I am not a Bible geek or thumper, but most certainly that book is loaded with wisdom and thought-provoking ideas worthy of your study time.  This Jewish-born fellah thumbs through it on occasion.  

My thumb hit this passage from Psalms:  "To you Lord, I call; my Rock , do not be deft to my cry, lest, if you answer me with silence, I become like those who go down to the abyss."  David's lament is still relevant, isn't it?  We all sometimes feel forsaken and alone.  The question is, What will we do about it other than pray?   It gets you thinking, doesn't it?

My shelves are lined with inspiring, thought-provoking motivational and self-help tapes.  The titles themselves get me excited:  The Strangest Secret, Achieving Credibility, Lifetime Strategies for Personal Effectiveness, Conversation Power, Your Secret Wealth, The Power of Purpose, The Art of Exceptional Living, Cultivating an Unshakable Character, How to be a No-Limit Person, How to Beat Talent, Brains and Education, The Psychology of Selling, The Focused Mind State, Take Charge of Your Life, Coping With Difficult People, The New Dynamics of Goal Setting, The Science of Getting Rich, Leadership Mastery Course, Unleash Your Greatness.  Each is recorded by outstanding, successful people and all but two recordings for the largest self-help/motivational organization in the world, Nightingale-Conant.

Moreover, each of these eight-hour recordings are more than bookshelf dwellers to me - they are the fuel which energize my life.  Nearly half of these eight-hour recordings I have transcribed, so that I could further embed them in my conscious and subconscious mind.

I am a student of life, a philosopher, a teacher, a writer and in recent years an inspired entrepreneur who wants to spread the gospel of empowerment through self-improvement to all.

We each read good books, watch inspiring movies, and see random, touching acts of courage in our daily lives.  When meeting such ideas and people, we think the world is good and there must be something more to life than three square meals, a 40-hour grind in the big city, a comfy bath, and a glass of Chardonnays before shuteye.

And there is.  Life is what you make or make of it.  I encourage everyone reading this message, to take up anyone of the Nightingale-Conant themes above, set aside an hour at home or during your commute each day, download as much material as you can on the topic which piqued your curiosity...and get down to work in mastering the principles which could change your life and the life of those whom you daily touch for the better.

Grandiose ideas are delectable to chew on, but true happiness begins when one decides that the ideas and the people who express them are God's very special present to us all.  You were born to be rich in every aspect of that word.  No shame, endless gain.

When you turn your learning into earning, endless possibilities unfold for doing good and being good.  Random acts of kindness can become predictable.  

Now doesn't that resonate with you?  I certainly hope so.

1)

An Opportunity:  In researching this true niche, I was astounded at the quality of some of the American sites offering such products.  Most likely the Japanese site cannot and does not offer such a range.  The products include fingerprint jewelry, pendants, urns, and the same products for your pets.  With the aging of Japan, this is an interesting and lucrative field to go into.  To see the aforementioned site for ideas, please CLICK HERE. 

2) Japanese homes are often poorly insulated.  This defect, in turn, leads to higher heating costs.  With the cost of kerosene, gas and electric heater use going through the roof in drafty homes here, proper insulation is definitely the better long-term solution to high cost and energy inefficiency. 

An Opportunity:  Are you an energy-saving maven with a knack to remedy heat loss in winter and cool loss in summer?  A big opportunity may be opening in Japan.  After a three-year hiatus on solar panel incentives for homeowners, it is rumored in inner circles that the Japanese government is about to bring back solar subsidies to boost its solar panel makers’ competitive edge in the world market.  Consequently, these makers will want to kill two birds with one stone:  satisfy world demand with their renown technology in this field and likewise make solar panels a commonplace fixture in Japanese homes.  The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expects to receive recommendations from a panel scheduled to discuss tax incentives and other subsidies that could cut the cost of putting up solar panels at homes by 50 percent.  The Japanese government under Fukada has promised to cut greenhouse gases by 60 to 80% from the current levels by 2050.  If you have an efficient and professional service which inspects homes for energy deficiencies, surely you could find away to  offer a frontend incentive to homeowners to have their houses inspected and repaired economically when they buy such panels.

3) An increasing number of women are trying to juggle care taking tasks for their children while clinging to their careers.  This is tough in any country, but especially in Japan.  While many men and some government agencies give lip service to helping working couples, the sad fact is that the people and agencies promising help always drag their feet.  Some men - just a few - help more than occasionally to make their working spouse's life more hectic.  Most men do diddly squat to make things easier for their mate.

An Opportunity:  What do women who work need?  Shopping done, dogs walked, children picked up from daycare centers, babysitters, meals cooked, meals delivered, cleaning delivered or picked up, houses cleaned or dusted and vacuumed, clothes ironed, pets walked or taken care of, baths drawn, programs on TV dubbed, things around the house repaired, weeding and gardening, housesitters, nannies.  The key is offering such services as part of a membership site.  Ala carte services will be available from a checklist, but you can upgrade to platinum or gold and get a discounted rate or set rate for many services each month.  To get a feel for how working Moms think and act, why not subscribe to a blog where such women hang out such as Working Mother Mom Blog. and The Integrated Mother Blog

Mastermind In Japan

 Coming Up

Tokyo Game Show 2008

on 10/9/08~10/12/08  

The Tokyo Game Show will act as a focal point for the latest information in computer entertainment, attracting attention from around the world.  For details, CLICK HERE

Special Equipment Exhibtion and Conference for Anti-Terrorism

from 10/8/08~10/10/08

For details, CLICK HERE　

Japan Tourism Agency Launched

In an effort to dramatically increase tourism, the Japanese government has launched.  It strikes me as an informative site and one to pay attention to from now on for new initiatives and trends.  View this new site and read the white paper on tourism by CLICKING HERE. 

A brain-controlled video game is will make its debut in the Japanese market in 2009, according to officials of an American. technology venture firm called NeuroSky Inc.  The firm has been marketing stateside a headset, called MindSet, which can determine mental states of users by analyzing their brain wave signals.   It will be on display at the Tokyo Game Show this weekend.  A wireless transmitter records the data in various platforms.  Some 40 toy product companies are vying for rights to use this new technology under license from NeuroSky.  No doubt this will sell well.  If you have a similar product on the drawing boards, let me know and we might be able to help you find a partner.  Contact me with details of your virtual mind game by CLICKING HERE.