Young people can believe that nothing will be wasted.

Sorry for jumping in. Didn't that make you flinch? It did for me. It felt like he was describing me—someone who comes up with ideas in my head but hesitates to give them form. The person who shared those words with me was comedian Muneo Ashizawa.

(From left) Comedian Muneo Ashizawa, Author Kōtarō Abe

Alongside his role as leader of the comedy unit "Popcorn," Ashizawa gained sudden attention when his therapeutic character "Futeneko," posted on Twitter starting late 2011, was continuously retweeted. He also serves as Vice Principal on the immensely popular radio program "SCHOOL OF LOCK!" among junior high and high school students. Here are the three principles for moving forward with integrity, revealed through our conversation with Ashizawa.

*Based on Chapter 5, "Connecting Attitude × Comedian Muneto Ashizawa," from the book 'Waiting Won't Start It. — Move Forward Cleanly'

 

I believe it's not all wasted.

You couldn't job hunt the way you hoped, and it seems unlikely you'll be able to apply what you worked on during your student days in the real world. You gave your all to a competitive job, but lost out, and it didn't lead to new work. There are times when you might think, "It was all for nothing," or "I wish I hadn't done it." But really, was it all truly wasted?

Let me quote Mr. Ashizawa:
"Everything I've done up until now hasn't been wasted. Aiming for art school taught me how to draw. Being in a band means I can draw certain kinds of pictures. I can apply comedy concepts to my work. Everything I've tried has come into play."

Mr. Ashizawa shared that in middle school, he loved music and aimed to be a musician. In high school, he loved anime and wanted to join Studio Ghibli, so he started drawing. When he entered art school, he was invited to join the Rakugo Club and entered the world of comedy. He said the energy of his passion drove him forward at each stage.

Music, art, comedy... As Ashizawa greedily pursued his passions, these experiences became guiding lines for his future, leading him step by step to new possibilities.

The past is never wasted.
More accurately, even a past that seemed wasted can be transformed by your own actions.

I believe that's precisely where your previously unseen originality and true self reside. By considering how your past experiences might be applied to your current work, a different future may unfold.

 

Consider the media that best suits you.

Mr. Ashizawa's character "Futeneko." After posting it on Twitter, it was retweeted in an instant and spread rapidly. This wasn't just a vague post. He deliberately gave Futeneko a niche guitar, knowing his musician friends would appreciate it, and drew content that would delight those who found it. He was conscious of who would be at the center of its spread.

Ashizawa's character "Futeneko"

 

Sharing your thoughts is crucial both for building new connections and for conveying what you want others to know. Nowadays, anyone can share their thoughts via social media without relying on mass media like TV or newspapers. That said, I believe it's equally important to consider not just "what" you can share, but also "where" you share it.

For me, that place was "talk events." After B&B, a bookstore where you could enjoy events with a beer in hand, opened in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo in 2012, hosting talk events became much more accessible.

In 2013, I first took the stage at B&B for an event called "Copywriter's Love Letter Workshop." Including the preparation time, it was an incredibly fulfilling experience. I realized that talk events—where I could identify themes only someone like me, who'd walked this path, could convey, and then develop conversations with everyone present—were the perfect place for me to express my true self. This was because of my experience organizing lectures while interacting with many people during my time in HR as a new employee, and because of my current daily client presentations.

Today, social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram is everywhere. New platforms will continue to emerge. Rather than trying to use them all indiscriminately, I believe thinking first about which media best suits you fundamentally changes your strategy for conveying who you are.

 

Step onto the other side's turf more than you expected.

When you meet someone you want to get to know, how do you deepen the relationship? I think this is something everyone struggles with at least once, whether in work or private life. I myself wrestled with how to build relationships during my HR days and thought about it seriously. As a result, I arrived at my own conclusion: the key words for an attitude that connects are "openness," "eagerness," and "sincerity."

First, be open-minded. In your various encounters, you'll inevitably meet people doing work that naturally makes you envious. What matters is what you think in that moment. Instead of closing your ears to what you perceive as good out of jealousy, openly acknowledge that good is good. Then absorb it like a sponge, making it your own immediately.

Next, be ambitious. Go out and seize opportunities with ambition. If you see someone truly amazing, someone you want to surpass, you should observe them closely. It's obvious, but amazing people won't come to you. That's precisely why you should go to them, write letters, and approach every encounter with ambition, determined not to waste a single one.

And finally, be sincere. To earn the trust of someone in a different position, there's no substitute for genuine sincerity. Sometimes to the point of forgetting your own age. This doesn't mean you should be subservient to everyone, but I believe that by being sincere, the other person will also teach you many things.

Mr. Ashizawa, who has connected with many people and created work, shared this insight about "how to connect" based on his radio work experience.

"What I realized doing radio is that the other person is always more nervous than you. I get nervous too, but they're even more so. So I'll say things like, 'It's totally fine—anytime!' or 'Just feel like you're hanging out at my place!' or 'Mistakes are awesome, so please go for it!' That one line completely changes the atmosphere."

In other words, you create the atmosphere yourself. Rather than leaving it up to the other person, you step onto their turf more than you might expect and build a warm atmosphere there. And what's crucial at that moment is showing respect. Nobody likes it when someone barges in without taking care. With respect, you confidently share what you think is good or interesting. Talking with Mr. Ashizawa made me think I should consciously try facing others this way starting today.

What did you think? I learned so much from Mr. Ashizawa. That all the time I've spent passionately pursuing what I love hasn't been wasted—it connects to the future. That considering the medium best suited to me changes how I communicate. And that stepping onto the other person's turf with respect nurtures relationships. These are things we can apply both in work and in our personal lives, don't you think?

I hope you'll experience Mr. Ashizawa's own thoughts directly through his book , 'Waiting Won't Start It: Move Forward with Clarity' (Kobundo). On October 9th, we'll hold a launch event for this book, "A Way of Working Where Nothing Goes to Waste" (link), with Mr. Muneo Ashizawa at Aoyama Book Center Omotesando. If this resonates with you, please come join us.

Next time: Three principles for moving forward decisively, revealed through a conversation with sociologist Noritoshi Furuichi.