It is very hard to convince a person who is full of pride. This type of person, combined with his pride and a series of success, seems invincible as he is hitting home run after home run.

However, because he has high self-esteem and has been successful, people around him begin to think that he is very capable. As he gets promoted, the difficulty of his work also raises and it will get harder and harder to accomplish tasks.

When you ask newly hired employees if they want to be a president of their company, probably more than half would say yes. Yet, if you ask the same question after they have worked three to five years, the number would be cut down to less than 10%. It is natural because they experience difficulties in their work.

Many incoming employees might think that they can be a president one day, but after three years or so, many of them wonder whether or not they can become a section manager. They can figure it out by comparing the amount they get praised to the amount they are scolded.

In addition, people develop a reputation within their organization that must be considered. Also, different people are cut out for different things. You have your unique talent, but you won’t be able to demonstrate your ability if you are assigned to a job that isn’t right for you.

Managing Interpersonal Relationships Is Part of the Competition

It is usually significantly more competitive to get a job at popular workplaces or get into well-respected fields. There might be a difficulty factor of 10 times difference or more.

For example, Happy Science is holding auditions for our movies. Although thousands of actors do not try out for our movies, the main characters of well-received TV series or movies that are believed to be masterpieces will be selected from among the thousands of applicants in some cases.

As for the morning drama on NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), the main character is chosen out of about five thousand candidates. The winner will be chosen out of about ten thousand applicants when it comes to a grand prix type of auditions. It is not easy to get into show business as you can imagine. It is hard not only to get a spot, but also be successful in the role that you play. You might fall ill or have interpersonal relationship problems during long stretches of work. What I learned from observing popular singing groups that have been active in the forefront for 10 – 20 years is that it is not simply their singing and dancing abilities that helped them survive in show business. It depends on their ability to build personal relationships with people around them.

Even if you look great and play your cards right on the screen, you will be held back gradually in show business once you are criticized by staff due to your bad behavior off-camera. These aspects are also included in the competition.

You Will Learn the Limit of Your Ability From the Troubles You Face

You will have a high chance to become a model, singer, or actress if you have a pretty face. But sometimes you face troubles with people around you along the your career path. Even if you do not cause trouble, your family members might, but that is also your capacity.

When you have too much on your plate at work, you become overwhelmed and highly sensitive to even a noise of a pin dropping on the floor and can’t perform due to that. Then you may start to take it out on somebody around you, nagging them over a little thing or exhibiting a bad mood. If you know how often, in what place, or to what extent you start acting weird, you will know the limit of your ability to which your consciousness is unaware.

You Can’t Blame Other People for the Differences in the Region

I have given many lectures at halls in all regions in Japan. I have heard of a person who could not stand the classical music playing in the waiting room at the lecture hall and had it turned off. Another person disliked the MC they hired. You may blame this due to regional differences. You are doing the same things wherever you go, but some places you are welcomed and loved, and in other places you are not. Acceptance depends on where you are.

If you are from Kansai region (in Honshu on the main island of Japan) and you went to Tohoku (in the northern part of Japan), you may feel different vibes there. When you say something fluffy, people in Tohoku region may show no emotion. It is pretty hard to be connected with people when that happens.

The same is true in Hokkaido (the northernmost island of Japan). If you are acting light and airy and don’t speak in depth or seriousness, people in these regions may look at you with a dull face. On the other hand, if you go towards western Japan including Kyushu region, people tend to love you when you blow your own horn to some extent. They feel your energy and get excited. Of course, there might be a time that you can’t click with them.

If you didn’t know these differences in the regions, you might experience a failure. You might want to blame it on the people around you. But if you had researched the situation well, you could have avoided it.

In conclusion, people will get promoted until they hit their limit. You can increase your salary and earn a good reputation until then. However, everyone can face the limits of his or her abilities. You should know and understand that.