Confessions

“No,” he said. “You’re wrong.” A smile spread over his face. “She opened her eyes while I was standing there holding her. And then I dropped her in and let her drown.”

That night, Naoki killed his mother.

It’s much easier to condemn people who do the wrong thing than it is to do the right thing yourself.

“Whenever you’re worried or sad about something, I want you to know you can talk to me. But when you can’t or don’t want to, you should try writing in here. Just imagine you’re talking to the person you trust most in the whole world. It’s amazing how much the human brain is able to remember, how much you hold onto in life, but when you write something down, you can forget about it—you no longer have to hold it inside. Remember the good things; write the bad ones down in here and forget about them.”

Lots of people fritter away their lives complaining that they were never able to find their true calling. But the truth is that most of us probably don’t even have one. So what’s wrong, then, with deciding on the thing that’s right in front of you and doing it wholeheartedly? That’s what I did, and I have no regrets.

Personally, I have more respect for the serious student, the one who never got into trouble in the first place. But those kids never get the starring roles, either on TV or in real life. It’s enough to make the well-behaved student doubt the value of his efforts.

of people fritter away their lives complaining that they were never able to find their true calling. But the truth is that most of us probably don’t even have one. So what’s wrong, then, with deciding on the thing that’s right in front of you and doing it wholeheartedly? That’s what I did, and I have no regrets.

Those of us who serve as homeroom teachers for students preparing for the high school entrance exams are used to hearing parents tell us that their child could succeed if he would “just try.”

It’s what happens next that really matters. Some children, convinced that they’ve reached the full extent of their abilities, stop trying and allow themselves to follow a downward curve to mediocrity. Others calmly continue to make the effort, regardless of results, and manage to maintain themselves at that level. But still others dig in and overcome the obstacle and eventually manage to move up to the next level. Those of us who serve as homeroom teachers for students

“If you’re always worrying about what other people think, you’ll never get any tougher. Stick it out,”