What kind of room are you in right now?
You have such a serious expression as you gaze at your smartphone screen.
Right now, I am speaking very important words, meant only for you.
What we are about to discuss connects directly to your life tomorrow—no one else’s.
It is for those moments when you are troubled at work.
It is for when you get anxious, wondering, “What should I do with my life from here on out?”
In that very second, the fog in front of you will completely clear up, and I will hand you a magical tool that makes the path you should take flash vividly into your mind.
Conversing with me like this brings you a massive benefit.
This is because you will no longer need to be swayed by other people’s opinions.
You will stand on your own two feet and gain the ability to control your own life entirely through your own power.
Picture it.
Yourself, waking up thrilled and excited in the morning, even before your alarm clock rings.
Yourself, completely unfazed by all the noise around you in a packed train, focusing purely on your own future.
The main character, through and through, is you.
Now, please relax and let your mind tune into my voice.
“I Still Feel Like an Amateur”—Aizo Soma Teaches You the Simple Secret to Breaking Conventions and Living True to Yourself
The world is overflowing with countless “laws of success,” isn’t it?
If you walk into a bookstore, rows of phrases like “business secrets” or “how to make it big” catch your eye.
You have surely encountered words like that at least once before.
But haven’t you grown a little tired trying to faithfully copy them?
Have you ever looked at them, let out a sigh, and thought, “I just don’t have that kind of talent”?
Here, let me share the words of a certain man with you.
His name was Aizo Soma, the founder of Shinjuku Nakamuraya.
He was a person who, just like you, struggled and agonized over how to live his life.
He said this:
“People in society ask me to share the secret behind Nakamuraya’s prosperity, or tell me to teach them the tricks of the trade, and each time, I am at a loss. Since I was not born into a merchant family, I know absolutely nothing of so-called traditional merchant secrets. If there is anything different about the way Nakamuraya does business, it is entirely my own creativity as an amateur—a style of knocking on a stone bridge before crossing it, and simply executing what I myself believed a merchant ought to do. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing that only I can achieve and others cannot.”
How about it?
Hearing these words, doesn’t the heavy weight deep in your chest feel a little lighter?
Professional techniques, industry standards—you don’t need to know any of that from the start.
Right now, in your own work and daily life, you probably have moments where you think, “If we did it this way, it would be so much more fun,” or “This doesn’t seem right.”
That very “amateur perspective” of yours is actually your greatest treasure.
You just need to execute what you sincerely, carefully believe “ought to be done” in your everyday life.
That is all it takes.
Special talent is not required from the beginning.
There is absolutely nothing you cannot do.
“I Want to Be Free”—Starting at Age 32, Blowing the Wind of Independence into Your Everyday Routine
How old are you right now?
Are you giving up on something, thinking “it’s already too late”?
A new hobby, a new job, a new relationship.
Are you deciding your own limits by telling yourself, “Starting now, I can’t compete with younger people”?
Aizo Soma spoke like this:
“Needless to say, the reason I aspired to go into business at the ripe age of thirty-two was because I was naturally averse to being an employee, and sought, above all else, an independent, self-reliant state of freedom.”
Don’t you think these words sound exactly like they are speaking for the inner voice of your own heart?
I don’t want to be tied down by a company.
I don’t want to be ordered around by others.
I want to decide my own life.
That “desire for freedom” is by no means selfish.
As a human being, it is a completely natural, utterly beautiful emotion.
Age 32. In today’s world, it might look like an even older age.
But age is just a number.
The very moment you think, “I want to be free,” is the starting line of your life.
Tomorrow, when you go to work, or when you do chores at home.
Try whispering to yourself in your mind:
“I am living this time by my own will.”
In that instant, the scenery right in front of you should change to look just a little brighter.
You are nobody’s slave.
You are the free ruler of your own life.
Stop Copying Others. Make Your Today a Special Day Belonging Only to You
Wearing the same clothes as everyone around you, using the same words as everyone else, staring at your phone just like everyone else.
Aren’t you a bit bored of that kind of daily routine?
Do you ever lie in bed at night, wondering, “What does it actually mean to be myself?”
Let me gift you another one of Aizo’s insights.
“Confucius said, ‘At thirty, I stood firm,’ but I entered the path of business for the first time at thirty-two. It feels just like yesterday, but thirty-seven years have already passed since then, and I turned sixty-nine this year. Yet, I still feel like I am an amateur. I think of Nakamuraya as an amateur shop even now. Born into a household with no connection to business, a person who grew up in a completely different field is running Nakamuraya quietly and steadily, never exceeding the bounds of an amateur. Because it is the work of an amateur, there is nothing flashy about it. However, this amateur did not walk this far by following behind others. Nakamuraya’s business is no imitation of anyone else.”
“No imitation of anyone else.”
Doesn’t this phrase pierce deep into your soul?
Your life is not a copy of someone else’s social media.
There is absolutely no need for you to imitate the “mindful living” or the “perfect successful people” you spot on TV or the internet.
It can be plain.
It doesn’t have to be glamorous.
The small daily actions you steadily choose based on your own senses.
Drinking coffee from your favorite mug in the morning.
Taking a completely different route on your walk home just for the sake of it.
Those unique choices, where you refuse to follow in the footsteps of others, are what transform your life into something extraordinary.
Picture it.
Yourself, falling asleep with a sense of fulfillment after finishing an original day that belonged to you alone, imitating no one.
Doesn’t that look incredibly comforting?
Opportunities Always Present Themselves to You Wearing the Face of a “Crisis”
Are you dealing with some kind of trouble right now?
A mistake at work. A tangled relationship. A sudden expense.
“Why does this only happen to me?”
There are nights when you want to hold your head in your hands and sigh like that, aren’t there?
When that happens, please remember these words. This is a decisive lesson that will drastically change your life from here on out.
“Opportunities always arrived at first either as a single crisis, or manifested as a heavy burden.”
Don’t you think this is incredibly true?
Try looking back at your past for a moment.
Because you went through that terrible heartbreak back then, you were able to meet your wonderful partner today.
Because you messed up big time at work back then and got reprimanded, you developed the strong skills you possess now.
Because you suffered through difficult human relationships back then, you became the kind, empathetic person you are now, understanding the pain of others.
The “annoying things” and “pinches” right in front of you now are actually gifts wearing the mask of a crisis.
When an event happens that makes you think, “Wow, this is the worst,” try giving a little smirk.
Think to yourself, “Ah, a massive opportunity has shown up pretending to be a crisis.”
The moment you can think that way, you win.
Instead of a version of you trembling at a pinch, you get to meet a strong version of yourself, navigating through the pinch with excitement.
Now, Let’s Begin Your New Story Together
How have you felt talking with me this far?
Don’t you feel a tiny light suddenly kindling inside your chest?
Even now, over a hundred years later, Aizo Soma’s words are living pieces of wisdom you can use exactly as they are in your daily routine.
- You can stay an amateur. Believe in your own senses.
- It is never too late, no matter your age. Seek freedom and stand on your own two feet.
- Do not imitate others. Even if it is plain, walk your own path.
- When a pinch comes, welcome it as the beginning of an opportunity.
This is the ultimate amulet you can use in your daily life starting today.
Tomorrow morning, when you open the door and step outside, your eyes will surely catch a different scenery than usual.
A tiny flower blooming by the roadside, the expressions of the people passing by, the color of the sky.
Everything is a stage prepared just for you.
You have every right to enjoy that stage to your heart’s content.
Let’s restart your life today—a life for no one else but you.
I am always right here, cheering you on.
P.S. An Artist’s Quote and Its Connection to Your Upcoming Story
Lastly, let me leave you with the words of an artist who deeply connects to your life. It comes from the great French sculptor, Auguste Rodin.
“Beauty is everywhere. It is not that our eyes lack something to see, but rather that our eyes fail to perceive what is already there.”
How do you think this quote relates to your current life?
Your boring daily commute. Your usual office desk. Your living room that never changes.
You might think, “There is nothing wonderful here.”
But that is not the case.
Right by your side, countless “seeds of beauty” and “seeds of happiness” are already scattered around.
The comfort of listening to your favorite music.
The warm evening light pouring through the window.
The fleeting smile a precious person showed you.
Rodin is telling you, “Take a closer look.”
Your daily life is already filled with so many wonderful things; you just haven’t noticed them yet.
It is exactly the same as the “amateur creativity” Aizo Soma spoke of.
Noticing the tiny changes around you and having the eyes to think, “Wow, this is interesting!”
Those eyes will turn your life into a thrilling, rich, and completely free piece of art.
Now, go ahead and look at tomorrow’s world with those wonderful eyes of yours, completely anew.