When I was 20s, I went shopping at the mall. After shopping, I visited a Mercedes-Benz’s showroom and I got a catalog. Its first page said “The best or nothing” in German. It was impressive and became my favorite words.“The best” has different meanings. They are greatest effort and and highest standard. Bentz adopted the former, but I misunderstood taking it the latter.
I opened a language school in 2009. I was 42. My policy was limitless budget and always seeking the best. The best policy didn’t get new students and I was always short of money. I had an excellent website, so many media such as TV, magazines contacted me for advertisements. I closed the school in 2017.
I happened to see a 12 marketing policy which was written by a popular Japanese businessperson Kazuo Inamori. According to him, marketing is ultimately “Maximum sales and minimum expenses. ” I didn’t run the school by minimum expense, so it didn’t work well. If I had followed his philosophy, I wouldn’t have closed the language school.
Good words have power to success, but if you misunderstand their meaning, they would be powerless. I took highest standard instead of greatest effort for the car company’s slogan. That is why the words didn’t work. Words are more powerful when they join by your experience.
I’ m not good at working with other people. I worked alone, without other people’s helps. But when I was 10 th hospitalized in 2020, I thought I couldn’t live without supports. I asked helps from the hospital, Hiroshima municipality, visiting nurses, welfare services, house accounting support service. I took everything I could. After two years had passed, my life would be getting better.
During the support I found a word solidarity. It could change me. In fact I had the word, so I could have opportunities to overcome difficulties. I knew one persons’ ability is limited, but I didn’t try to work with others. Now I’m looking forward to getting results of working by solidarity.
I believe words change the world. I found the word solidarity this time and I’m expecting that my world will change to the good direction. I’m sure words are more valuable than money and products. One of Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita’s favorite words is an untapped mind. He said you got this word by heart, you were like getting millions dollars.
Words make you happy.