Talking with a Porsche Owner

The other night, our kids unusually went to bed early, so my husband and I were able to have a little chat.

When children are small, daily life revolves almost entirely around them, making it hard for a couple to find time to talk alone. But recently, I’ve come to think that it’s important for both of us to consciously make time for moments like this without pushing ourselves too hard.

While sharing updates and future goals, my husband suddenly said,

You know, I think life ultimately evens out to “plus-minus zero.”

He went on,

When I talk with fellow car enthusiasts, some people might look like they’re amazing because they own a bunch of sports cars like Porsches. But behind the scenes, they’ve gone through all sorts of struggles. Even those who are successful now often had really tough experiences in the past. Everyone envies someone else’s greener grass, thinking “That person’s life is so great, so impressive,” but what we see is only a part of the story. The more successful someone is, the more hardships they’ve probably faced. Also, even with money, there can be family or health issues.

That really struck me… I vaguely remember someone once saying, “Life is a plus-minus zero, so as long as you’re a little positive when you die, that’s enough,” or maybe I imagined it… (Who knows? lol) Hearing my husband talk made me think of that again.

Actually, my husband usually comes across as easygoing, so many people probably think he’s someone who achieves results without much struggle.

But according to him,

I couldn’t study at all until I graduated high school. My grades were always bad, and I didn’t get accepted to any university on my first try. Honestly, I barely remember anything before I was 18—it was just an unremarkable student life with no memorable moments. In my twenties, I worked for a decent company, but my family’s business struggled, and I had to cover operating costs with my salary. So money was always tight. In my early thirties, I started a business, but the first 4-5 years were slow, and my income was much lower than my peers. There was even a time I rented a corner of a senior CEO’s office for free. Thanks to that, things are going well now, but looking back, the tough times lasted quite a while.

Before we got married, I thought, “My husband must have lived a comfortable life without worries,” so I was a bit surprised to learn he had overcome so much.

Grateful to Be Driving a Porsche Now

I like the saying, “Man’s fortune is like a horse of Saiō” (meaning life’s happiness and misfortune are unpredictable and often change places, so we shouldn’t be too quick to rejoice or despair).

I’d say my twenties were quite a series of hardships. I failed at job hunting, my personal life was rough, and even after starting a business, sales didn’t grow as expected, and debt piled up.

“Why does nothing go right for me? Why does God keep testing me like this?”

There were times I felt hopeless.

Back then, I couldn’t genuinely celebrate my friends’ happiness, and I hated how bitter I had become. No matter how hard I tried, things didn’t improve, and it was very painful.

Looking back now objectively, I think, “No wonder it didn’t work out with that approach lol.” I was so desperate that I couldn’t make the right decisions, but on the other hand, I’m glad things didn’t go well back then.

Rather than “Thanks to those days, I’m where I am now,” I truly feel, “I’m really glad it didn’t work out then…” (laughs).

If things had gone smoothly, I probably would have spread myself too thin, gotten overwhelmed, neglected my family, and damaged those relationships.

And without a doubt, I wouldn’t have started this Porsche blog, nor would I have discovered the new world opened up through Porsche.

My current situation is that parenting is fairly demanding and sometimes I push myself too hard, but I feel like I have a pretty good balance.

While maintaining connections with society through work and expanding my world through blogging, I can spend plenty of time with my children. There’s no fixed routine, and I’m in a flexible environment where I can adapt to changes.

Of course, this lifestyle is possible because my husband works hard to earn and encourages me to be free, so I really feel grateful for so many things.

No one knows what the future holds. It’s possible I might not be able to drive a Porsche someday, but I believe that too will be something I’ll look back on and think, “That was for the best.”

Instead of envying others’ lives, I want to live my own, aiming to be just a little positive when I die, and keep moving forward.