How can I gain confidence? The most important thing that helps you grow.

When we arrived at the motel, it was already past 10 PM.
After holding a music event in Hollywood on the West Coast of America, we continued south all the way to Mexico.
When crossing the border, entering Mexico was so smooth, you could almost call it a pass-through.

However, on the opposite lane, there was a long line.

Cars waiting to enter America, and vendors swarming the cars.
That scene seemed to represent a large divide separating the two countries.

Near the border of Mexico and America.

This trip was our first journey where we held a music event in America.

At that time, we, who were organizing music events in Japan, undertook this with the spirit of 'Let's show Japan to America!'

We announced that special guests would be coming from Japan, went around local universities to promote it, and ultimately managed to attract nearly 250 people.
We particularly admired American music events, dreaming of ULTRA held in Miami, and Burning Man, the art festival held in the middle of the Nevada desert.

Although it didn't reach the scale we admired, it was a small yet incredibly fun achievement for us, accomplished by uniting with many friends.

The scene at the venue.

The fun night continues.

'Every great achievement has a beginning. But there is no true glory unless you see it through to the end.'

These are the words of an English military man named Francis Drake, who was active in the 1500s.
This challenge was truly the beginning of a great achievement, and I believed it was something worth seeing through to the end.

When you accomplish something significant for yourselves, the world changes.
The state of mind was completely different between when we entered America and when we entered Mexico after everything was over.

The confidence and sense of accomplishment of having achieved it filled our hearts.
It was to the point where I had the illusion that there was nothing left in the world that couldn't be done.
Even so, I think it's a happy illusion.

Sitting on the motel bed, everyone opened Corona beers.

Bought at a dusty market along the way, it seemed like a slightly cheap beer for this after-party.
But it suited us, and above all, the beer we drank with our teammates while talking about our feelings for this occasion tasted exceptional.

A little before the after-party.

We went straight outside, participated in a local music event, and danced until morning.
We weren't wearing beautiful dresses, nor was it a particularly fancy venue.
But all the happiness we could feel was right there.

The sense of fulfillment from achieving, from accomplishing, is like a drug.
And if that's with the best members, it's even more so.

Somehow, it feels as if the life I've lived until now is further refined and sublimated.
Along with the ultimate pleasure of a sense of accomplishment, it gives great confidence and growth.

By continuing to achieve something, people's minds and thoughts grow.

The more something accomplished is greater than one's limits, the greater the growth achieved.
To the extent that one's self until now and the way one perceived the world completely changes.

The scope of what one can do expands, and the heart becomes able to accept many ways of being.
With confidence, one can speak clearly with someone and look someone straight in the eye.
More than money, more than anything else, one's own growth was the greatest reward.

Especially those who couldn't have confidence, I think they should boldly challenge themselves.
People who are bad at talking to others and are somewhat afraid of the world often become strong when they take a step forward.

I was also such a person.

I was bad at communicating with others and at continuing to work in society.
Everything looked like a pitch-dark night sea without even streetlights.

It stretched endlessly, terrifying, and without end.

I wanted to obtain what I didn't have.
I wanted to live with confidence.
That's why I repeatedly challenged myself and achieved things, gradually making myself normal.

Trust and confidence in oneself are created through challenge and achievement.

Spider-Man and wine.

Just have a little courage, and even if you close your eyes, you should just do it.
Once you achieve something, you'll definitely want to do it again.
Even though I repeatedly said, 'I'll never do it again,' I found myself continuing to challenge myself again.

It's almost like an addiction.

Because I can't forget the feeling of growing through challenge and achievement.
Even if you call it an addiction, it's not a bad thing at all.
It's merely the beginning of the chain that helps you grow the most in this world.
I think it's okay to be addicted only to the pleasure of one's own growth.

When I left the event venue, the Mexican beach was dark, submerged in night.
Morning still seems far away.

The deep bass and the sound of waves heard from everywhere permeated my heart.
Walking along the pitch-dark night sea with a beer in hand felt pleasant, and I wished it would continue forever.