(KW from Fukui Prefecture/Male/60s/Beauty Salon Owner)
I opened a beauty salon with my wife when I was 30 years old. I was blessed with my employees and the flow of the era at the time (the bubble economy). Everything was just fine without any problem. Our sales were on the constant rise, and I would take my staffs out for night-outs almost every single night after closing. Riding this tailwind of the era, I was dreaming big about opening more salons.
My dreams came true and I opened up a second salon. I wanted my customers to be able to visit the salon at their convenience. Hence, made the schedule so that either salons would always be opened; for example, if the main salon was closed on Mondays, then the other salon was closed on Tuesdays. I used to go back and forth between the two salons and was working almost 24-7. But then, it was that second salon that became my biggest problem. I couldn’t let go of things and wasn’t able to rely on my staff to take care of it. I was overworked. I was losing weight from the stress I was feeling.
Figuring Out the Mistakes I Was Making in My Life
Just about that time, we came to an agreement to franchise the second salon and give the company share to one of the employees. With that agreement, I downsized to focus on the original salon with my wife and few other employees. I truly felt that Kami had saved me and was telling me to do my best together with my wife.
As I learned the teachings of Kami more seriously, I started to see clearly about the mistakes I was making in the way I live. In retrospect, my wife was against the opening of the second salon to begin with. She was already too overwhelmed with work and taking care of the children at the same time. I was also overwhelmed with trying to manage and run the salons. I honestly did not have the mind to even bring our feelings together back then.
A phrase I heard at a benkyōkai I attended in Fukui came across my mind. ‘If Japan loses its power as a country, the money (yen) would just be a piece of paper.’ Fukui is a land filled with hard-working people. And at the same time, we (the people of Fukui) tend to be pushed and pulled with money issues as well. And I was exactly that person who was stuck in that situation.
Standing along with My Wife; The Happiness I Feel to Live with a Peace of Mind
Soon after, I started talking about the purpose and the direction of our salon with my wife. And the conclusion we had was; we do our job because we want to make our customers happy. We would discuss about everything that happened at the store and with the customer…
My wife used to say things to me hinting that she didn’t want to do anything with Kami and the teachings and say, “You should do it by yourself.” But today, we are both learning the teachings together.
When we both have the same principle in our kokoro and face our customers, it naturally allows the salon to run smoothly and sales follows. The trust with our customers has deepened and many of them would open up their kokoro to us. At the end of the day, we would both say to each other, “We are so blessed. There is nothing better than to be able to spend each day with a peace of mind.” This is all we talk about lately.
The teaching of Kami is a guidepost—you can trust and have a peace of mind that it will always lead us in the right direction. I pledge that I will continue to entrust and follow Kami as long as I live.
Heeding the Shinji to Understand the Reasons for the Joys Experienced
Shinji is the universal principle (truth), and can also be the guidance of life that foresees the future. Please feel the wonders of a life that flows exactly in a way the Shinji tells us when you live with the teachings of Kami.
Shinji
Know the workings of this world that revolves around unmei-jittai and direct your kokoro to the spiritual world.
Learn the teachings and strive to live to make it the sustain of your life.
The movement of your kokoro will anchor, and the kokoro of Hōshi (kokoro to give back) will become what sustains your life.
Kansha (gratitude), Hōshi (to give back), Ai (love); the more these three kokoro become what sustains your kokoro (life), human beings will become a person who will lead society in the right direction.
This is the kokoro (state) of a person who attains a life without regrets.