All about Self-esteem by Teru Nakashima, Japan
Teru Nakashima: A Pioneer in Self-Esteem Psychology
# Teru Nakashima: Leading Voice in Self-Esteem Psychology
Teru Nakashima is a prominent Japanese psychological counselor, author, and public speaker who developed "Natural Psychology," an approach to enhancing self-acceptance and transforming lives. After overcoming severe personal struggles, including a decade as a hikikomori (social recluse) and multiple suicide attempts, he independently studied psychology and therapy, developing methods that led to his own recovery and eventually helping others.
## Core Theory and Methodology
Nakashima's theory of self-acceptance centers on six fundamental elements:
- Sense of Existence: Feeling one's life has value
- Sense of Competence: Believing in one's abilities
- Sense of Belonging: Feeling accepted in society
- Sense of Security: Having a safe space
- Self-Trust: Being reliable and dependable
- Self-Esteem: Recognizing one's inherent worth
His methodology follows three key steps:
1. Self-Recognition: Acknowledging all aspects of oneself
2. Self-Acceptance: Embracing one's complete self
3. Self-Affirmation: Recognizing one's inherent value
## Impact and Work
Nakashima has authored several bestselling books, including "Three Steps to Enhance Self-Acceptance" and "How to Love Yourself." He conducts training sessions nationwide for corporations, educational institutions, and hospitals. His YouTube channel and daily newsletter provide practical guidance on self-acceptance and personal growth.
His unique contribution includes the concept of "mental brakes" - unconscious blocks formed from past trauma and negative thought patterns. He teaches that true self-acceptance isn't about forced positivity but embracing one's authentic self completely. Nakashima also introduces "fudoshin" (immovable mind) as the ultimate state of self-acceptance - maintaining inner stability regardless of external circumstances.
His work particularly resonates in Japanese society, where issues of self-worth and social pressure are prevalent. Through seminars, books, digital content, and counseling sessions, Nakashima continues to provide hope and practical guidance to those struggling with self-acceptance, while his principles are increasingly applied in organizational development to improve workplace relationships and employee well-being.
All about Self-esteem by Teru Nakashima, Japan
Self-Acceptance is the Rocket Fuel for Your Success
Teru Nakashima delivers a powerful, transformative lecture on the profound connection between self-acceptance and achievement. As founder of Japan's Self-Acceptance Academy, Nakashima vulnerably shares how he emerged from spending a decade as a hikikomori (in severe social withdrawal) to discover universal principles of success rooted in authentic self-acceptance.
The lecture dismantles common misconceptions about authenticity, revealing that your true self isn't singular but multifaceted—you can be analytical professionally, playful with children, and contemplative spiritually without compromising authenticity. Using the vivid metaphor of a tree, Nakashima illustrates six essential elements of self-acceptance: self-worth (roots), self-acceptance (trunk), self-efficacy (branches), self-reliance (leaves), self-determination (flowers), and self-usefulness (fruits).
Delving into success psychology, Nakashima presents three critical principles: harnessing intuition as your inner compass, understanding that action precedes confidence (not vice versa), and learning from failure without letting it define your identity. These principles come alive through compelling examples including a professional golfer who improved dramatically by trusting her intuition, Edison's 10,000 attempts, and a figure skater who overcame trauma through visualization. Most practically, Nakashima shares his seven-step framework for achievement and introduces the powerful technique of using present perfect tense affirmations ("I have done it") to create completion images that propel you toward success.
Whether you're seeking to achieve specific goals, solve persistent problems, explore possibilities, or create systematic growth, this lecture offers actionable strategies grounded in the understanding that your inherent worth exists simply because you exist. The most successful people aren't those who never experience doubt—they're those who continue taking action despite challenges, guided by genuine self-acceptance and clear vision.
Teru Nakashima, All about Self-esteem
The Path to Success Through Self-Acceptance. Teru Nakashima's First US Lecture Introduction Warm Greeting to Audience.
Speaker 2:Good afternoon everyone. I am truly honored to be standing before you today. My name is Teru Nakashima, founder and representative of the Self-Acceptance Academy in Japan. This is my first lecture in the United States and I cannot express how grateful I am for this opportunity to share my message with you. Before we begin our journey together today, I'd like to share something personal with you.
Speaker 2:Between the ages of 25 and 35, I spent 10 years as a hikikomori, a term that describes severe social withdrawal. For a decade, I rarely left my home. During that difficult time, a CEO of a major company would visit me every six months, offering encouragement and support, every six months, offering encouragement and support. His belief in me, even when I couldn't believe in myself, planted a seed that eventually grew into my life's work. Today, I want to plant similar seeds with you, whether you're here to achieve specific goals, solve persistent problems in your life, explore new possibilities or create step-by-step systems for growth. My promise is that you'll leave with practical tools to enhance your self-acceptance and accelerate your path to success. In the next 45 minutes, we'll explore the essence of self-acceptance, the psychology behind success, a proven seven-step framework for goal achievement On practical affirmations you can implement immediately. Let's begin this transformative journey together.
Speaker 1:Part 1. The Essence of Self-Acceptance.
Speaker 2:What exactly is self-acceptance At its core is the foundation upon which all achievement, happiness and resilience is built. For those of you focused on achieving specific outcomes, self-acceptance is the rocket fuel for your success. When you truly accept yourself, you unlock extraordinary energy and focus that propels you toward your goals. Research consistently shows that individuals with high self-acceptance achieve their objectives faster and experience greater satisfaction upon reaching them. For those seeking to solve challenges in your life. For those seeking to solve challenges in your life, low self-acceptance often manifests as procrastination, self-sabotage and persistent negative self-talk. By addressing the root cause your relationship with yourself many problems that seemed insurmountable begin to dissolve. But here's something crucial about self-acceptance that many misunderstand being your authentic self doesn't mean having just one fixed identity. For the creative thinkers who value options and possibilities, true self-acceptance embraces the multifaceted nature of who you are. You might be analytical in your professional role, playful with your children. True self-acceptance embraces the multifaceted nature of who you are. You might be analytical in your professional role, playful with your children, contemplative in your spiritual practice and passionate in your relationships. All these versions of you are authentic. Self-acceptance means embracing this rich diversity within yourself. For those who appreciate clear processes and step-by-step approaches, finding your authentic self isn't about a dramatic revelation. It's a systematic journey of small discoveries. Each day you can take one step toward greater self-knowledge by observing yourself without judgment and noting when you feel most energized and at peace.
Speaker 2:I like to illustrate self-acceptance using the metaphor of a tree. Like a tree with its roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits, true self-acceptance has six essential elements Self-worth roots the fundamental belief that you matter. Self-worth roots the fundamental belief that you matter. Self-acceptance. Trunk, embracing all aspects of yourself. Self-efficacy branches belief in your ability to affect change. Self-reliance lives. Trust in your own judgment. Self-determination. Flowers taking ownership of your choices. Self-usefulness. Fruits contributing value to others. Just as a tree needs all these components to thrive, so do we need all these aspects of self-acceptance to experience true success and fulfillment.
Speaker 1:Part 2. The Psychology of Success.
Speaker 2:Now let's explore how self-acceptance transforms into tangible success by examining three critical psychological principles. Intuition your inner compass. For those focused on achieving goals, your intuition can be your greatest ally, a shortcut to success that bypasses lengthy analytical processes. When you feel that spark of excitement about a particular direction, pay attention. This is often your subconscious recognizing an opportunity before your conscious mind can articulate it. I worked with a professional golfer who learned to trust that subtle feeling of rightness before each swing. By honoring this intuition rather than overthinking, her performance improved dramatically.
Speaker 2:For problem solvers, be cautious of intuitive impulses fueled by anger, jealousy or fear. Not all intuitive hits are created equal. The key distinction, ask yourself Is this intuition arising from my high self or from my reactive emotions? The wisdom lies in knowing when to act immediately on intuition and when to pause. As I often say to my clients, I trust my intuition so deeply that sometimes I choose to wait on it. This paradoxical approach has saved me from countless missteps.
Speaker 2:The primacy of action For those who value options and possibilities. There are infinite pathways to success, but they all share one common element action. Many of us believe we must feel confident before acting, but this is backward thinking. Thomas Edison didn't succeed because he felt confident before each attempt. He succeeded because he took action 10,000 times despite uncertainty. He succeeded because he took action 10,000 times despite uncertainty. Similarly, legendary entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk have repeatedly emphasized that their success came not from unwavering confidence, but from willingness to act despite profound doubts. For those who prefer structured approaches, start with small, manageable actions. Success is rarely the result of one dramatic leap, but rather a series of small steps consistently taken. Begin with the tiniest possible action toward your goal today, even if it's just five minutes of focused effort. Even if it's just five minutes of focused effort. One of my clients, a successful author who suffered from severe writer's block, overcame it by committing to write just one sentence per day. This minimal commitment bypassed her resistance and often led to hours of productive writing once she got started, learning from failure and trying again.
Speaker 2:We all experience failure, but those who succeed don't allow those failures to define their self-image. When you experience a setback, your brain creates a memory that links your identity to that failure. This is why many people repeat the same mistakes. They are unconsciously reinforcing a negative self-concept. Here's a powerful technique when you recall a past failure, consciously reimagine it with your desired outcome. Visualize yourself succeeding brilliantly in that exact scenario. Do this repeatedly, almost like overwriting the memory. This isn't mere fantasy. It's reprogramming your brain's expectations and self-image. A figure skater I worked with used this technique to overcome a traumatic fall during competition. By visualizing a perfect landing hundreds of times, she not only healed psychologically but returned to win her next competition.
Speaker 2:Now let's get practical with a comprehensive framework that incorporates everything we've discussed into a systematic approach for success For outcome-focused individuals. This framework begins and ends with clarity of purpose. What specifically do you want to achieve? Why is it meaningful to you? The more vivid and compelling your vision, the more motivated you'll remain through challenges For problem solvers. Steps three and four of this framework monitoring progress and analyzing current conditions will especially resonate with you. These steps help identify obstacles before they become insurmountable. Here are the seven steps Clarify your purpose.
Speaker 2:Determine what you want to achieve and why it matters deeply to you. Set specific goals. Define concrete targets with timelines, numbers and action plans. Monitor progress Objectively. Track your advancement without emotional judgment. Analyze current conditions. Use quantitative analysis to understand your situation clearly.
Speaker 2:Develop a plan. Create short-term objectives Every two to three months with specific actions. Seek support. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, then gather the necessary support, review and reflect, document challenges, processes and obstacles at each small step. For those who value various options, step five developing a plan should include multiple pathways to your goal. Always have plans B and C ready, knowing that flexibility is a strength, not a sign of weakness, for process-oriented individuals. You'll appreciate the systematic progression of these steps. Follow them sequentially and you'll build momentum.
Speaker 2:Naturally, I've seen this framework transform businesses, athletic careers and personal relationships. Transform businesses, athletic careers and personal relationships. An American executive I coached used this system to revitalize a struggling division, turning it into his company's most profitable unit within 18 months. There's something else I've observed repeatedly when you commit fully to your goals and take consistent action, the universe seems to conspire to help you. You'll, coincidentally, discover exactly the information you need, or happen to meet someone who provides a crucial connection. This isn't mystical thinking. It's your reticular activating system, the part of your brain that filters information aligning with your conscious objectives.
Speaker 1:Part 4. Practical Affirmations and Next Steps.
Speaker 2:Let me share one of the most powerful yet simple tools for building self-acceptance and accelerating success Affirmations. In the present perfect tense, the most effective phrase I've found is surprisingly simple I have done it. Dekichata in Japanese when facing a challenge, don't say I will succeed or even I am succeeding. Don't say I will succeed or even I am succeeding. Instead, tell yourself I've already succeeded at this. This present perfect tense creates a powerful completion image in your mind. Before an important presentation, say I've nailed that presentation. Before a difficult conversation I've handled that beautifully. Before a major project I've completed that project successfully.
Speaker 2:This approach works for all personality types. For goal achievers, this technique creates a clear target state for your subconscious to aim toward. For problem solvers, this reframes challenges as already resolved, reducing anxiety and enabling clearer thinking. For possibility explorers, these affirmations open your mind to new approaches by assuming success is already accomplished. For process followers, the present perfect tense implies that a complete process has already occurred, priming your mind to recreate that process in reality. As we conclude, I want to offer three specific actions you can take immediately. Choose one area where you'd like to increase your self-acceptance. Begin saying I have completely accepted myself in this area, three times each morning and evening. Identify a past failure that still affects you. Spend five minutes daily reimagining it as a spectacular success. Select one goal and apply the first two steps of our framework. Clarify your purpose and set a specific goal. Write it down before you sleep tonight. Remember you don't need to feel confident to begin. You just need to take that first small step.
Speaker 1:Conclusion.
Speaker 2:My journey from a decade of isolation to standing before you today demonstrates that transformation is always possible. The seeds of self-acceptance and success exist within each of you. They simply need nurturing to grow. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wisely noted, every person has inherent worth. Your value isn't determined by others' opinions, your accomplishments or your mistakes. It exists simply because you exist. I'll leave you with this thought the most successful people aren't those who never experience failure or self-doubt. They're those who continue taking action despite these challenges, guided by genuine self-acceptance and a clear vision of their goals. Thank you for your attention today. I'm excited to see how you'll apply these principles to create your own unique success story.
