I am Glad

To all Smith’s school of English franchise owners.

Last night I was caught out suddenly and had to sleep the night in a business hotel far from home. I had no book and so asked the T.V. to keep me company that was depressed me so much I had to find a way back to feeling my usual optimistic self. Here is what happened.

These days I hate sleeping away from home and always do my best to make it back to my own bed. Some things can’t be helped and there I was alone in a hotel I had never slept in before and far away from my family. No book and not much to watch on the box in English and so I tuned in CNN. As I watched CNN the news of yet of another financial disaster in the order of 50 billion $US came rolling in, Incredible. I watched as some person hurled a shoe at the president of the United States once again incredible.  I saw the British Prime Minister appealing to another sovereign nation to please try and quell the flow of terrorists blowing up his country and killing its citizens. I was saddened to watch overflowing refugee camps. I was appalled at the lack of basic sanitation in yet another well known nation. By the time I switched the T.V off my heart was heavy with the flood of financial and humanitarian disaster.

I know we can’t just shut out these tragedies and we must all do whatever we can to help. But right there and then I needed some help to lift my own spirits after all the bad news. Then I remember the glad game. It’s a game I learned as a child watching Eleanor Porter’s Pollyanna on Walt Disney and still works for me today. Whenever you feel bad think of something you are glad about. Once I was in the mode the glad list started to grow very quickly.

I am glad am Married to Yuka and father to worlds most beautiful little girl.  I am glad I live in this safe country. I am glad the country I chose to live in, Japan, has plenty of food, clean water and emergency services. I am glad I decided to work to create independent wealth among foreigners in Japan and now all work at Smith’s school of English. I am glad I can wear jeans to work and am not worried about being sacked. I am glad that my business income is derived by receiving a little from many franchisees in return for a fair days work. I am very glad Smith’s franchisees receive their income by receiving a little from many in return for a fair days work.  I am glad that neither Smith nor its franchise group is dependent upon any single large income stream that is tumbling over in these uncertain times. I am glad to see more franchisees joining the Kyobashi school and bringing in more than 10.000.000 yen a year with such a light business profile. What an enormous number for such small businesses! Congratulations to each of you, well done. I am glad that we see so many loving married couples, babies and partners within the franchise T.E.A.M. these loving units represent the decency and depth of moral integrity of our system. Congratulations to each and every one of you.

This little list is just a small sample of my important “gladness” and I am of course also glad about many other smaller personal achievements as well but will not bore you with those.  Suffice to say that by the time I finished my little glad game I was no longer depressed. I was happy.

Thank you one and all for helping my family and I to live a happy life here in this wonderful country. I promise to continue to work hard for you all as a group and for each of you as individuals. I love my job and you can expect to see Smith’s continue to improve as we have every single year since we opened in 1996.

Congratulations Smith’s franchisees. You are fantastic. Have a wonderful year end and another great year in 2009.

Mark.