Hajime Kono
Japan

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Back on My Feet

At the time when Japan was at the end of the bubble economy, I had a lot of debts, but sufficient assets to see me through and was doing a healthy business with banking institutions. I was a successful business owner, however, at some point, the banks stopped granting loans so readily. Because of this policy shift, the amount of loans that I was able to get was not sufficient for my needs. It was an after effect at the economy downturn. While people were still happy about the success, others began to think that this prosperity would be ending soon. I participated in the work of Landmark right at that time at my friend’s recommendation.

I know my friend wanted to support me, but to me it seemed he was pressuring me to participate. As I sat in the course, I noticed my resistance to following the instructions. I had never followed instructions well before. I was the president of a company and mostly a giver of instructions. However, because the distinctions and material covered in the program were so interesting and applicable, I wanted to stay – I could see their enormous value. I participated in the courses of Landmark one after the other because of the extraordinary value and deep interest in these distinctions. I reached the place of being able to lead Landmark’s programs very quickly.

In my personal life however, the value of my assets had dropped sharply. Even though I sold my property it was not enough to repay my debts. I also had debts from an obligation with my partner that I was unable to pay. The collapse of the bubble economy was happening. All of my property was taken away by the banks and loan company, and I was forced to leave my house. My furniture was placed under attachment. I was not able to get a loan for the simplest things like a car or copy machine.

The insights and distinctions that I had learned from Landmark were on my side. Even though I couldn’t sleep at night because of the difficult and challenging situation I was in and worried about how I looked in other people’s eyes, I started to learn to just “be with” what was happening, I said to myself that on a specific day and time I would be up and operating and fully functioning again. I simply kept doing what I knew to do and I kept waiting for the day to come quietly.

Now years have passed and people are still struggling to recover from the bottom of the recession. The statute of limitation ran out for some of the debts I held and I repaid others. Due to the influx of foreign funds and an entrepreneur seeing my ability, I was able to successfully start a new business – I was back on my feet. New partnerships were born. People were engaged in the possibility that I created.

Currently, I run four hotels, one design office, and a real estate company. I am very happy with my life and experience a sense of joy with my family. What I have received over the years from the distinctions of Landmark’s education is that when you hit bottom and you really see that you’re the one that has to create from nothing, and when you do everything is available to you. I am a living example of that. I live my life inside the joy of living in the moment of now, every day.

Hajime Kono is an architect, an owner of hotels and a real estate company and the chairperson of seminar leaders in Japan.