A Listed Japanese Company’s CEO on Taking Action: Write Down Your Dreams

Originally published 2023-03-08Reprint (a Japanese listed-company CEO’s account; source and name not identified in the post)

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Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above

English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2023-03-08. Translated 2026-10-30 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文

Reading guide

The CEO recounts reading many biographies of successful people at 21 and finding two common techniques: set a goal, then write it down and say it aloud. He put his dreams into words and carried them in a notebook, turning them into a powerful source of support. He says that over the following 15 years he founded GMO Internet and achieved his goal of taking the company public at 35 years and one month. Although one month later than planned, he realized a dream everyone thought impossible. (The timing is approximate as stated in the original and has not been independently verified.)

Key points

Biographies suggested two techniques: set goals, then write them down and say them aloud.
Write down your dreams and carry the notebook with you.
The account uses GMO Internet as an example of achieving a listing goal.

One clear path continues into the distance among several branching routes, suggesting choice and focus. — Entrepreneurship & strategyThematic illustration · AI generated

Full text — English translation

Words on taking action from the CEO of a listed Japanese company to young people ----- At 21, I read many books, most of them biographies of successful people. From their experiences, I discovered two common techniques: First, set a goal. Second, write it down and say it aloud, so that it becomes part of your subconscious. Once that realization dawned on me, I reached this conclusion: Without a clear goal, of course you will not know which direction to take or how far to go. So first, decide on your dreams and goals in life. I began thinking about my long-term plan and wrote it down. Putting the vague dreams in my head into words gave them a visible form and turned them into a powerful source of support for me. After writing down my dreams, I felt inexplicably lighter inside and full of drive. Having finally written down your dreams, if you put them away on a shelf, they remain just a few scribbled words. To keep them in mind at every moment, they need to stay with you. That is what led me to use a notebook. In my view, a notebook that records your dreams and goals and can be carried with you has tremendous power to help you move toward your ideal life. Over the following 15 years, I founded my own company, GMO Internet Inc. (later renamed GMO), and achieved my goal of taking it public at 35 years and one month. Although one month behind my original plan, I realized a dream everyone thought was “impossible.”

These articles are personal notes, book excerpts, and collected reprints. Figures and events reflect the time of the original publication, are not current information, and do not constitute investment advice.

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