All posts by Andrea Jacques

  • Being jouzu: leveraging your talents for success

    Any foreigner living in Japan quickly discovers the word “jouzu”, a Japanese word that means skillful or talented. When uttering any relatively coherent Japanese phrase, kind Japanese listeners eager to encourage your linguistic brilliance often exclaim “Anata...

    • Posted May 31, 2012
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  • The one thing

    The first quarter of the year has already come and gone and hopefully you are feeling great about your progress so far. Unfortunately, you are far more likely in the 90% of people who feel like they...

    • Posted April 2, 2012
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  • Spring cleaning for peak performance

    Spring cleaning your house is a great way to renew your energy and lift your spirits in the short term, but spring cleaning your time will enhance your energy, productivity, and results for years to come. So...

    • Posted March 1, 2012
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  • Love and other drugs

    As Valentine’s Day looms and people around the world turn their minds to love and chocolate, the movie title, Love and Other Drugs, got me thinking about the various types of love and the different kinds of...

    • Posted January 31, 2012
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  • Criticize by creating

    Life is filled with opportunities to complain and criticize. We witness it in both organized forms, such as documentaries and protests, and organic forms like customers complaining about poor service, employees criticizing their company’s policies, and bosses...

    • Posted December 1, 2011
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  • Single vs Family: the right to choose

    A recent article in The Japan Times suggested that Japanese people in their 20s and 30s are delaying marriage and family due to income concerns. I got married when I was 39 and had my first child...

    • Posted September 29, 2011
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  • To eat or not to eat? That is the question

    In my efforts to eliminate the last ten pounds I gained while pregnant with our son, I have spent the last few years trying every diet imaginable. Despite modest success, none of these plans seemed to stick...

    • Posted September 1, 2011
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  • Creative living in Japan

    Many people long for a more fulfilling life, yet few take advantage of the multitude of opportunities around them to create it. When I was living in Tokyo, this topic came up one day over coffee with...

    • Posted July 29, 2011
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  • Right-sizing your vision

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   In this final installment of the Stressed in the City series I want to address an often misunderstood topic that is at the root of stress for many successful people – vision...

    • Posted June 8, 2011
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  • The power of purpose

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   If you are in Japan, there are many pressing survive level concerns competing for your attention right now, so why should you bother investing any energy to think about cultivating a sense...

    • Posted May 15, 2011
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  • Closing your integrity gaps

    Stress has become such a common part of life, that people are often not even aware how high their level of stress might be. No matter where you live, answering the following questions will provide you with...

    • Posted April 1, 2011
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  • Stressed in the city: part 2

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova   Last month I revealed the secret of leveraging your strengths to enhance your energy and immunize yourself against stress. This month, I am introducing another key stress reduction strategy: closing your Integrity...

    • Posted February 28, 2011
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  • Stressed in the city

    Living in Japan can be both exhilarating and exhausting. No matter how long you have been here, living in a foreign country adds a layer of stress that you wouldn’t experience back in your home country. Case...

    • Posted February 1, 2011
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  • Resolutions

    How many times have you started off the new year with high hopes and a long list of lofty resolutions only to end up frustrated by the end of the first quarter (if not sooner!) to see...

    • Posted December 27, 2010
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  • How to know when it’s time to go

    Photo © Elena Derevtsova Should I stay or should I go? Not only was this a question I was asked by friends, colleagues and clients on a regular basis throughout my sojourn in Japan, it was ultimately...

    • Posted November 29, 2010
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  • Reinventing yourself

      Whether you arrived here to work, study, or simply have an adventure, your time in Japan offers the ultimate opportunity to reinvent yourself.  But why bother?Like many accomplished professionals, you may have embarked upon your career...

    • Posted September 28, 2010
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