My lowest paid job in Japan was the best job I ever got

I'm not going to tell you the whole story about how or why I came to Japan, because there's no real story, there's only a meeting of many coincidences.. fascinating coincidences. I'll tell you another time. But for now, here is how and why my lowest paid job in Japan ended up being the best job I ever got.

A lot of people who come to Japan end up teaching english. Of course that's what I did too after a few years in the country, but the most unexpected job I got, was to work for an english conversation cafe. I applied to that job by coincidence and what seemed like a simple low paid job, happened to be such a fascinating one.. on a human level.

If you know Japanese people, if you've worked with them or have Japanese friends, you know that some Japanese can be quite shy. And so I found myself sitting at a table in a cafe, waiting for Japanese clients (members of that cafe) to come and chat in English. My job was to make the conversation for about 2 to 4 hours in a row with sometimes more than 5 people sitting at the table at the same time.

My job was to chat, to keep the conversation going in english, to get them involved in the conversation. Some people were to shy to participate but I always managed to get them involved in the conversation somehow. It became my mission. It started with smiles, with small talk, deeper conversations for those with a more advanced level and some conversations got really personal with time.

You see, when you open yourself to people, when you have good intention towards them, when you bring that positive energy, people respond to it. The conversations of the first few weeks were very general, but then people started to talk to me about their problems when other customers had left the cafe and they found themselves alone with me. Some people shared their life struggles, their depression, some tears and I started to create a lovely friendship with some of those clients. Breaking the cultural barrier, especially in a culture where people don't often express their emotions or share their personal problems with others is a real challenge, and so I was fascinated by the power of human relationships by how listening and asking the right questions could help people open their heart.

This is probably where my coaching and motivational speaking ambition find its roots. People have always been at the heart of my project, at the heart of my life, and I led with passion those conversations in this job.

Originally coming from a high salary job in financial markets, I can tell you that this was the lowest paid job I ever did, but it ended up being the most rewarding. Being able to listen to those people and do anything I could to provide them with advice, with an ear that truly listens was a unique experience. And when they left the cafe with a big smile and a lighter heart, my real job was done.

Over the next few months, people would come to that cafe because they had heard about me, everyone seemed to enjoy and those 4 hours conversations were flying fast. I didn't see it as a job anymore, I loved it, and this experience became a solid foundation for my future coaching and teaching career.

This job developed even further my social and communication skills, my coaching skills and my resilience. Chatting to many people for 4 hours, keeping the conversations going.. it was exhausting but at the same time it actually gave me such a high energy boost. I was boosted by those interactions and I learnt to talk about anything with anyone. It was an amazing life experience which still allows me today to chat easily with diverse types of people, create trust and find ways to touch people's heart.

When I applied for that job, I had no idea about the experience I was about to live, and I will always be grateful for those people who came to see me, chat, and share their stories. I learnt from them a lot and I believe they also learnt from me. What a magical exchange of thoughts, of moments, that became precious memories.

Sometimes life throws strange opportunities in your way, but remember.. there is always something to take or to learn from it, and skills to build.

Go out there and meet those coincidences