Episode 57: Mindset

April 13, 2026

Every day on my way to work, I find myself wondering, "What should I talk about at this morning’s meeting?"

I keep hoping, "Please, let some brilliant little story descend upon me!" but before I know it, the office building is right in front of me. And just as you’d expect, I step into the elevator with zero plan. Hiding my anxiety behind a smile, I walk into the office with an energetic "Good morning!"

Sitting at the President’s desk, I thought about it even harder. And finally! An image came to me: "It’s important to visualize your day first thing in the morning..."

Now, I wanted to take that thought and translate it into some professional-sounding business jargon. I searched around and found it: 【Mindset】. It refers to your "habitual way of thinking" or "mental attitude."

Apparently, there are two types of mindsets: a "Growth Mindset," where you believe your abilities can be developed through effort, and a "Fixed Mindset," where you believe talent and intelligence are innate and unchangeable.

Perfect! This was it! I wanted to tell the staff, "The growth of each employee leads directly to the growth of New Japan Pro-Wrestling." I hoped it would boost their motivation.

Alright! I knew what I wanted to say. Now, the biggest hurdle was whether I could actually deliver it in a logical way!

Then, the time for the morning meeting arrived. "Good morning, everyone. Great work at Korakuen Hall yesterday. We have a press conference today, and the Ryogoku show is the day after tomorrow. I’m counting on every department to be ready." (Now! This is where I want to start talking about "Mindset"... but the word won't come out! I'm panicking! Come on! Descend upon me!... It's not coming!)

I was in a real pinch! ...But I kept on talking anyway. "Years ago, in the ring at Ryogoku, I shouted into the mic, 'My evolution won't stop!' The evolution of each and every one of you leads to the evolution of New Japan Pro-Wrestling. Let's have a great day today!"

As a result, the meeting ended without me ever mentioning "Mindset," but I figured the overall message was the same.

Besides, if I tried to talk about "mindset" while my own mindset wasn't even ready, I wouldn't have been very convincing anyway! (Laughs).