did find a pretty good apartment. I’ll have some updates on it later. Good luck on the house hunting on your side. I can imagine sharing doesn’t cut it. You have like zero personal space in that room.