The Day I Was Told, “Do It.”: How a 30-Minute Conversation Turned an Ambition into a Mission

Today, I finally met someone I had wanted to meet for a very long time.

Haruhiko Deguchi, former President of my alma mater, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU).

Before the meeting, I thought carefully about what I wanted to ask him.

But once we sat down and started talking, most of that preparation stopped mattering.

As I listened, something began connecting in my mind.

“I’m allowed to do more.”

“I’m allowed to think bigger.”

“Maybe the things that have always felt wrong to me are worth questioning after all.”

The thoughts came one after another.

Is “The Way Things Are” Really the Way Things Should Be?

I have always struggled with phrases like: “This is just how things are.” “Everyone does it this way.”

Whenever I hear them, part of me immediately asks:

Could there be another way?

Could this be more interesting?

Should we be questioning the assumption itself before trying to improve the system built on top of it?

But trying to change something almost always creates friction.

People resist change. The familiar feels safer.

So organizations and societies often leave things untouched, even when many people quietly know something is not working.

Today, while listening to Deguchi-san, I made a decision.

I Want to Start Using Stronger Words

Pleasant words alone do not always move people.

Sometimes, a message needs to be uncomfortable.

Sometimes, it needs to hit the core of the issue.

Make people think. Make them question. Then allow them to decide for themselves whether they want to move.

Perhaps I will become even more of a “radical” from here.

And I think I am comfortable with that.

I do not need everyone to like me.

If some people strongly connect with what I say while others strongly disagree, that may be a sign that the message actually means something.

Real change rarely begins with universal approval.

The Bigger the Mission, the Less You Can Do Alone

There was another realization that stayed with me.

I have been trying to do too much by myself.

I thought: If I work harder, I can make it happen.

If I move faster, I can make it happen.

If I connect every person and every opportunity myself, somehow it will all work.

But the bigger the ambition becomes, the less realistic that approach is.

You need other people.

You need allies.

You need to delegate.

You need to connect people who are stronger than you in areas where you are not.

That is not weakness.

It may be one of the most important conditions for creating something truly significant.

One Person Cannot Change the World

I cannot change the world alone.

And the world probably will not change as easily as I sometimes wish it would.

Still, someone has to bite first.

Even if I cannot leave teeth marks,

I would at least like to leave a trace of red lipstick.

Enough for someone to stop and ask:

“Wait. Is this really how things should be?”

If that question causes one more person to move, that matters.

I want to help change Japan from both the outside and the inside.

To connect Japan with the world.

To connect people with people.

To pull hidden potential into the light.

To create environments where new challenges can begin.

And to help build a society where more people feel confident enough to trust themselves and live in their own way.

Until today, I thought of these as things I wanted to do.

After this conversation, they feel closer to something else.

A mission.

“Do It.”

At the end of our conversation, Deguchi-san, someone I had wanted to meet for years, told me:

“Do it.”

So I will.

The bigger the mountain, the more often I will probably want to give up.

There will be days when I am afraid.

There will be days when I think:

“Maybe I can’t do this.”

But somehow, this no longer feels like something I can simply choose to stop.

I have a feeling that someday, when I look back on today, I will think:

“That was the day something changed.”

The excitement has not faded yet.

So rather than polishing this into a perfect conclusion, I want to leave it with the same energy I feel right now.

This is where I begin.

Editorial Credit

Reported and photographed by Maki Mizuno.

Editorial Note

This story is part of KARV Tech Insider's Japan Desk, a dedicated editorial initiative covering technology innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), startups, enterprise technology, digital transformation, and emerging business ecosystems across Japan. Through local reporting and industry collaboration, the Japan Desk brings global audiences closer to the leaders, companies, ideas, and innovations shaping Japan's rapidly evolving technology landscape.