At the end of last year, I met up with a friend from my university days. Somehow, we’ve stayed in touch for about 25 years—a rare and precious connection. I have very few friends from my student days, so she’s about the only one I’ve remained close to for this long.

After graduation, she put her talent to work and moved to a major corporation. She continued working after having children and built the kind of impressive career anyone would envy. I took a completely different path, starting my own business and charging ahead with sheer grit (笑)—but we’ve made a point of meeting up regularly and catching up on all kinds of things.

Last year, she changed jobs again. She landed a seriously impressive role in corporate planning at a household-name company, where her work is valued, and now she’s based in Tokyo. I’m in Kansai, so we can’t meet often, but we managed to get together again at the end of last year.

Be ready to disrupt your balance.

During our conversation, she told me something her boss had said:

“You should challenge yourself more. What are you so afraid of?”

It really made her think. Then she asked me:

“I heard the same thing at my previous job when I was in my 30s. Back then, my kids were still little, so I couldn’t take the kind of risks I wanted to. Now they’re older and becoming more independent, but for some reason, I still can’t bring myself to take that first step. How do you manage to take on challenges like you do?”

I’m the type to act before I think. I’ve made plenty of mistakes, including some that make me laugh now because it’s obvious they were never going to work. And yet I keep jumping in. Maybe I’m just not made to sit still.

These days, I’m working harder than at any other time in my life. Sometimes I think, “I wish I could slow down a little,” but this is a time to put the pedal to the metal. I want to make the most of every experience and keep growing.

As we talked, one thought came back to me:

“You can’t move forward without being ready to disrupt your current balance.”

If protecting the balance you have becomes your top priority, you won’t make room for growth or meaningful rewards. By your 40s, you may have earned a certain level of security and responsibility after years of working flat out—and naturally, you may not want to let that stability go.

But if you want to take the next step and grow further, both personally and materially, you have to be willing to disrupt the “balance” you’ve built. You may end up covered in mud, embarrassed, or painfully aware of how much you still have to learn. You may run out of time and find yourself working more than you can comfortably manage.

In my case, I was also afraid that I’d have even less time with my children and be able to do even less for them as a mother. Still, if I didn’t find the courage to move forward, I knew I wouldn’t gain anything new.

Worrying and going round in circles only lets time pass. Nothing changes.

So last year, I decided to go all in on work. As expected, my schedule filled up, I was constantly short on time, and before long, it felt like water was spilling over the rim of a full glass. But when that happens, people have a curious way of starting to seriously look for better solutions and ways to improve.

I learned to ask others for help, let go of work, and focus on the things only I can do. At home, I made one promise to my children: “I’ll make sure we have a proper dinner.”

Seeing them enjoy a meal and tell me it tastes good made me realize what an important bond that daily ritual creates between a mother and her children. And by cooking dinner every night, I’ve cut our food costs roughly in half compared with when I bought prepared meals every day (笑).

Once I learned how to ease up and find a more sustainable balance, I could see the next challenge ahead. I also gained confidence: “If the glass overflows again, I’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

This is a time to go for it.

Looking back on my life, I feel there’s a cycle every five to ten years: “a time to go for it” and “a time to put down roots.” Just as Japan has four seasons, so does life.

I don’t think I’ll keep shifting into a higher gear for the next several decades. But right now, I’m definitely in a season for taking on challenges. That’s why I want to give it everything I’ve got, with no regrets.

A happy mom helps make for a happy family. Instead of getting stuck in a loop of “What should I do?” and “Can I really do this?”, living wholeheartedly as an individual can help life move in a better direction.

Next time I see the friend I mentioned earlier, maybe I’ll tell her all this. (Though, knowing her, she’ll probably have already figured things out by then.)

And more than anything, I still have plenty of payments left on my Taycan (笑). So I’m going to keep working hard, growing, and giving it my all until the day I can enjoy a new chapter of Porsche ownership.