I don't know why Japanese people feel the need to speak English to me. Most often they don't, but every once in a while I get some people who insist on speaking English to me even when I speak to them in Japanese. What I really want to know though, is how people who look …

Default to the language of the land Read More »

The only thing we know for certain, is that there are no certain things. Change is inevitable. That's why you have to be ready for it. If you aren't ready for it, you'll be left behind when things change. But why resist it? Certain is boring. When things become predictable, it takes the fun out …

The only thing we know for certain Read More »

If something is interesting to you, is it interesting to me? Most likely no. (I should probably tell my wife this, but) Dreams are a good example. They seem interesting to you, but who likes to hear the dreams of other people? Besides maybe fortune tellers, no-one! I'm not a fortune teller, nor do I …

Sharing Dreams (literally) Read More »

Blindly following orders is almost as bad as not working. It breaks my heart seeing new recruits at Japanese companies lined up ready to begin work because I know that they are just going to do what they're told for the foreseeable future, plus I know they aren't going to get paid much too, depending …

Blindly following orders Read More »

Work is a balance between you and your company. Companies need us, and we need them. When you provide more value than you’re paid, it’s good for the company, but you may be losing out. When you provide less value than you’re paid, don’t be surprised if you lose your job. This fine balance changes …

Loyal disloyalty Read More »

Simon Sinek says it well. The money is just a product of solving a problem. It is not the answer. We must focus on the why whenever we do anything, never the prize. Money can poison your thinking, there are many things you can do to earn money quickly, but that is only a short …

Getting over the money Read More »

Bank branches in NZ understand that the more the customer can do themselves, the less the bank has to do, and in turn the less service the bank has to provide. As a result, we can do a lot of our banking online or from our smartphones, so visits to the bank are quite rare …

What to do with menial jobs Read More »