A Life That Fits Your Circumstances

The other day, a former senior colleague posted that their company president had sent them this birthday message: “People need to grow in keeping with their age and position.” There’s certainly some truth to that. I also once heard someone say:

“If my daughter told me she wanted to be an idol, I’d be completely against it. I’d tell her to be more realistic and live a life that fits her circumstances.”

That kind of thinking is common.

We often hear people say, “Live within your means” or “Know your place.” And sure, if someone earning ¥200,000 a month buys luxury handbags costing hundreds of thousands of yen and takes on debt to live in a high-rise apartment, most people would say they should live within their means.

But personally, while “living within your means” and “knowing your place” may sound sensible, they can also sound like excuses for not taking on a challenge.

You Have to Try It to Find Out

That’s because truly understanding your own limits takes plenty of experience—including failure. (Though if those experiences prove valuable later, I’m not sure they count as failures.) Sometimes you have to try something beyond your reach, or do something reckless. You have to hit a wall, get hurt, bleed, feel the pain, and make a fool of yourself before you can finally understand your limits and what you’re capable of.

You realize things like, “I thought I could do more, but I still wasn’t good enough,” or “The world is a big place,” or “What really matters in life.” …At least, that’s how it’s been for me.

On the other hand, choosing to live within your means after trying all kinds of things carries a completely different weight—and I think it’s admirable. The words and actions of people who have come full circle, like monks who have spent years in training or business leaders who have overcome adversity, have real depth. They’re truly remarkable.

Buying a Porsche with My Own Money

Thanks to my husband, I get to drive a Panamera Turbo. And when I say, “I’m going to buy a Porsche with my own money!” my parents sometimes tell me:

“You’re always going on about that. Living within your means matters, too. Most people wouldn’t think that way about a 35-year-old mother of two.”

Maybe they’re right. But the limits of what I can do aren’t for society to decide—they’re for me to decide. So I want to keep challenging myself: to experience buying a Porsche with my own money, achieve the goals I set for myself, and try all kinds of new things.

Here’s a saying I love:

You never know until you try. In the end, all that remains is what you’ve done.

So, I guess that means it’s time to work hard!!