Friday, January 9, 2015

Reflecting on 2014 and My Goals for 2015

・Reflecting on 2014

When I look back at 2014, from January to March, I was very busy both mentally and physically because I had to travel abroad to attend different kinds of international conferences. In the middle of March, I got great news of being admitted to several American graduate schools, and this news made me happy despite the busyness. I talked with many people and contemplated for several weeks, and finally I decided to go to the Harvard Kennedy School. From then until the day that I departed from Japan, I completed my remaining work and taught my co-worker how to do business, as well as dealt with private issues such as family things. In August, I came to Cambridge and made my dream of studying abroad come true. After that, I felt that my time was progressing slowly as if I had gone back to my childhood, but when I look back now, it also seems that it has passed in a flash. I am now grateful for being able to study what I want to learn every day and have a break from my job. I am also grateful for my family, who supports me, for the people who wrote recommendation letters for me, and for my friends who gave me advice and encouragement.

・Leaders are natural

Among the books I read during the year-end and new year holidays, the book, "Leaders are natural", written by Yoshihiro Kanai, who is a famous leadership professor, and Yayoi Masuda, who served as a human resource head in the Asia Pacific region of Nike, was inspirational. It might be difficult to imagine from the title of the book, but this book has a lot of tips to think about how Japanese people can take leadership not only in Japan, but also in the world. I definitely recommend this book to the people who are now studying abroad.

One phrase was impressive for me, as I now struggle every day in the U.S. That was the phrase of Ms. Masuda, "The Japanese should contribute to the world with pride of being Japanese. They should be confident and 100% yourself."

I started my new life at the Kennedy School last August, and talked to many people from different countries. Through this experience, I have come to think that I, as a Japanese person who grew up in Japan, am different in my ways of thinking and communicating with people from other countries, especially Western people. For example, I think the good characteristics of Western people are that they are friendly and make friends quickly, as well as that they are able to assert their opinions clearly in front of many people. By contrast, I believe that Japanese people can be confident about their characteristics of being punctual and keeping their commitments once they promise to do something, as well as their compassion and humility. In fact, I was often given praise for doing tasks properly within the deadline when I and other classmates were doing group work.

I have a goal of being able to assert myself representing Japan in international conferences. At first, I felt that I had to change myself, discarding my Japanese characteristics and being more strongly assertive like Indian friends or greatly friendly like Western people. But after reading this book, I feel that I don't have to go out of my way to change myself or to tailor my personality to the styles of other countries, and there will be a way to contribute to the world by being confident in who I am and where I'm from.


・My goals for 2015

In 2015, I would like to spend my life at the Kennedy School, keeping in mind the phrase "The Japanese should contribute to the world with pride of being Japanese. They should be confident and 100% yourself." More concretely, I would like to create value in the diverse, international environment through group work, extracurricular activities, and internship. Last year, when I was unaccustomed to life in the U.S., I spent a lot of time talking with familiar Japanese people. In fact, I made a lot of Japanese friends, and it was a great experience for me to be invited to their house parties and be inspired by their activities, which are totally different from mine. This year, however, I would like to spend less time hanging out with Japanese people and dive into more international communities. One thing I want to do this year is working at an international workplace during my 3-month summer vacation from June to August. In particular, I would like to do a summer internship at international organizations, such as the IAEA, the OECD, or the IEA.

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