A Single Statement That Opened My Eyes

About thirty-three years ago, I had an experience that completely changed my outlook on faith. At that time, after returning to Japan from the United States, I was working on the front lines. A senior colleague also happened to return temporarily from the U.S. and joined the team I was on. I was told that he had once been known as “the god of F.”

Back then, almost all team members were struggling through extremely demanding days and were unable to achieve even half of the goals they had set for themselves. Yet this one person, despite setting goals about five times higher than everyone else’s, somehow exceeded his targets every single day without fail. While everyone wondered how this was possible, he said to us:

“When you can’t achieve your goals, it’s simply because the belief that you ‘can’t do it’ is bearing fruit. If you become truly convinced that you can do it, you will surely be able to.”

I felt he was absolutely right. It was a moment when the scales fell from my eyes.

From that point on, I made a conscious effort to change my fundamental way of thinking, and as a result, my performance steadily improved. Through those experiences, I wanted to testify to the creative power that God has given to human beings. Time and again, I came to feel that God was truly alive and at work, and there were days when I was moved to tears of gratitude.

However, once I stepped away from the front lines, such experiences became fewer, and I found myself thinking about them less and less. Busy with daily life, the passion I once had gradually faded, and I often forgot about it altogether.

Recently, though, someone appeared who reminded me of these truths, explained them in even more concrete terms, and encouraged me to put them into practice in everyday life. That person is Hyun Jin Nim.

Hyun Jin Nim often says, “What you think, what you perceive becomes reality.” In other words, what is happening in our lives now is the result of what we have envisioned in our minds. Coincidentally, this was exactly what I had been taught thirty-three years ago but had gradually forgotten. He helped me recall it once again.

Both the person who taught me this in the past and Hyun Jin Nim have realized these truths through their own experiences and have continued to put them into practice. Today, these same principles are even supported by scientific developments in quantum mechanics.

Hyun Jin Nim teaches that we must continue striving to grow until the day we enter the spiritual world, and he himself continues to make that effort. His physique and physical strength are almost unchanged from when he was younger. Thinking I should follow his example for my own health, I began an intermittent fasting routine (skipping breakfast) about 9 months ago. Then, in July, when my family and I participated in a family workshop deep in the mountains of Montana—where there was no electricity, running water, or cell service—Hyun Jin Nim said, “As you get older, you don’t actually need to eat that much.” Learning that he himself practices eating less to maintain his health truly impressed me.

As for my results, after about six months, my waistline—which hadn’t changed at all with simple abdominal exercises—became noticeably slimmer. I can now comfortably wear suit pants that I bought in my twenties and early thirties. By continuing light strength training every day, I find that, just before turning sixty, I am now in the best shape of my life. I am convinced this would never have happened if I hadn’t met Hyun Jin Nim, and for that I am deeply grateful. (^o^)

Hyun Jin Nim also says, “Just as muscles won’t grow without being put under load, human beings can only grow through hardship.” He constantly encourages us to challenge ourselves and teaches that, even if we fail, what truly matters is what we learn from it.

The insights Hyun Jin Nim gained and overcame through repeated experiences at rock bottom—and the truths he has embodied by practicing the Principle and Father’s words—are taught as a Universal Principle that applies to everyone. I hope to introduce these teachings little by little going forward.

If you ever have the opportunity to meet Hyun Jin Nim in person and hear him speak directly, you will surely find something that resonates deeply with your true heart. You will sense that these are not secondhand ideas or mere words, but truths that Hyun Jin Nim himself has lived and experienced.