A Writers Mind Can Be A Wonderful Place

My Blog


As the title suggests, a writer's mind can be a wonderful place. A writer can take us to places we could of only dreamed of. Lately I have been stuck in a bit of a rut. I am currently in a situation in which I have little to do. I have decided to start writing some words down and seeing where it can take me.

My first post will be how people have inspired me. Inspiration for me comes in many forms. From something as simple as a piece of music to a chance encounter. The current world population is approx 7 Billion+. How many from this large number can you say have truly inspired you? For me, I can say not to many. Some people have brought on different emotions, such as anger, love or happiness but only a few have truly affected my thought pattern.



I have made a large change in my life, something not to many people agreed with. I chose to leave my home country and to try to start again in a new country which speaks a language that my understanding of is very limited. I am fully aware im not the first and most defiantly will not be the last to do this but I am proud to have joined the millions of people who decided to take a chance.

Whilst in this new country I have met a few people and have made some new friends. A handful of these people or people I have met through these friends have made an impact, whether small or large to truly inspire me. I would also like to add a total stranger to this.

Myself and the stranger
Have you ever had a chance encounter with someone you have never met before and probably never will again, yet you tell people about this person or always retain a memory of them. I would like to tell you a brief story on how I met someone who left a lasting impression on me. It was a brief encounter yet it has stuck with me to this day.

Me and my fiancée were out shopping. I had not long been in the country long so she was showing me different sights. I was browsing the goods the shop had on offer minding my own business. After all in this country I have little to no understanding of what is going on and being said around me. So as I browsed the goods I heard a quiet little voice saying hello. For about 5 seconds I thought nothing of it until I turned around to see a little girl standing there. I politely greeted her back. After which her mother also approached me with a beaming smile on her face and said to me "Hello, i'm sorry but she wanted to speak to a native english speaker" So I conversed with this girl for about 5 minutes. Between her and her mum asking me questions it was a great feeling for me. It also was good because I could reply to the simple questions in their native tongue.
The reason this was enlightening for me was I am living in Japan. When growing up I was led to believe that Japanese have a dislike for foreigners. Each Japanese person I encountered I would ask if this was true and they would always reply with not at all, especially if the person made an effort to speak to them. This little girl was the first time I had a stranger approach me and speak to me simply because I was an outsider. This was great, I loved it. I love the thought of someone wanting to talk to me simply because I speak a language they are learning.
This inspired me to want to begin my own language school in Japan. One that offered free lessons to young Japanese children in the hope that they carry on when they are older and in the hope that one day one of this children can inspire someone like they did me.

I will shortly be starting a campaign for this. I want to see if in a world of 7 billion population I can find 1 million people who would be willing to donate £1.00. People can be very frivolous with money. I myself am very guilty of this. I am hoping to find people who are willing to just take a chance. Who have a mindset of "Hmm this sounds like a good cause. Im going to donate a pound just to see if this guy can make it"
I've decided to name this campaign "Be one in a Million". I am in the process of making a website for this. I am also hoping that people do not see this as someone just asking for money. I intend to make a real go at this and have alot of plans with the money. The reason that so much is being asked is that if I am not charging for lessons I will have no way to sustain myself. With my own family hopefully growing soon I dont want to be a burden. I want to take the money, buy a nice building and provide a top quality learning environment which is enjoyable and a fun place to be.

A second person I have met was someone who interviewed me for a job recently. It was a position teaching english to adults and children. Unfortunately I am not confident with the outcome of the meeting. I was asked questions about the english language I just couldnt answer. So why did this person inspire me? His school had a simple motto. "Getting better all the time". This was something that he told me he applied both to his students and his staff. As the students learn from you, you too should learn from them. I didnt really put much thought into this until I had time alone with my thoughts. To me, a good teacher is someone who doesn't pretend to know everything and is willing to admit when they don't know something. But then the next time you see them, they provide you with the answers you require and explain it in a way which both the student and the teacher understand. This to me is Getting better all the time.

I want to get better all the time. I have been guilty of wasting a few years of my life on either nothing at all or something just to pass time and get by. I want to start a fresh in Japan and begin what I hope will be a journey for me to inspire people myself.