|TThoughts|MMemorable| Mom's B-day + Philosophy、母ちゃんの誕生日＋哲学

Today is Mom's B-day. Happy B-day Mom! I won't tell you her age, but I'll just say that she had me when she was 29.

母ちゃん誕生日おめでとう！年は勿論ばらさないけど、29歳の時に僕を生んだことだけ教える。

Many people don't know this, but my name "Tetsu" means "philosophy" in Japanese. So I thought I might write a philosophical post today as a present to her.

僕は折角いい名前を付けてもらったので、今日はちょっと「哲」学的なブログを母ちゃんにプレゼントしようかと思って。

Throughout my life, Mom has often told me: "Just do it!". And NO, she doesn't work for Nike. She has taught me that philosophy since my childhood years, long before Nike came up with the slogan. With that philosophy in mind, I must first mention that I have FAILED at many things in my life: I have failed courses at university (and never made it into medical school like I thought I would), I have made an ass of myself in numerous public situations (presentations, concerts, etc.), I have lost several interpersonal relationships due to trivial matters, and the list can go on. But the truth is, thanks to this philosophy and these failures, I think I have SUCCEEDED in much much more. At 32 years-old, I think I am satisfied with what life has given me so far, kudos of course to my parents. Today, I enjoy the privileges of a Ph. D. degree and am also reaching out for an MBA, I can express myself in 8 languages and 3 musical instruments, and most importantly, I can turn to countless friends and family around the globe to make my life as colorful as it possibly can be.

僕が子供のときからいつも「とにかくやってみろ！」と母ちゃんに言われていた。いや～、この哲学の「お陰」で失敗をいっぱいしたよ！例えば、あまり良い学生ではなかったので、単位を落としたりしてたでしょう。。。（勿論、成績悪くて医学部にも入れなかったし）。色んな公の場面でも恥ずかしい思いをいっぱいしたでしょう。。。（プレゼン、ライブ、など）。そして、些細な理由で人間関係もいっぱい崩してきたでしょう。。。でもでも、言いたいのはやっぱりこれら失敗もあったからこそ、即ち、本当の意味でこの哲学の「お陰」で、数々の成功を手にした。だからこそ、32才の現在、自分なりに満足した人生を送ることができている。親には感謝です。いまは博士号も持っているし、MBAにも手を伸ばしている。さらに、八ヶ国語と三種類の楽器で自己表現もできるし、何よりも、常にサポートしてくれる友達とファミリーが世界中にいる。これ以上のものはない。

But you know, I didn't do everything that I did in my life because I KNEW that these were the things that I wanted to do. I didn't. In fact, quite the opposite in many instances...which brings me to two quotes that I learned recently, both through the McGill MBA Japan Program. The first one is through a classmate Rei's BLOG and the second one is from a course called: Organizational Behavior. Enjoy.

でも、面白いのは、色々と経験してきたけど、身になった経験の殆どが予定外だった。予定なんて未定だよね！。。。と言うことで、最近ジンと来たいい言葉の二つを紹介します。いずれもMcGill MBA Japan Program関係で知ったもの。一つ目は、先輩の玲さんのブログで読んだ。もう一つは「組織行動学」の教材に載っていた。

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1)

”...you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. ”
『。。。前に向かって点と点をつなげることはできない。点と点は、後になってつながってくるのだ。』

...Steve Jobs, CEO Apple Computers and Co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios (Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, etc.)

2)

"...life can best be understood backward but you have to live it forward."
「。。。人生は後ろ向きにしか理解できないが、前向きに生きて行かなければならない。」

...Charles Handy, Writer/Broadcaster

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Finally: "Thank you Mom."

(...oh, by the way, you'll be getting one more present...)

最後に：「母ちゃん。ありがとう。」

（。。。ちなみに、もう一つプレゼントがある。。。ウッシッシッシ。。。）