Sixteenth year as a mother, eighteenth year of marriage, and the longest is my twenty-third year at Dentsu Inc. I've just kept at each of them, but they've developed their own flavor. While my age firmly places me in middle age, my spirit feels younger every year. It's almost eerie.
The reason I can be a lively auntie now is thanks to a mentor I met during my first year at Dentsu Inc. Back then, we were brainstorming ideas to expand vinegar demand. While I was desperately thinking up recipes using vinegar, my mentor blurted out, "What if we made cows drink it?" Huh? Cows? As I faltered, he continued, "What if we put it in their baths? Dosage—increase the amount used per serving." Cows, baths, dosage. These unexpected words swirled around in my head, and I don't remember what happened after that. What a free-thinking person. I sensed the unfathomable power of someone whose mind knew no boundaries.
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Drawing boundaries traps you inside them. For 23 years now, I've avoided creating boundaries based on seniority, departments, or companies. I've also torn down walls between digital and non-digital, data and ideas. The greatest joy during that time? A client I worked with relentlessly telling me on the project's final day, "I enjoyed every single week." For someone like me, who finds immense satisfaction just seeing a frown turn into a smile, that was the highest praise. I truly believe that the only people who can genuinely entertain others are those who can find joy in everything. Wanting to be that kind of person, I've made people in front of me laugh, looked at the world with curiosity, and even laughed when I felt like crying. Oh, it's tough. But it's so interesting, I can't stop. I'm going to keep going this way, so new employees, make sure you keep up. (Yu)
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